[Jewelry making - Article 01082] - Re: [Orchid] Annealling 14K gold

[leonid surpin]

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>     gold is incredibly hard and cracks as soon as I try and work it. I
>     have managed to get some of it down into sheet, but I can see cracks
>     in the sheet and I'm not sure that it is really of high enough
>     quality to use! 

    There are many reasons why gold might be cracking. 

    Here is the procedure which should cover a lot of possibilities but
    not all. 

    It would take 2 melts. 

    Melt your gold with a lot of borax, if you can get saltpeter add to
    borax, if not use some table salt. The flux should cover the metal,
    use oxidizing flame, pour into water to create small shot. You must
    wear goggles during the melt. When adding salt to the melt, the
    reaction can be violent, so add little by little. 

    Collect you shot, pickle if required and wash. 

    Second melt. 

    Melt using large but soft reducing flame using only boric acid as a
    flux. Be patient because it may take some time to reach pouring
    temperature. Watch the metal closely. It will be ready to pour when
    metal surface will curve and become very shiny. Flux should retreat 
to
    the sides when temperature is reached. Pour through flame in steady
    even motion. Quench in water and pickle. 

    You must forge the ingot before rolling. I consider forging is
    critical for successful rolling. Forge with peen of the hammer. You
    would need at least 300g hammer. What you trying to accomplish is to
    break the crystals formed when metal solidified, so forge powerfully 
(
    within reason ) and cover all area on both sides of the ingot. When
    ingot would begin to ring in all places you are done. Anneal it and
    roll. 

    If you still would have trouble, the refining will be your only
    course of action. 

Leonid Surpin.
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