GENERAL SILVER SOLDERING
*Silver solder [SS] wiIl join almost anything (metal), except aluminium. It is strong and easy to do.
*You can silver solder piano wire WITHOUT losing the temper,  (No guarantee on YOUR temper!).
*Only use 245 grade, that is 45% silver.  The SS sold at Hardware shops is usually only 5%.
(Enquip @ 40 Orchard Rd, Brookvale has 45% silver rods at $20 for 5x500mm rods, 1.6mm dia each.  They also have flux). Flux, recommended is a gel, not powder type -  eutectic 1000".
*When soldering, cleanliness is next to godliness.  Cleaning is vital, but do not use anything that is explosive such as turps, degreasers etc.  Do not use glue for fixing in place.
*The safest for cleaning is Eucalyptus.  Use it all the time.
*ALWAYS clean before sanding otherwise grease is rubbed into metal.  Sand after cleaning to remove traces of eucalyptus and to give a key to the solder.
*SS will bridge small gaps so not essential to have metal to metal contact.
*Only use a little flux, as this has to be cleaned off afterwards.  Flux if left will cause corrosion.
*Propane is clean compared to acetylene which is dirty.   (a propane torch with a  jeweller’s point was used by Tom).
*Note that SS always flows towards the heat.
*Heat to pretty hot at which time the gel flux goes liquid - the piece goes orange.  Touch rod in flame then blob of solder will flow and follow the heat.
*Must get rid of flux..  Easiest is to dip in white vinegar. For 10 minutes, then wash off vinegar and buff.
*Boiling water will remove flux but takes longer than vinegar.
* If you need a  heat sink  that is, a way to stop, say a wheel heating up whilst soldering a collet, then wrap in front of wheel with a wet tissue.  (Tom stated that he uses this technique all the time.)
*If joining say, wire to a brass plate, that is a small thing to a large metal piece, then have to be careful NOT to overheat the wire, as it will heat up much quicker than the brass.  Heat the brass, not the wire, (which has been fluxed) then touch SS to wire.  ( Whooshter ) The blob of SS will immediately flow and weld wire to plate.
*The next step is to NORMALISE the wire.  That is, relieve the stresses, by reheating to a lower temperature.  This is done by graduating the heat application over the wire;  as if feathering out as in sanding.   More heat at the centre of work but nowhere near the original heat.  Less heat away.

SILVER SOLDERING PIANO WIRE
*Never braze as this process is too hot.  Silver soldering will not wreck the wire.
*Careful not to get the wire too hot as it will suddenly blacken with oxide and will not solder
*Let cool down then NORMALISE, that is re-heat to a lower heat.
*With piano wire dunk in oil (any oil, old engine oil OK) not water.  The cooling is slower in oil.
*You cannot re-temper piano wire, it will only go brittle.
*A further point when using steel is to have a spray bottle of water & baking soda (sodium bi-carbonate).  This also applies to soft soldering, and is to  kill  the vinegar.  Failure to kill the vinegar results in severe rusting.

BENDING PIANO WIRE
*The trick is the correct temperature.
*At the point where bend is required heat so that the colour just turns to straw.  Bend using pliers then NORMALISE by heating both sides of the bend for some distance with the feathering technique of less heat at the furthest point.  The heat is just under straw ie a slight colour change. Then plunge into oil.

Tom Sparkes is a World renown manufacturer of Oboes (and repairer of all types of musical instruments).