Question: Rose Gold Inlay

WSammut

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I have never done inlay work before and was wondering is it easy to inlay 14k rose gold? I'm looking to inlay it in a damascus ring. Also, any tips or anything would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 

tsterling

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Why don't you try inlaying 24 karat gold first? Red/rose/pink gold isn't something you should start with... It work hardens instantly (left a wire-shaped dent in my brass punch) and I saw one guy refer to it "as hard as a ball bearing!". Perhaps a little dramatic, but not too far off...

Best of luck,

Tom
 

mitch

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rose gold isn't even easy to inlay softer metals INTO (see pic- that's pure platinum inlaid into 18k rose gold). it will be particularly difficult to inlay into another metal. years ago i did an extensive job inlaying 18k white into a gun. some of the steel parts were literally softer than the gold!
 

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pilkguns

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To echo what others have said, I would not attempt to inlay pink gold without some serious prior experience with easier inlays.

here's some pink and yellow gold inlays from a few years back

 

Thierry Duguet

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If you really want to inlay red gold use the highest gold content possible, 22 or 18 K. Copper and gold are the best alloy, as little nickel as possible. Do not be afraid to aneal, lol
 

Beathard

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I've done a lot of 18K green gold. It's not fun, but the silver and gold combination is not as hard as the rose golds. There is some strange molecular level thing going on between copper and gold. It work hardens very fast. Almost instantly. You have to get it down immediately. Then forget about bluing as your finish on the piece. It will ruin your salts.
 

Barry Lee Hands

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Copper is well, copper.
I inlay rose gold every week, thierry is correct, use 18 or 22k.
David H. Fell and co in LA have a very malleable 22k rose gold.
 
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jerrywh

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I mostly do all my own alloys. I have alloyed copper 10% and 24k gold 90% and it was as hard as tempered spring steel even though I annealed it. However some time back I bought some rose gold from Rio Grande and annealed it not by heating and quenching it but by heating it to about 1400° and cooling slowly. It was very soft and stayed that way through a few operations. I believe what Berry Lee Hands says. There is an alloy that works. I never tried drawing wire out of it.
There is no box. The only box is the one we impose upon ourselves. There are laws of the universe though. The atomic structure of copper and gold do not mesh well but evidently it can be mitigated some.
 

Barry Lee Hands

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Copper is softer.
I would say copper is no 5 in hardness of pure metals after lead, gold, silver and platinum.
But 22k rose is not bad.
 

jerrywh

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Barry. correct but at the time I didn't think it would make that much difference. I was trying for a color I'm going to try some silver and copper.
 

Ron Spokovich

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This has given me food for thought on a silver cross/pendant upcoming project, featuring an inlay, circular, symbolizing the Sun. I thought rose gold might be nice, with the rays coming outward of 24k gold wire inlay. Now, I'm having doubts, and just might leave it at the 24k inlay idea, so as not to demolish the whole idea. I have to inlay three different types of stones, as well, but I have that solved. Hope my ideas work.
 

Thierry Duguet

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If I may say so, there is a big difference between inlaying something that could be consider as a line, which may needs one wire, and inlaying a larger surface , which would need several juxtapose wire, the first is not too difficult regardless of the metal being inlay, I am sure that I could inlay steel wire (just one wire, lol) if I had to, one wire is held on the side if you create a proper dovetail the side of the cut will pinch the wire in place, so if your rays are narrow enough you could do it that way. If you need several wire, it is a different story, sad and painful.
 
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