[Jewelry making - Article 00006] - Re: [Orchid] Crystal looking finish on 24K Gold

[Peter W. Rowe]

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>        Without looking at my manufacturing notes I can't tell you off
>     the top of my head what temps I used to get it even.  I do believe
>     it was on the very high side of a normal annealing temp. 

    With 24K gold into platinum, I've generally used 1900 degrees F, for
    two hours. You need an accurate method of controlling kiln temps,
    though, to go this high. Using just a typical pyrometer, it would be
    easy to accidentally be melting the gold again.  On the other hand,
    the real determinate of how coarse the crystals are, is how slowly
    they form from the molten gold in the first place.  So if you inlay
    your metal just by melting it in, then actually heating the piece to
    high enough so the gold was at least starting to melt again, then
    turning it off so it could cool quite slowly, would give you really
    nice coarse crystals.  More uniform than just annealing high enough to
    get grain growth.  Another method that should also work is bimetallic
    casting.  Either way, remember to allow enough extra metal to
    compensate for the horrendous shrinkage you'll get with solidifying
    24K gold, which can leave really spectacular sinkholes in an otherwise
    smooth surface.  These sinkholes or shrinkage areas, though if
    cultivated and developed intentionally, can also be very dramatic,
    since in these, the solidifying gold forms actual 3d relief crystals,
    even before any etching.  Coarse cubic system grains.  Etch THAT, and
    you've got something quite unusual.  

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