OK, I have read about 4 of the articles in the Orchid Archives about
working with palladium and I have yet to find any mention of how to
cool it after annealing.
Each article reads: “after the palladium has cooled to room
temperature” with no mention of quenching. I am to assume it is just
left on the soldering block to slowly cool? Is it better to move it
off the platinum soldering block? Someone told me to quench it in
alcohol??? that can’t be right.
The 10-gauge round wire I have is so stiff, it is almost impossible
to bend it. I need to draw it down, but I cannot get it to anneal! It
is not responding in the same way as platinum does when I work it.
Help!
This on annealing palladium from Stewart Grice of Hoover and Strong,
“When annealing TruPd quenching is not necessary, but is not
detrimental either.” Torch anneal: “Heat to orange yellow color 30
-60 seconds”
for coloured golds one does actually quench in alcohol though it
seems to go against every instinct you may have about quenching ANY
metal…at least that’s what i thought when Harold (O’Connor) taught
me about alcohol and non-standard coloured gold alloys ( red orange,
olive green, blue, etc…even some yellow colors), however for
Palladium- barring Hoover’s True Pd, cool to cherry red or slightly
depending on whether it’s pure Pd or an alloy - it seems the rule of
thumb is the higher the pd the less actual cooling is necessary) then
water quench. For both Pt and white gold water is the quench, so
palladium being a platinum group metal would follow that water is to
be used…oil ONLY if trying to spring harden any material…that’s my
understanding of the topic…hope all is well at Pouring Rain!!..
Can’t comment on Pt but for nickel white golds in my studio,
annealing, cooling to “black” heat and then quenching in denatured
alcohol is the way to go…
Yes, Just worked with some DHF 14k pd white-I love that stuff. Water
quench at red is fine. BUT, I have not found that to be the case with
nickel whites. I quench at black in alcohol.
To anneal palladium wires prior to shaping and forming, a high-heat
soldering block is used with a natural gas or propane and oxygen
torch. An oxidizing flame is used for annealing palladium wire. The
wire is evenly heated with the flame directed over the top. The
torch is moved slowly back and forth along the length of the wire,
being careful not to overheat them. The pieces are brought to a
bright orange color, briefly held at this temperature, and then
allowed to air cool.
Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Director Tool Sales & Technical Bench