Question: annealing silver wire?

[unclejohn]

Another question for all,,, Practicing inlay with copper wire pretty easy when annealing it turns bright cherry red, but silver wire does not, so how can I tell when the silver .999 fine wire is annealed before melting? Thanks again for all the help.

 

[silverchip]

It will turn white on the surface and pale pink in dim light. What size of wire are you using?

 

[unclejohn]

I have 10 ga. I got from Rio Grande and new draw plate. Im inlaying in rings so I need to draw the wire down to about .015 for my small boarder and maybe .018 to .020 for some other inlays. Should make the draw plate well worth the money. Practicing on copper telephone wire I still need to aneal it every time.

 

[Francis Kisner]

I was working on a jewelry project and needed a long batch of silver wire in a diameter I didn't have. Pulling it through a draw plate a few times made it very hard. I hooked the ends up to an electric soldering machine and slowly turned up the current until the wire sagged. The first time, I started too quickly and one end glowed red before the rest was hot enough. I just stopped until the red faded before continuing with more power. Using this method, I was able to maintain very good control and the whole length was done uniformly. Once I saw the wire drooping, I turned the power back and let it cool. An electric soldering machine puts out direct current.
If you have access to one or would like to try the same idea with a simple rheostat, you may find it helpful. Be sure to protect yourself and the work area against shorts and burns.