[Jewelry making - Article 00175] - Re: [Orchid] A different Argentium problem

[Trevor F]

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>     And if I want something really, really soft, do I have to anneal it
>     myself and quench it (and will this even WORK with Argentium since
>     we're not supposed to quench it until it cools off somewhat?) 

    In my experience yes, if you want it as soft as you can get it then
    DIY. 

    If I need Argentium Sterling to be really soft --I call it
    super-annealing-- I quench it just before it loses the last of it's
    color BUT THIS IS RISKY. If you quench it when it's too hot it will
    stress fracture, just like regular sterling silver will stress
    fracture under the same conditions. Other, more experience users of
    Argentium Sterling DO NOT recommend this procedure because of the
    chance and risk of failure. I respect their caution but I like the
    results of super-annealing the metal. 

    WARNING: I accept that there is considerable risk to the integrity of
    the metal in using this technique and so must you if you try it. Your
    metal may shatter (see Marty Anderson's experiences with this if
    you'd like details, in particular the "Argentium - Dim the lights!!!"
    post at http://argexp.blogspot.com/) 

    I work under low-light conditions (barely enough light to see my
    soldering table) when heating AS so that I can see the color
    temperature of the metal better. 

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
www.touchmetal.com

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