I am woking on a small ring that is soon going to be cast in 14k Palladium white gold and I am wanting to reach out to others that might have some relevant experience. First question, will my plasticast with bandust work for this alloy or should I get a high temp investment made for platinum? What is a good flask temp for a small delicate band with a lot of tight spots(I am thinking 1150 F)? How does this alloy compare to casting silver in your experience? Is casting 14k Palladium White gold really that much harder than other alloys with a Vacuum setup (some of the past forum posts on this site have made it seem near impossible)? Any and all info, experience or summaries of your process are very welcome.
Nobody ever responded so I will go ahead and respond to my own post with my findings on Rio Grandes 14k Palladium White Casting grain. As far as investment goes with palladium white gold use R&R ultra vest maxx for white gold, works great, no porosity. 1150F flask temp is perfect for the small details, use a stack of four sheets of aluminum foil cut into circles with a hole in the center of each to put on top of the silicone pad to prevent it from burning(fold the edges of the foil over just a tad so that they all hold together and are not separate). In conclusion casting the Rio 14k Palladium white is totally doable on a basic vacuum setup, only thing to be aware of is that it takes more heat and time to melt thoroughly. If flask temp is right and the metal is melted correct then there should be no issues to worry about.
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Sounds about right !
Just remember to NOT use graphite ( stirring rods or crucibles) palladium bonds beautifully with carbon ( acetylene is a no no )
Makes it brittle
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