[Jewelry making - Article 00510] - Re: [Orchid] Any tricks to hiding platinum seams?

[David Phelps]

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Hi Wayne,

    The only magic bullet I know (other than using a laser - which truly
    is a magic bullet) is to fuse platinum instead of soldering it
    whenever possible. I very seldom use platinum solder at all anymore
    except for fabricating with wire where it doesn't show anyway. When
    sizing, I first fuse the seam slightly without adding any metal. This
    makes it rounded and lumpy, but solid in the center. Then I fuse four
    small pieces of the same kind of platinum on the seam, one on the
    bottom, one on each side and one inside the shank to fill in the
    melted areas. Even doing this you can get a visible joint if you pull
    the heat straight off after it melts as a small shrinkage pit will
    form in the center of the lump. I pull the heat to the side, across
    the joint when removing it to get the pit off of center where it is
    less of a problem. 

    You can use this process on a lot more things than you might think
    is possible if you really crank up the heat with a very small,
    extremely hot flame and get in and out quick (be sure to use good
    welding goggles) and let it cool between steps. Platinum doesn't
    conduct heat very well and if you heat sink your work carefully,
    don't dawdle with the heat (or use too large a flame) and firecoat
    any stones (don't use flux, it can discolor platinum), you can get
    away with it almost all the time. 

    Obviously there are times it's not possible to fuse because of
    delicate stones or whatever. In those cases, make sure the joint is
    as tight and clean as possible, use the highest flow solder you can
    get away with, and burnish the joint after filing, but before
    sanding. I use an air graver or a hammer handpiece with a piece of
    square graver stock rounded and polished at the tip, and hammer
    lightly across the joint at an oblique angle to the surface in every
    direction with the objective of pushing metal into and over the
    joint. This will not eliminate the seam, but it will minimize it
    with careful sanding and polishing. Of course you know to never
    polish with the joint. That will pull the solder out fast. You can
    also avoid polishing at all by going from fine sandpaper to a carbide
    burnisher. 

Dave
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