Where could I find small gold balls

Hi Everyone, First, I’d like to thank everybody who kindly answered
my question regarding light weight gold beads. I really appreciate
the advice.

My question today is: Does anybody know where I could find approx.
3mm solid gold balls without holes (not beads or hollow balls)? They
could be 14k or 18k. I checked in the Rio Grande catalog and a few
other catalogs but haven’t been able to find them.

Thanks in advance. Orchidians have been so helpful. Hope I can
return the favor some day!

Dan
DanielBe Jewelry

 My question today is: Does anybody know where I could find
approx. 3mm solid gold balls without holes (not beads or hollow
balls)? They could be 14k or 18k. I checked in the Rio Grande
catalog and a few other catalogs but haven't been able to find
them. 

When I needed the same thing I wound up making a mold of some
earrings and then casting from those. Just one idea…

Stephanie

Dan, Try James A. Murphy & Son, 1-800-42-beads or 508/761-5060. I’ve
bought 10mm no-hole balls from them several times. They’re not
lightweight, but really nice and I’ve not been able to find another
supplier.

Good luck,
Sharon
www.sharonbailey.com

Does anybody know where I could find approx. 3mm solid gold balls
without holes (not beads or hollow balls)? They could be 14k or
18k. 

Hoover and Strong of Richmond VA is selling these and other similar
items.

Good luck,
Larry

Hello Dan, Your question about finding 3mm solid gold balls: Unless
you can’t take the time, why not make them yourself? I like to add
gold balls to accent mountings on sterling. I just melt scrap gold
into depressions in a charcoal block, then roll the gold balls into
pickle. If the ball is going to be more than 2mm, I put a drop of
Prip’s flux on the scrap before melting. Since you want a standard
size you might cut wire lengths and melt them. Same process as making
balls for granulation, although you might have to experiment a bit
since these balls are larger. I believe Randy Smith put up a chart
on Ganoksin that might help you determine the best wire gauge and
length for the size you want. Hope this helps in some way, Judy in
Kansas

Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
237 Seaton Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan KS 66506
(785) 532-2936

Hi Dan,

The company that makes the balls for granulation is : SPM, 1 Labriola
Ct., Armonk,NY( 914-273-5500) Their balls are in the 1mm range for
the largest, and are 22kt gold. They might be able to do custom balls
if the order is large enough.

If you need to make your own, I have a granulation ball calculator
on my web site you can download. Go to http://www.rocksmyth.com ,
select Granulation Links, then select Granulation Spreadsheet. Just
put in the diameter of the wire you will use, and adjust the length
for the size ball you need. Cut the wire, heat it till it melts on
a charcoal block, and it will ball up. Balls over about 2mm will start
to have a flat spot on the bottom. The trick to making them perfectly
round is to take a 3mm burr and cut a pocket in a charcoal block,
going half the depth of the ball, or 1.5mm. Place one end of the cut
wire over the pocket, and put the torch to the other end. It will
start to ball up and roll towards the pocket. As it gets to the end
of the wire, it will plop into the pocket, the bottom will be round.
For a 4mm ball , use a 4 mm burr and cut to 2 mm depth, etc…

This will tend to eat up your charcoal block after a while and I
have been trying to re-invent the wheel. Trying to find something
that will work as well as a charcoal block and not disintegrate. I
have tried all the soldering pads on the market (balls stick to
them), soapstone (takes too long to get hot), Pyrex (shattered but
still might try it on the kiln top), agate(shattered), different
fired and unfired bricks (sticks to metal), and am working on
compressing ashes from the BBQ pit into a block…

To carry this one step father, you can use this technique to make
headpins for beading or earrings. Determine the amount of wire you
need for the ball. Lets say we need 20 gauge wire of diameter .82 mm,
and a length of 27mm to make a 3mm ball. Cut a wire length of about 3
inches and measure 27 mm from the end. Cut a 3mm pocket in a charcoal
block, and center the mark at 27 mm over the pocket. Start heating
the short end of the wire, and when you get to the 27 mm mark, it
will plop in the pocket, and you will have a 2.5 inch wire with a 3mm
ball centered on the end. For the cost of the wire and no solder.

Love and God Bless
-randy
214-280-7775
http://www.rocksmyth.com

Trying to find something that will work as well as a charcoal
block and not disintegrate. 

Graphite is what you need. There are a couple sellers on ebay who
sell various pieces, if you have trouble finding a source. One
problem with graphite are first, that over time it does slowly burn
away, so it’s not permanent. If you can heat it in the absense of
oxygen, it lasts a very long time. It’s often used as soldering
fixtures for soldering in belt furnaces, where controlled atmospheres
exclude oxygen. The biggest problem you might have with it,
though, is that it’s an excellent heat sink. In order to get it to
work well if you’re trying to melt metal that’s in close contact with
the pad, you’ll either need to heat the metal with a more forceful
flame to get it to fully sink down into the depression, or you’ll have
to heat the pad. I still think this will work though, since I’d
guess your wire pieces won’t be in close contact with the graphite
pad until after it’s balled up, so it wouldn’t be much chilled by
the pad until it’s formed the ball, after which quick cooling would
be a good thing. Try it. I think it will work just fine for you.

Peter Rowe