24K 1/2 Hard yellow gold wire,

[edgrabow15]

Im going to buy some 24K gold round wire for some inlay work and I know 24K is the best to use for newer people in the engraving world, because it's the most easy to work with.I noticed that it seems to only show 1 hardness when ordering on the internet . 1/2 hard. Is that good enough to work with without annealing it ? I have a good wire draw and will be buying 18 gauge so can use it for differant projects and just draw it to the size I need . If I call is it usually available in a softer wire , maybe even dead soft .? Thanks for any help I can get in advance ,

 

[John B.]

That should be good if you plan on drawing it down to the size you plan on inlaying.
Just coil it after drawing it down to size, lay it on a steel practice plate held up in your vise, heat from the bottom of the plate and kick off into a pan of water for a dead soft finish.

 

[edgrabow15]

Thanks John,I was figuring I would have to go in that direction,I've been doing a lot of inlaying with Copper, Brass Even aluminum wire my son in law gave me, I inlayed about an inch of Gold once to try it out and it went well but it was a real skinny and tiny piece and this is bigger I want to keep the experimenting down to a minimum, Thanks again

 

[Takoyaki]

hi there,

Heat until dark red, than squeeze into cold water!
Do that before U draw it thinner, as well as before the inlay!
Pickle it after quenching to remove scale (oxidizing) , neutralize after pickle with soapwater, than wash the soapwater with tap water away!
Scatch the gold with a fine (wet) brass brush to remove the matte (etched surface) back to a clean metal surface.

Enjoy Ur Inlay work!

Greetings
Tako

 

[edgrabow15]

Thanks, Glad I have all the equipment already, I bought a fully supplied Jewelers Bench from a woman in Manhattan who had retired.Got the bench and everything in it for $900,I live in N.Y. so I went to pick it up with a friend.She lived in a high rise apt, building so when I showed up her husband was waiting down on the street level with the dis assembled bench and 2 big plastic bins filled with all her equipment.He told me that there were also envelopes inside the drawer with scraps of the precious metals she worked with and that they were included,Well this woman must have NEVER turned in any of her scraps because in Gold alone There was $2100.00 , There was also silver and an envelope with a bunch of really tiny Diamonds and other precious stones that my Neighbor ( Who owns a Jewelry store ) gave me $600.00 for, I made out like a bandit.I also got a small crock pot with packets of pickling agent, little stand and a torch for Annealing metals and tons of everything someone needs to make anything Jewelry related it seems, Sorry for the long story. Just thought it kind of fit, And the Bench is awesome also LOL. Thanks again for the advice Ed from Smiths Point N.Y.

 

[Big-Un]

Thanks, Glad I have all the equipment already, I bought a fully supplied Jewelers Bench from a woman in Manhattan who had retired.Got the bench and everything in it for $900,I live in N.Y. so I went to pick it up with a friend.She lived in a high rise apt, building so when I showed up her husband was waiting down on the street level with the dis assembled bench and 2 big plastic bins filled with all her equipment.He told me that there were also envelopes inside the drawer with scraps of the precious metals she worked with and that they were included,Well this woman must have NEVER turned in any of her scraps because in Gold alone There was $2100.00 , There was also silver and an envelope with a bunch of really tiny Diamonds and other precious stones that my Neighbor ( Who owns a Jewelry store ) gave me $600.00 for, I made out like a bandit.I also got a small crock pot with packets of pickling agent, little stand and a torch for Annealing metals and tons of everything someone needs to make anything Jewelry related it seems, Sorry for the long story. Just thought it kind of fit, And the Bench is awesome also LOL. Thanks again for the advice Ed from Smiths Point N.Y.

Now THAT is the deal of the day!

 

[Takoyaki]

What a great deal!
Enjoy the new workshop n tools!

 

[Dave London]

I use the John B method however I quench in alcohol, the gold and silver come out sparkling . And yes never had a fire just be careful.YMMV. MTC

 

[edgrabow15]

I use the John B method however I quench in alcohol, the gold and silver come out sparkling . And yes never had a fire just be careful.YMMV. MTC

Im definitely going to try that, any steps that I can save is a step that I can save, LOL. Thanks