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Behold the metals supplier, lord of all things shiny. He fills your crucible with casting grain and makes sure youre always one sheet ahead of the game. But perhaps more important than his ability to make metal magically appear at your door in 24 hours is his expert advice when your solder wont flow, your castings are porous, or youre just about ready to turn off your torch-for good. We spoke with a number of metals suppliers to find out what their customers commonly want to know. From metalworking problems that constantly reappear to recent concerns about new alloys hitting the market, they shared with us some jewels of wisdom.... (2006) Complete Story
Multi-metal Lamination is a type of 'faux' married metal which produces a freer, more 'painterly' effect than the hard-edge, highly graphic, married metal. It is a technique in which designs may appear to float over other shapes and patterns. MML may be used in a figurative way or to produce over-all pattern. MML is achieved by layering patterns of different coloured metals on top of a thick base plate. The patterns are soldered onto the surface, and then compressed by passing through a rolling mill. The resulting illusion is of a single piece of metal with patterns of different coloured metals 'inlaid' into the surface..... (2004) Complete Story
Its no secret that palladium has captured the attention of the industry. In 2005, purchase of palladium for jewelry use worldwide shot up by 54 percent, according to Johnson Mattheys Platinum 2006, and this past year has seen a proliferation of articles and seminars about the platinum group metal -- specifically 950 palladium -- as well as the formation of a new industry group, Palladium Alliance International. Yet with all of that interest has also come questions -- about how best to work with the metal, how to market and sell it, and what to expect in the future: Is palladium really here to stay? To offer insights into those issues, MJSA invited several industry experts to share their thoughts on what manufacturers can expect when working with palladium....
(2006) Complete Story
There is a major difference between durability and scratch resistance. Platinum is very durable. When scratched, the scratch actually displaces the metal, leaving ridges on the edges of the scratch. This is where durability comes in. Whereas other precious metals, if scratched, lose metal, and thus wear down, Platinum does so at a much slower rate.... (2002) Complete Story
Standard sterling silver is not a perfect material to work with firescale adds extra production costs and the tarnishing characteristic discourages potential customers. Firescale-free, highly tarnish-resistant Argentium Sterling Silver eliminates these problems, and the ability of the alloy to be welded opens up new production opportunities.... (2004) Complete Story
