[Jewelry making - Article 00232] - Re: [Orchid] Working with Palladium

[LSHancock]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Donna,

    When in doubt, I'd err on the side of treating palladium like
    platinum. Use welding glasses when you solder using high temp
    solders, use a ceramic board and a solder pick recommended for
    platinum, use an oxidizing flame when soldering and try to avoid
    cross contamination. 

    Platinum is very susceptible to metal contamination because it's
    high melting temperature will fuse foreign material into the alloy
    rather than flowing around it. Because of this you'll have little
    problem using a propane/oxy torch with palladium or plat. as long as
    you use an oxidizing flame. Never use acetylene, there's too much
    carbon even with an oxidizing flame. 

    Palladium can be a little sticky when fabricating, especially when
    drawing it down (an educated guess here, carbide drawplates are
    probably better than standard steel ones). Palladium will oxidize
    (and it may require more aggressive removal) and it probably isn't a
    candidate for fusing, though on the last point I'm making another
    educated guess. 

Hope this helps.
Larry

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________