Hello Jenny,
I’m sure there are Orchid members who have more experience enameling
on white gold than I do, I’ve not tried to enamel on white gold, I
use mostly 24 kt. and Fine Silver. However I have read some
about enameling on white gold in two books, which you
may find useful. You may already know about the pages of information
on white gold in the “Thompson Enamel Workbook,” always a good
resource. And there are also a couple of pages about 18K white gold
alloys suitable for enameling in a new book “Enamelling On Precious
Metal” by Jeanne Werge - Hartley. If you haven’t already seen it,
you can read a bit about the book in the eNAMEL Newsletter.
http://users.netconnect.com.au/~enews/
Good book, I recently purchased it, and find it a very useful
resource.
In Werge - Hartley’s book there is mention of an… 18K SW White
Gold Content: 75.1% gold, 7.9% silver, 17.0% palladium. Melting
Point: 1300 - 1315 degrees C ( 2372 - 2400 degrees F ) It’s noted
that it’s a good high karat gold, & malleable, and gives good enamel
colors.
Also…
18K MW White Gold Content: 75.1 % gold, 11.85 % silver, 13.0 %
palladium. Melt Point:1180 - 1235 degrees C ( 2156 - 2258 degrees F
) also good for working & enameling, but metal looks darkish when
polished.
The Hoover & Strong Catalog also has a page or so ( 298 - 299 ) of
info. regarding gold alloy’s for enameling, and the undesirable
effects zinc & nickel in the alloys, can have one the enameling
process. But I found little on solder for white gold & enameling
applications. Sorry.
Everything I’ve been told about soldering on white gold and
enameling it suggests that it may be challenging to achieve the
desired results with out some specific preparation, and
experimentation. But based on the in the books I’ve
mentioned, and a couple of the recent Orchid posts to your question,
I think it’s do-able. I certainly look forward to other posts on
your questions, and hope you get some helpful
Wishing you have great success with this project! Happy Enameling!
Best Regards SScalise @Ornamental_Creations
http://users.netconnect.com.au/~sscalise/