[Jewelry making - Article 00212] - [Orchid] Argentium Sterling: Annealing

[Janet Yang]

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    I have tried annealing the same Argentium wire (16 gauge) several
    times. First discovery: Jumprings should be annealed in a single
    layer. A pile of rings will get alarmingly red on the outside, while
    the inner rings don't get hot enough. I guess that's because AS
    doesn't conduct heat as well as traditional sterling. 

    So I spread them around on the charcoal block and heated them
    sequentially. That meant that the first ones had cooled a bit before
    they were all dumped into water. The annealing was variable. Some
    were quite stiff, and the softest ones were still a lot harder than I
    had expected. Since AS is more ductile and malleable than traditional
    sterling, I must not have annealed the rings properly. 

    How do you anneal AS? I.e., does it matter how quickly it is heated,
    or how long it is held at annealing temperature? Is quenching
    necessary, and does it have to be done as soon as the red glow
    disappears? 

Janet
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