[Jewelry making - Article 00355] - Re: [Orchid] Annealing Platinum-Ruthinium

[LSHancock]

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t lee,

    Pt/Ru doesn't oxidize.  Ru is pt group metal.  So, unless the metal
    was contaminated in the kiln I would seriously question the
    composition of the alloy.  The only 95% pt alloys that I am aware of
    that would oxidize are alloys of copper or cobalt, neither of which
    are generally used in fabricating.  They have a lower melt range
    than pt group alloys which make them better for casting.  However,
    wire can be made out of such alloys and a test to confirm the
    composition should be made.  Co alloys are slightly magnetic unless
    heat treated so try taking a magnet to the wire and see if there is
    any attraction. 

    As far as what can be done to remove the black if you haven't
    already tried you may want to torch heat a portion of the wire to
    see if you can "burn off" the black (this won't help if it is a
    non-pt group alloy).  If it is a Co or Cu alloy, pickling will help
    remove the oxides.  You could also coil the wire very loosely and
    put it through a cycle of one of those magnetic tumblers, though it
    may come out slightly less polished than it was at first and a
    tumbler that will hold 50' of wire may be hard to come by.  You
    could also attach thhe wire to a vise and go over it with 4/0
    sandpaper.  On the first pass over the wire don't let the paper get
    charged with metal, just work on removing the oxide layer.  After
    this initial sanding go back over the wire with the paper that has
    been charged with metal.  The first pass will remove metal, the
    second pass will burnish it and take it to a higher polish than you
    may at first guess.  You may even want to make a third pass with a
    piece of leather charged with 1500 platinum polishing compound. 
    This is a lot of work but may be one of your only options. 

    Call me if you have any questions, Larry Seiger 888.551.0063  

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