Fusing pure gold vs. fine silver

Thanks Peter for your response. Can you just order pure gold to
fuse, like fine silver, or is there any special prep involved? I’m a
wiz at fusing silver and I want to give gold a shot. Where did you
get your gold for fusing from?

-Iris in San Francisco

    Can you just order pure gold to fuse, like fine silver, or is
there any special prep involved? 

Pure gold is pure gold. You don’t need to order some special
version just for fusing. I normally order it as grain, but I suppose
you can get other forms. You’d then make your own wire or whatever
form you like. It work hardens very little, and works like butter, so
it’s very easy to roll and draw.

    I'm a  wiz at fusing silver and I want to give gold a shot. 
Where did you get your gold for fusing from? 

Doing it. W make a number of pieces in our line with mostly
platinum, but using pure gold inlays, which are then etched to reveal
the crystal structure of the gold, leaving the platinum bright
polished. I don’t bother with fancy inlaying techniques, just
melting the gold into the required areas, using rolled wire like a
welding rod. One needs to melt the metal into the depression while
controlling the already inlaid areas from melting again and flowing
away from where they’re supposed to be. This is, in essence, the
same as a fused joint. And when the wire I’m using gets short, I just
fuse on another piece, so as to more easily hold onto it.

You will perhaps need to plan what you’re making. Pure gold, fully
annealed (as a fused joint is, unless you then planish it), is VERY
soft. Too soft for some things.

Peter