Granulation - Copper Carbonate

Jewelry Discussion
1

i’ve been doing granulation for a couple of years with 22k
usually plating the granules with the pickle and iron binding
wire. while reading the archives i see that some people use
copper carbonate. i would like to try using this maybe also try
my hand a some 18k granulation. where can i get copper carbonate
and how do i use it ? thank you all in advance. scott in
hotlanta

2 
   where can i get copper carbonate and how do i use it

G’day Scott; You should be able to get copper carbonate
through your local pharmacist, though he will have to order it
for you. If you can’t get it, you can buy copper sulphate -
most gardening shops keep it - and having made up a solution of
this you would have to add a solution of sodium carbonate
(washing soda) - cooking bicarbonate would even work. You will
get a precipitate of copper carbonate in the vessel. Allow to
settle, pour off the liquid, dry the blue-green precipitate, and
Presto!! you have copper carbonate. For granulation this is
usually mixed with old fashioned hide glue, or even office type
glues - but NOT PVC glues - and this is painted on the work.
When heated the carbonate part is burned out, leaving copper,
which alloys with the fine silver/gold, lowers it’s melting
point and allows the silver/gold granules to fuse into the base
work. Cheers,

       / \
     /  /
   /  /                                
 /  /__| \      @John_Burgess2
(______ )

At sunny Nelson NZ in late winter/early spring with lambs, daffs, tree
blossoms, Cold starry nights, cold sunny days

3

hi scott, your local lab or chemical supply will have gobs of it.

best regards,

geo fox