The article by Prof. Dr. Erhard Brepohl in the #116 issue of “Tips
From the Jewelers Bench” is chock full of fabulous
Not the least of which is the tidbit on pulling 2 pieces of stock
through a round drawplate to create 2 pieces of half-round wire!!
(Duh, I’d NEVER have thought of that one on my own!)
My questions though, concern the annealing chart, figure 4.48. I’m
having a hard time deciphering all the info presented therein and
knowing what corresponds to which.
-
Do the bars or the dots represent the elongation % and conversely
which one represents the annealing temperature? -
When a wire has been elongated by 70% does that mean a 1mm thick
wire now has a thickness of .7mm or .3mm? At what elongation %
should I do my anealing? -
Concerning the numbers above the metal symbol/euro karat; it
appears that the numbers above the AG represent the fineness, while
the first 1 or 2 digits of those above the AU categories represent
the applicable karat, but I have no clue as to what the second 2
digits represent. -
There was no mention of the amount of time one should hold a
given metal at the desired temperature. I have been cooking mine for
20 minutes. Is that sufficient or too much? -
Lastly, I have been quenching my wire in chlorinated city tap
water, then pickling. I know that chlorine is detrimental to
precious metals, should I be using distilled water for this
operation, or would another liquid be better suited to the task?
Any other annealing tips/tricks are heartily invited. Thanks in
advance for helping me to sort through these annealing
intricacies!! I expect I’ll be saying Duh again, very shortly! 
Steve Stempinski
Steve’s Place
Jewelry Repair While-U-Watch