Many of the new, red gold commercial production rings I’ve seen
lately have porosity in their shanks. Is this typical of modern red
gold pieces or just a coincidence? Thanks
A lot of wedding rings are sintered rather than made of drawn metal.
Shouldnt be able to see porosity though.
Nick Royall
I would think it is just poor workmanship. You get what you pay for.
In my experience porosity is typical of the old red gold alloys, but
the material I get from United Refining is excellent. It is alloy 540
“premium pink” Good for 9K - 14K. As trouble free as any alloy I use.
Stephen Walker
Many of the new, red gold commercial production rings I've seen lately have porosity in their shanks. Is this typical of modern red gold pieces or just a coincidence?
I’ve had pretty good luck with the red gold pieces I’ve cast so I
wouldn’t say it’s typical, but it’s not unusual. The high copper
content definitely makes it a more difficult alloy to work with,
harder to cast and harder to solder. I know some people who refuse
to work with it. I prefer not to but will use it when someone asks.
It’s just weird to use a gold alloy that oxidizes, it’s tough to
solder with hard red solder because of that. Another weird thing is
that 18K red must be quenched. I remember someone heating up an 18k
band, setting it on a soldering block to air cool and as it cooled
you could hear it pinging as it cracked. When it was cool it was
covered with tiny fracture lines. It was a bummer, but also a
learning experience. I try to use medium pinks, like Hoover and
Strong’s Peach Gold rather than true reds because they behave more
like the yellow gold alloys plus they are usually red enough to
please the customer.