[Jewelry making - Article 00028] - Re: [Orchid] Tarnishing Argentium

[Zen Sojourner]

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>>      I do know that some of my "dead soft" argentium 18g wire (all of
>>     it, actually) was pretty durn springy for dead soft wire of any
>>     kind..... see how soft "dead soft" OUGHT to be.

>         The result: not nearly as soft as fine silver, but softer than
>     what you had with you last Monday. I'd say it's about the same as
>     Sterling, thereabouts, and that the wire you had was half-hard,
>     not dead soft.

    That's what I suspected. Argentium is about the same as standard
    sterling, afik, which would typically compare to fine silver with
    dead soft sterling being about the same Moh's hardness as half-hard
    fine silver. 

    I wasn't sure, trying to compare it to dead soft fine silver might
    have been throwing off my perception, but it seemed about half-hard
    to me (for sterling).  Thanks for checking that out.

>         When I order wire, I tell them that I want it not just dead
>     soft, but darned near limp. "Once you've got it annealed to dead
>     soft, go back and anneal it again one more time, for luck". I have
>     the impression that the guys out on the floor don't want to send
>     out dull-looking wire, so they always like to pull the wire through
>     one last hole before spooling it, so the surface is nice and shiny. 

    I had no idea that they were working the wire over once I ordered
    it, although when I actually think about it, I guess they would have
    to anneal wire before shipping because dead soft wire coiled on a
    huge spool is not going to stay dead soft as they pull of pieces to
    ship out.  I guess I'll make sure of what I'm gettting next time I
    order, which will be pretty soon. 

    In the meantime it looks like most of the wire I've got is half-hard
    when it was supposed to be dead soft and I still have no way of
    annealing it.  Well, soon, I hope.  I have the torch head, now I
    just need regulators and tanks. 

>         I try to make my point as clear as possible, that the wire I
>     get is going to be plenty shiny, and plenty hard, when I'm done
>     with it, before it goes into the tumbler, even.  Yours looked
>     pretty good, didn't it?  :) 

    Yup. I still haven't tumbled mine and its still plenty shiny. 

Sojourner

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