[Jewelry making - Article 00140] - Re: [Orchid] Recasting old 18K...nasty alloy?

[Dave Sebaste]

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    Hi M'Lou, I'm going to take a stab at this, and you will probably get
    some more informed responses. Its probably a good thing you were
    wearing a respirator. I'm thinking the fumes you observes being
    released were zinc being burned off from the original alloy, and
    that's hazardous to breathe. The  alloy used in this older 18k
    version might not have had the copper and silver content you would
    usually find in today's alloys. Galvanized steel has a zinc coating
    and will release it as hazardous fumes when heated. 

    If I am correct in this supposition, the burning off of alloying
    material would result in a metal with different metallurgical
    properties than the original material. I would assume that the end
    product would have a higher purity, but might not have the ductile
    properties or flow properties (for casting) that one might need. 
    Most vendors recommend adding 50 percent new casting grain to recast
    material to maintain the desired properties in the end product. 

    I would probably end up doing the "right thing" to satisfy the
    customer. Educate them on what you went through to deliver the end
    product, and they become a partner in the process, and hopefully, a
    customer for many years to come. 

All the best,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans' Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave AT sebaste.com 
http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com 

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