Help with platinum

[GTJC460]

Have to disagree with your first two sentences.

Here's a side by side picture of silver (left) and palladium (right). You decide which is whiter. The one on the left looks whiter to me!

 

[Dave London]

Mr John
Thanks for the great info, I for one greatly miss your advise. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

 

[Ron Spokovich]

Not being familiar with inlays and the various alloys used for such, I can't contribute anything meaningful except to say do your homework concerning iridium. Sometimes, certain alloys work out, and sometime not. Iridium is used to make the saw blades that cut the "split" in fountain pen nibs. The cut is about .003" wide, so the blades are going to hold up well. It doesn't sound like a platinum/iridium mix would be a joy to cut, but I may be wrong.

 

[atexascowboy2011]

Even lowly nickle is a bugger to cut, unless it has been annealed. I would guess the same for the irridium/platinum mix.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

Here's a side by side picture of silver (left) and palladium (right). You decide which is whiter. The one on the left looks whiter to me!

Well, if you want to base your belief on those two pictures then I agree.
However....

 

[rod]

Lee,

I hope Sam W will post his very nice example .... elephant with platinum tusks that give a special white, for my eye.

After writing this, I went to my own photo of Sam's elephant, taken in his workshop, but there was nothing in the photo that captured the live experience of seeing those platinum inlaid tusks. All I can report is that the tone was very special to my eye, a different kind of white from silver, and one that will not tarnish. So I hope you go for it, and add the process to your formidable techniques.

Meanwhile, hoping to see you in Vegas ...

Rod

 

[Phil Coggan]

Re Sam W's comment about polishing platinum to make it lighter. Well it will go a touch lighter but you only have to rub your finger over it and the brightness, if that's the word for it, soon goes back to grey.

I have just inlayed on a pair of guns, birds on the plates and lab heads holding a pheasant and woodcock respectively.These are about 22mm x 16mm, one has to bare in mind that the only thing holding these in is the undercut around the edge, it is possible for water to get under the inlays at the quenching stage of hardening and it's possible for the inlays to blow off. Another way is to inlay after hardening.

Back to the colour, it's grey, and not a bright grey, customers seem to want platinum because it's platinum, personally, I would rather have silver, which is white and looks much better...except it's silver

Phil

 

[Alain Lovenberg]

Lee,

Silver has a bright white color but tarnish with the time, it is very soft and easy to inlay.
Platinum is a little more grey but doesn't tarnish. It is also easy to inlay when it is pure; avoid the platinum alloy for jewelry (950/000) it is very hard to inlay !
The same with the Palladium which is darker than the platinum.

Alain

 

[SamW]

Here are the tusks Rod mentioned. They have never dulled or "greyed" as Phil mentioned but perhaps case coloring changes that property??

PS...Lee, are you thoroughly confused yet? If not we will try harder.

 

[devinstartup]

Good Morning all who are commenting on this subject. I just joined this Website and know nothing of engraving but want to learn Sam told me to join. I do apologize for my ignorance on the subject of engraving but I did have an idea,,,, Someone commented that fine silver will tarnish easily (I completely agree with this) Suggestion: Use "Argentium Silver" this is a rather knew alloy to the jewelry industry and can be bought in all forms ei sheet and wire. Although I have never worked with it, they say it does not tarnish.
I feel like a mouse among giants !
Thanks

 

[silverchip]

Lee, you mentioned the term "cold weld"like gold". this gave me the Idea of the use of laser welding as a absolute guarantee that your inlay could be homogenous and welded into a cavity forever as well as being keyed into a cavity. I would definitely pursue the use of pure platinum for this concept. My experience with the laser has been that if you set an inlay and then drill some small hole down through it to the steel, you could weld it to the steel and then proceed to fill the cavities up to the level of the surface or a little more to insure it would be enough to sculpt and engrave.