I read this article today (partly quoted below). The advice is about
quenching silver from hot in order to retain work-hardening. Here’s
where I question it. This goes against what I know is standard
annealling behaviour - with the added proviso that one allows the
metal to cool slightly to lose any redness it may have. (After
soldering an ear post I’d imagine that the post will have lost any
redness by the time it’s carried to the quench.) According to me,
using this advice the earpost will be nice and annealed. What do
others think?
Jewelers share their stories about working with findings.
By Tina Wojtkielo, 2004
Why are your silver ear posts so strong and mine are so
bendable? That’s a question Daniel Grandi of Racecar Jewelry
Co. Inc. in Cranston, Rhode Island, has heard from numerous
customers. The answer, he says, is simple. “After soldering
sterling silver ear posts onto models or finished pieces, you
should instantly quench them in cold water or hot pickle to
preserve tensile strength,” Grandi explains. “Most
craftspeople don’t do this, and their ear posts always turn out
soft.” Grandi adds that some craftspeople who aren’t familiar
with the quick quench method refuse to purchase ready-made ear
posts; they make their own by twisting wire with pliers. “All
the time they spend to work-harden wire and make their own ear
posts could be saved by a quick quench.” […]
After reading the article I wondered how to question the advice, as
there seems not to be a direct way from the article site, so I
decided to post here in Orchid and hope I’m not going to cause
offence. I just want to know what was intended, or maybe I could find
out I’ve been annealing the wrong way all these years.
Brian
B r i a n A d a m
e y e g l a s s e s j e w e l l e r y
Auckland NEW ZEALAND
www.adam.co.nz