wrote:
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:29:14 GMT, "Harold and Susan Vordos"
wrote:


"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:
Greetings Casters,
I have used the lost wax process to cast silver and yellow gold but
never white gold. Now my wife would like a white gold ring. I can
pay a local jeweler to do the casting but since I have a
centrifugal casting machine and the related equipment I would
rather do it myself. Should my experience with silver and yellow
gold be enough?
Thanks,
Eric

Get thee to one of the Yahoo "castinghobby" groups . I think there
is one oriented towards what you're doing . I'm into lost foam
aluminum castings right now myself ...
But from my limited (very !) casting , it appears you have the
experience and equipment , worst that can happen is you'll get to
melt it down and try again ...
--
Snag
every answer
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Having refined gold for many years, the worst thing that can happen
is that the alloy is ruined in melting, yielding castings with
porosity. An oxidizing flame should be avoided.

Casting white gold when it is alloyed with nickel can be difficult,
so careful heating is in order. If the gold is not new, you risk
including silver with the alloy, which will not be in your best
interest. Make certain that no solder is included in the melt if
at all possible. That can be a source of silver.

For those that think white gold is white because it contains
silver-----that is not the case. Gold alloyed with silver yields
green gold, not white. White gold is an alloy of gold and either
nickel or palladium. Nickel is most common.

Harold


Greetings Harold,
Thanks for the reply and the advice. I will be using white gold
casting grain. So it will be new. I know about using old stuff and
porosity.
Snag,
I will check the yahoo groups, thanks. Lost foam casting has
interested me for a while. Are you doing this at home? Having much
success? I have looked into having some stuff cast using lost foam
because of the potential for good surface finish on the parts. Is this
your experience?
Cheers,
Eric

I'm doing it in my back yard , and I'm a rank newby . If I took the time
to properly finish a foam core , I'd get a lot better surface finish . That
involves painting a film of thinned drywall mud on , letting it dry
thouroughly , times three ... I get impatient , bury the bare foam in sand .
And the finish shows it . I'm machining most of them , so it's not always
important .
If you get on the group I'm on (
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/castinghobby/ ) I have some pics of the two
castings I've made so far in the "Snag's Castings" photo album .
--
Snag
every answer
leads to another
question