puzzle goldsmith! question…? gold granulation: why do 24k gold has
to be taken to 22k gold for granulation purpose? also can 22k (or
24k) granules be fussed to fine silver backing. If so how? Is there a
book on the subject? Waiting for some time to found some answers?
Estelle Curwen
Hi, Estelle,
You can fuse granules of 24k, 22k, or even 18k. Yes, you can fuse
gold to silver-- either fine silver or sterling. The trick is to get
the granules attached but avoid overheating at all. If you heat too
much, the silver will coat over the gold and alloy with it. It will
no longer look like gold, and it cannot be fixed. For me, some days
this works, and other days I can’t do it at all.
–Noel
Estelle:
While I can’t answer the 24k to 22k question (my guess has to do
with the softness of 24k), I can tell you that 22k can be fused to
fine silver as I’ve done it. It’s very tricky and if you overheat it
you risk plating your gold silver. If you’re using silver granuals,
fuse them first then fuse the gold last. I fused them using the same
method as I did for all 22k and all fine silver - using the hide
glue-copper hydroxide mixture.
I have not found a book on the subject, but am as interested as you
in finding one. I do mine granulation by trial and error. If I mess
up the surface surrounding the granuals, then I just cover it with
enamel!
Good luck and feel free to contact me offline if you want to discuss
granulation further. I love doing it!
Tammy Kirks
Red Bee Designs
A good resource on gold granulation on sterling, I highly recommend
Tim McCreight’s book: Metal Technic
It’s available through Ganoksin’s Bibliography section with a link
to Amazon. John Cogswell wrote the article.
Metals Technic: A Collection of Techniques for Metalsmiths
By Tim McCreight
Price: $17.95
Media: Paperback
Manufacturer: Brynmorgen Press
Release data: June, 1997
Karen Christians
M E T A L W E R X
50 Guinan St.
Waltham, MA 02451
Ph. 781/891-3854 Fax 3857
http://www.metalwerx.com/
Jewelry/Metalarts School & Cooperative Studio