[Jewelry making - Article 00127] - Re: [Orchid] Need Lots of Advise

[Greg DeMark]

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

Dale,

    Welcome to Orchid. Please keep in mind that no question is stupid,
    afterall everyone on this forum started at the beginning in this
    field and most likely had many questions that seemed stupid to them.

    As for the question of buying 10kt or 14kt as compared to buying
    pure gold and mixing your own gold is a matter of choice and
    economics. The cost of mixing your own can add up to fairly good
    savings depending on where you buy your gold. My suggestion is to buy
    pre mixed alloys and use that with your pure gold. As you gain more
    experience you may wish to experiment with your own alloy mixes. As
    for mixing the gold and alloy, I use a 5 gal bucket filled about
    half way up with clean water. I place a Pyrex bowl in the bottom of
    the bucket. I start by placing the pure gold in my crucible and as it
    starts to show signs of melting I start adding my alloy. It is very
    important that you get a complete melt from this or you will have
    some grain that is higher and some that is lower than the karat that
    you want. Some people use a carbon or quartz rod to stir the mix. I
    use neither, I like to take the crucible and rock it back and forth
    until I see a complete mix and then I pour it slowly into the water. 

    Make sure that your crucible is well coated with Borax. 

Good luck
Greg DeMark
email: greg AT demarkjewelry.com
Website: http://www.demarkjewelry.com
Custom Jewelry - Handmade Jewelry - Antique Jewelry

 
____________________________________________________________________
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
____________________________________________________________________