Found a green gold wheat chain in 2.8 mm…thanks!
Hi, source of copper was pure copper (.999)…not sure about the oxygen question…thanks
As long as the copper is .999 and has no silicon, selenium, boron etc. It shouldn’t be a problem right? I mean the oxygen should diffuse out when melted and resolidified…
Thanks for the response by the way.
Yes, Herco!
Oxygen is a gas, so not sure that it comes into play within copper material itself…
I used to make my own alloy material. My old formula was 2/3 silver to 1/3 copper for working a real rich 18K gold. In the last 5 years or so, I’ve been using Stuller’s 18k “Royal Yellow” alloy material. It seems to work a lot better than my old alloy, also a bit tougher.
Why do 18K alloys not have as much copper as 10-14 karat? In 18K you can a large amount of silver and it will still be bright and yellow compared to 10-14 karat gold which have a lot of copper, is it customary or is there some reason that 10-14 karat have so much copper? Can 10-14 karat alloys have a lot of silver too?
While we are on the subject of alloying gold I’d like to suggest the following book. Jewelry Metals A Guide To Working With Common Alloys. It’s published by MJSA and written by James Binnion who in MHO is a stone cold genius. No studio should be without it.
-Jo
www.timothywgreen.com
That sounds like a great book! Does it include recipes (I am always searching for new ones)
It does not have specific recipes. But it is a very valuable resource that explains the science behind the alloys as well as a what the alloying elements do. I can’t recommend it enough.
Jo