<< Are you fusing in the kiln or with a torch? >>
Hi Rick-
You can fuse 22Kt. or Fine Silver on charcoal but a kiln is
better. The kiln I use is from JEC, it is a little round base of
ceramic and a top hat shaped cover. The kiln allows the metals to
evenly heat, then I use the torch going around the piece and
flicking in until fused. Usually it’s then soldered to a heavier
backsheet, as the fusing is done on about .010.
Hope this helps.
Linda
Red1Eagle
Another way of making the spheres is to layer the pieces in charcoal powder (sounds like a messy job!) in a steel box and putting the box in a kiln for 30 minutes or so at a high enough temperature to melt the 22k. Afrer cooling, the beads can then be sifted out of the charcoal and sorted with a stone sieve.
I tried granulation in college and tried this technique but when
I tried to remove the tin from the kiln the tin completely
disintigrated and crumbled. The next hour was spent picking up
the little granules and clearing away the charcoal and “tin”.
I know this does not help but I thought you may like to hear
about my experience.
Andrew
The only problem is that the beads have a tendency to roll
around the on the surface of the charcoal when being melted.
Roughing up the surface and allowing a layer of ash to build up
helps.
Hi Bruce, I once visited a workshop with Reinhold Bothner, kind
of a granulation guru here in Germany. He made the granules by
filling a steel crucible about 4" square (walls about 2mm+
thick) with a layer of charcoal ash, sprinkling the pallions
onto it,then another layer of charcoal ash, and so on, until
about 5 gramms of gold were in. The whole thing had to be
handled very carefully, otherwise all the pallions ended down on
the bottom of the crucible. It was placed using tongs in an
enamelling oven at its highest temperature (min 1100 Centigrade)
far from the door and let there for about 20 min. After removing
CAREFULLY, it had to cool down, as the gold was still liquid.
When washed out with a little detergent, you had perfect
spheres, whereas on a charcoal block they get a bit oval. It was
a bit difficult as you mustn’t do any abrupt movements, and I
burnt both hands (the gloves were too small for my hands and
were of no use, as I detected after half an hour, when blisters
formed). Master Bothner used different alloys, even sterling
silver for granulation, the 14k and 18k alloys containing some
copper (the 18k alloy I use is composed of 75% gold, 10% silver,
15% copper). He gave us a recipe for a “flux” consisting of 0.25
parts gum tragacanth, 1 part copper hydroxide, 2.5 parts
soldering flux, 7.5 parts destilled water. This had to season 24
hours, then you could use it with a sable brush to place the
granules. There shouldn’t be any of the flux on the surface
where no granules were placed, as on heating up, it will “eat”
into the surface. Heating was to be done with a reducing flame
until you got a mirror shine on both the granules and the
surface of the workpiece - very delicate, a bit too much, and
you had a reticulated piece, not enough, and no adhesion took
place. That was done three times, then pickled, rinsed and
controlled how many granules were left, then those which were
gone replaced, heated again … and as a last resort there’s
always the epoxy - the master’s words! You could also make a
feature of it by setting a small stone into the place and saying
that was intended (listen carefully: trade secrets!). This is
what I was taught, and I used it 2 or 3 times. It’s really all a
matter of exercise. Markus
The only problem is that the beads have a tendency to roll
around the on the surface of the charcoal when being melted.
Roughing up the surface and allowing a layer of ash to build up
helps.
Hi Bruce, I once visited a workshop with Reinhold Bothner, kind
of a granulation guru here in Germany. He made the granules by
filling a steel crucible about 4" square (walls about 2mm+
thick) with a layer of charcoal ash, sprinkling the pallions
onto it,then another layer of charcoal ash, and so on, until
about 5 gramms of gold were in. The whole thing had to be
handled very carefully, otherwise all the pallions ended down on
the bottom of the crucible. It was placed using tongs in an
enamelling oven at its highest temperature (min 1100 Centigrade)
far from the door and let there for about 20 min. After removing
CAREFULLY, it had to cool down, as the gold was still liquid.
When washed out with a little detergent, you had perfect
spheres, whereas on a charcoal block they get a bit oval. It was
a bit difficult as you mustn’t do any abrupt movements, and I
burnt both hands (the gloves were too small for my hands and
were of no use, as I detected after half an hour, when blisters
formed). Master Bothner used different alloys, even sterling
silver for granulation, the 14k and 18k alloys containing some
copper (the 18k alloy I use is composed of 75% gold, 10% silver,
15% copper). He gave us a recipe for a “flux” consisting of 0.25
parts gum tragacanth, 1 part copper hydroxide, 2.5 parts
soldering flux, 7.5 parts destilled water. This had to season 24
hours, then you could use it with a sable brush to place the
granules. There shouldn’t be any of the flux on the surface
where no granules were placed, as on heating up, it will “eat”
into the surface. Heating was to be done with a reducing flame
until you got a mirror shine on both the granules and the
surface of the workpiece - very delicate, a bit too much, and
you had a reticulated piece, not enough, and no adhesion took
place. That was done three times, then pickled, rinsed and
controlled how many granules were left, then those which were
gone replaced, heated again … and as a last resort there’s
always the epoxy - the master’s words! You could also make a
feature of it by setting a small stone into the place and saying
that was intended (listen carefully: trade secrets!). This is
what I was taught, and I used it 2 or 3 times. It’s really all a
matter of exercise. Markus
Tom,
I highly suggest you go to www.goldgranules.com for both gold and
fine silver granules in various sizes. Hope this helps, Ellen.