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Work hardening Palladium

Jewelry Discussion
#1

This is my first time working with Palladium…My friend asked me to
make her wedding bands and I’m using gold and palladium…because she
can’t afford platinum, but wants something other than silver…WEll
as I started working with it, the palladium was very hard, but after
I applied heat it became very malleable…so malleable that I could
form the ring with my hands…I was wondering if anyone has
experience with this metal and knows a way to work harden it. I’ve
hammered it, but it’s still soft and I’m afraid it will nick easily
or possibly bend…Does anyone have any suggestions??? They will
all be greatly appreciated…

Thanks Orchidians…

Virginia P

#2

Virginia,

I don’t have experience working with palladium, only palladium
alloyed with gold, but even palladium white gold will not work
harden like nickel white gold.

However, here is a little trick that will help you work harden bands
that you make. It requires the use of a ring stretcher that has
dies to shrink bands. Make your band a few sizes too large then
scrunch them down to the proper finger size. I usually make them
at least 3 sizes too large, more if the ring isn’t so big that it
won’t fit in the die. Of course it takes some calculating to make
sure you don’t have too much metal and it works best when using
domed stock as opposed to flat. As the band reduces in size it
thickens and if you reduce it enough it will widen a bit too, but
not as much as it will thicken. If the ring ends up too thick or
too wide you just file or grind until the dimensions are as needed.
It does take some experimentation in order to be efficient with
your metal but it produces some really nice bands that have that
beautiful bell-like ringing that you get with a work hardened
piece.

Larry

#3

Hi,

Is that pure palladium for white and gold for yellow? Or a white
gold Pd alloy? Try age hardening or heat treating. It may harden up
some for you, but not as much as say regular nickel white gold. Pure
palladium runs very soft, probably unsuitable unless alloyed somehow.
As I recall, (could be wrong) pure Pd does not harden much at all.

Daniel Ballard