[Jewelry making - Article 00520] - Re: [Orchid] Drawing 22k wire from coin

[Brian Barrett]

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Hi Noel,

    I make all my gold wire. In Canada I have to pay tax on coins but if
    I buy bullion (1 oz bars or 10g bars) I don't have to pay any tax.
    It's a few % over market, depends on the coin shop. When I started
    making wire, I used .90 silver coins, then alloyed silver bullion and
    then moved into gold. Any karat value of coin should work, though
    lower karat values seem to need to be annealed more often. I have
    only learned through trial and error. I alloy my gold/silver in a
    small crucible, add a pinch of borax, stir it with a charcoal rod and
    them pour it into my reversible ingot mold. I get about a 20g round
    bar about 6mm diameter. My rolling mill has steps for square wire,
    and I anneal the gold every step. My mill has 9 grooves, starting at
    6mm and ending about 1mm. I anneal it more during the first 4 steps
    than after that as I find I have to straighten the blank with a wood
    lined vice or hammer, and I don't like to straighten it without
    annealing it first. As I understand it, more is safer than less
    annealing. After the first 4 holes, I can usually hold the blank as
    it's exiting the mill and that keeps it straight. I tend to stop the
    rolling when the wire is 2mm. I prefer drawing it after that. I use
    tungsten carbide drawplate with divisions .1mm apart. I anneal the
    wire about every 2-3 holes. I think it takes about 3 hours to
    complete the process. I find it can take longer if I'm watching TV
    while rolling :) I find it very rewarding to make my wire. Good luck 

Brian Barrett

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