I would like to learn how to harden metal by heat treatment.
(silver, 18KY, 18KW
Would anyone be able to recommend or a book, or website
with specific regarding this process? (ie: heat
tempurature, heating duration time, positioning of the piece in the
kiln…is there a specific kind of kiln used?)
Some the books that I currently have mention the process, but there
is an assumption that one already knows how to do it.
Your help would be greatly appreciated!
P.S. Thank you very much to Gerry, Phil, Karl, Bruce, Jeffrey,
Will, Dee, Janet, Pam, and Brian for the fishtail/ setting
To heat harden silver you must upset the orderly arrangement of
grains. To do this you should heat your item to 535 degrees in a
furnace for two and one half hours and then quench in pickle or water
and finish as usual. Gold I think should be held at annealing
temperature, (maybe 1100 degrees or so) for 2.5 hours also, then
quench in water or pickle. You can purchase a (made for hardening)
heat treatable gold from Stern-Leach in Attleboro, Ma. However, they
are suppliers to large manufacturers and discourage small quantities.
Their heat treatable gold, which is alloyed with silver can be
hardened by heating to 550 degrees for one hour and then let cool at
room temperature. We use this metal in different forms all the time
and it gets really hard. Maybe Rio Grand or some similar second tier
supplier might carry some form of it.
There is a book out called The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight,
This book has been in print for at least 20 years. Cleverly written
and very informative. Originally published by Davis publications in
Worchester, MA 01608 Ron Pratt
I called Handy and Harmond refiner co. and asked to talk to their
cheif Metelurgist.
They connected me with min and this is what ne said. He said first I
will have fo look it up and that Is I would hole for a few minutes he
would find out.
Well he told me this:
1st. you have to have a temperature on the oves that is accurate
within 2 to 5 degrees .
2nd If your oven temp is that good this is what to do.
3rd.put the Sterling Silver part in the oven cold andturn it on and
bring the temp up to 1,000 F and hold for 3 to 5 minutes, then shut
the oven off and let ciil down to room temp. and the part will be
tempered. I did what he said and my Sterling Silver 7x7 Yellow Stone
Elk came out tempered,which I was really happy.
I had been having trouble with the elk and my Caribou game heads
come out too soft and gave me a lot ot trouble when people wore them.
Mow for Gold On 14 K gold he said to run the temp. up to 1200F and
repeat the procedure that was used for Sterlink. It worked Great.
Since that I have been buying 14K gold called Spring gold and it has
even been better for the Elk an Caribou. Hope this helps solve your
problem.