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Argentium User Guide

Argentium 960-Pure

Argentium User Guide - Argentium 960-Pure - produced for Argentium International Limited February 2012

Summary of Contents for 960-Pure

Page 1: ...Argentium User Guide Argentium 960 Pure Argentium User Guide Argentium 960 Pure produced for Argentium International Limited February 2012 ...

Page 2: ...techniques Page 6 7 Soldering Fusing Welding Investment casting Page 8 Finishing processes Page 9 11 Optimising tarnish resistance Degreasing and rinsing Manual polishing Mechanical polishing Surface passivation Long term care Page 12 Argentium 960 Pure A premier grade luxury alloy suitable for items produced from sheet wire and tubing It has excellent machining properties and can be used for smal...

Page 3: ...rogen Don ts Do not touch move or manipulate Argentium silver while it is at red heat as this may cause cracking Be careful not to overheat Furnace atmospheres containing more than 10 hydrogen are not recommended Quenching Argentium silver retains its heat for longer than traditional sterling Do s After annealing wait for the red glow to disappear before quenching best judged in a shaded area Alwa...

Page 4: ... is not sticky and will cut cleanly with a bright sharp finish Granulation and Keum Boo Argentium 960 Pure s fusing properties enable techniques such as granulation and Keum Boo to be applied Instruction DVDs by Ronda Coryell are available to purchase Each DVD beautifully demonstrates how to carry out different processes with Argentium including fusing and granulation techniques Please visit ronda...

Page 5: ...hydrogen for 10 20 minutes Step 2 This step increases hardness of Argentium 960 Pure by 55 65HV DPH Heat Argentium silver in a furnace or oven at 300 C 572 F for approximately 120 minutes then air cool to room temperature Important information Hardness will differ between wrought and cast material Lower temperatures can be used for Step 2 minimum temperature of 220 C 428 F with a corresponding inc...

Page 6: ...t to firestain it is therefore only necessary to flux the seam to be soldered rather than applying flux to the whole piece The following fluxes are recommended use as directed by the manufacturer My T Flux supplied by Rio Grande USA Battern s Flux Prip s Flux N B Handy or Easy Flow type fluxes can cause staining with Argentium silver Fusing Unlike traditional sterling silver Argentium 960 Pure can...

Page 7: ...localised heat for joining materials Welding technologies provide excellent alternatives to the use of solders The weldability of Argentium Original opens new avenues for the design and production of silverware and jewellery items Measuring conductivity The International Annealed Copper Scale IACS is a measure of conductivity in metals and alloys lower IACS values increased weldability The chart b...

Page 8: ...mended Silicon carbide crucibles are not recommended Accurate temperature control Argentium silver displays a paler colour glow than traditional sterling silver when heated or molten Accurate temperature readings are important to prevent overheating Protective gas cover Use an inert gas cover i e argon or nitrogen The cast flask should be held under the inert gas protection for 1 minute before rem...

Page 9: ...ng cleaning process is used 1 Degrease Immerse pieces in an ultrasonic bath at 50 C 122 F for 2 minutes using a 2 solution of the Argentium approved cleaner supplied by Legor Group product code 4580511 2 Rinse Rinse with demineralised water at room temperature for 15 seconds 3 Surface neutralisation immerse in Legor Argentium approved pickling solution product code 4581516 for 10 15 seconds 4 Rins...

Page 10: ...pH 7 9 Minimum time 20 minutes Stage 2 Cutting and dressing operation to smooth the surface using either one or a combination of the following processes A ceramic or plastic media in a near neutral aqueous solution pH 7 9 use as recommended by the manufacturer Manual techniques using abrasive wheels and papers Stage 3 Polishing operation to give a lustrous finish using either one or a combination ...

Page 11: ... the heat treatment Make sure that the oven is clean and free from chemicals and substances that may be detrimental to the heat treatment process Surface passivation chemical treatment As an alternative to the heat passivation process it is possible to chemically treat Argentium silver which allows the protective germanium oxide layer to develop naturally over a period of time underneath the prote...

Page 12: ...utiful shine and lustre Goddard s Long Term Silver Cloths and Tiffany Co Mitts are recommended Avoid using coarse contaminated or old cloths as they may impair the surface lustre of Argentium silver Please do not use dip polishes or electrolytic cleaning processes with Argentium silver Important care advice As recommended for other precious metals it is advisable to remove Argentium silver jewelle...

Page 13: ...ARGENTIUM and are registered trademarks of Argentium International Limited For sales and technical enquiries please email info argentiumsilver com or visit our website argentiumsilver com ...

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