[Jewelry making - Article 00616] - Re: [Orchid] Casting Argentium Sterling Silver?

[Trevor F]

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Hello Ivan,

>     please. i need recomendations to cast argentium.What is the best
>     temperature to cast? how much time is the best to wait before
>     quenching? 

    I don't know if you've received any responses yet but at the risk of
    stating the obvious you can find basic casting info for Argentium
    Sterling at their site http://www.argentiumsilver.com 

    Click past the Flash intro and then into the "Technical Guide"
    section. You can download the info as a PDF if you're into that...
    oh, what the heck, here's what (the current version) of that PDF says
    about casting: 

    INVESTMENT CASTING 

    Casting temperature range: 1750-1800F/955-980C. Argentium(TM)
    Sterling Silver displays a paler colour when heated/molten, therefore
    do not judge casting temperature by eye. 

    Flask temperature: Lower flask temperatures are recommended. For
    guidance, drop by a minimum of 85F/30C below regular temperatures
    used for standard sterling silver. 

    Crucibles: To avoid contamination from other alloys, it is important
    to use separate crucibles for Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver. Do not
    use silicon carbide crucibles. 

    Protective atmosphere/fluxing: A protective atmosphere is recommended
    when melting Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver. If a protective
    atmosphere is not available, flux can be used (boric acid is
    recommended). Skim any oxides off the surface before stirring. 

    Hardness wet investment removal: Leave flasks to cool for 20-25
    minutes before quenching. This will give castings approximately the
    same hardness as standard sterling silver (70HV). To raise the
    hardness to approximately 95HV, heat castings at 580F/300C for 30-45
    minutes and air cool to room temperature. 

    Hardness dry investment removal: Leave flasks to cool to room
    temperature before removing castings from the investment. This will
    give Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver a hardness of approximately 100HV. 

    Precipitation hardening: For hardness above 100HV, follow
    precipitation hardening instructions. 

    Remelting: Use at least a 50% fresh/50% scrap mix. For high-quality
    pieces, using more fresh metal will yield superior results. It is
    important that used trees and buttons are free from investment powder
    residue, to avoid contamination. 

    If you want to go to the source I've got contact info for Peter
    Johns, the guy who invented the stuff. I'm sure he'd be happy to
    answer any questions you might have. Email me offline and I'll give
    you his address. 

    Finally there's a guy named Marty who's got a small blog about his
    work with Argentium, including some casting. See that blog at
    http://argexp.blogspot.com/ 

Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
Visit TouchMetal.com at http://www.touchmetal.com

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