I have been using bullion coins and ingots for making fine silver
jewelry for some time now. I have bought the silver through bullion
dealers online and directly from the mine through miners that work
there. I have a rolling mill and have found that this is a much
cheaper way to purchase materials for my projects.
Gold and silver are extremely low priced now (Krugerrands can be
bought for spot right now at one of the online dealers) and I would
like to start making gold jewelry as well. I would like to know if
anyone has tried rolling Krugerrands to make 22kt sheet. I would
imagine that they would work harden. Do they need to be just heated
to red heat and then let cool to anneal? When I roll the fine silver
it will work harden after about 3 rollings, but will anneal after
heating to red heat and letting cool. Will 24kt bullion gold ingots
work harden also or will they stay malleable no matter how much they
are rolled?
Thanks for any help.
Rex in Montana
Hi Rex and Susan, I use bullion for jewelry with the aid of a rolling
mill too and find that heating to red and quenching in pickle makes
pure silver almost like jelly (which is excellent if you have more
rolling or working to do). Fine gold is malleable, but will
certainly require annealing after working for a while, its up to how
it feels to you. Working with fine gold and silver is the best for
malleability and the more the metals are alloyed the harder they are
to work and more frequent annealing they will require. At $5 an
troy oz. for silver, one can get their money’s worth for making
jewelry, especially if you make your own wire and bezel! It’s fun,
by the way, to experiment with alloys. And, if you have never worked
with copper in the mill, its fun and good practice. Copper is VERY
malleable after heating and quenching.
Best to you. A blessed and prosperous 2002.
Dave Hall, Gainesville,FL
Hi, Rex-- I have never rolled out Krugerrands to make 22kt sheet. But
I can help you with the 24kt gold. Yes, it will work harden. The best
annealing process I have found is as follows: 24K gold anneals at
575=B0F. This is well below the temp. at which the metal turns red.
Annealing can be achieved with a torch, in a kiln, or by laying the
gold on a household hotplate on full heat for about 10 minutes. I
have used all three techniques with good results. Good luck Deb
Jemmott Enhancements