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Because platinum does not oxidize, it is good practice to polish individual components before assembly. This is especially important, if there are other precious metals included in the assembly. The platinum must be pre-polished before the other components are being attached, as one tends to over-polish the gold portion in trying to polish the platinum. Platinum is not difficult, it is just different.
~ Jurgen
To avoid problems polishing platinum follow these preparation procedures. First file your work with a #4 file. (Don’t use any coarser on platinum) Then follow with a #6 file, filing at a 90° angle to the first filings. Then proceed to emery paper. First use 320 grit, then 400 grit, and finish with 600 grit. Continue with each grit paper using overlapping diagonal strokes until the marks from the previous paper or file are removed. Sanding across the lines will help you determine when the previous marks are removed.
Always clean the jewelry between the different grits to avoid scratches from carrying over. In place of the 320 and 400 grits, abrasive wheels used in your flex shaft maybe substituted. A number of abrasive wheels and disk are available, including the very popular rubber based wheels.
~ Brad
If you discover porosity on a piece, remove it through burnishing or hammering (in some cases it might need to be filled). To burnish the edges and surfaces, use a highly polished tungsten carbide burnisher and light oil as a wetting agent. Platinum burnishes well, but be careful; the burnisher will immediately begin dragging any debris left on the surface, resulting in scratches.
You can reduce scratches even further with a gray polishing compound, followed by a white compound and then by orange, green, or carrot rouge to get the highly reflective luster for which platinum is known.
A typical finishing sequence for platinum begins with filing the surface, using a #4 cut file. Cross-file the metal diagonally without excessive pressure and without reducing the original surface. Repeat this procedure with a #6 file. When filing a curved surface, follow the curve to avoid creating flat spots.
After filing, remove the file marks with abrasive paper. Start with 240 paper, followed by 320, 400, and 600 papers in succession as needed. Silicon carbide or aluminum oxide papers are preferred. You can also find diamond-coated papers on the market that work well; they range from 220 to 50,000. As an alternative to the 400 and 600 papers, you can use a unitized (compressed fiber) wheel, which also comes in different grades.
- Jurgen
After sizing and setting, you are ready to finish the ring. When platinum is polished properly, it will take on a shine that no other metal can produce. Platinum does not oxidize, nor is it affected by atmospheric conditions. This ensures a good, long-lasting finish, but it takes some effort to achieve maximum results.
As a general rule, polish as much as you can prior to setting or assembly. Also, if platinum is being joined to gold, it’s important to finish the platinum section first. Failure to do so will result in over polishing the gold portion of the piece.
Using a divider, the area for the side diamonds is determined on either side of the ring.
The proper space for the diamonds is determined with a divider
Using a twist drill, the holes are drilled and the seats are made. Be sure and counter sink the holes from the underside. The diamonds are being bead set.
After the center diamonds is set, the finished ring is ready for the customer.
Jurgen
Using a jeweler’s saw, the excess wire is cut away, the seam is filed and the entire ring is polished.
This photo depicts the finished ring ready for the side and center diamond.
Jurgen
Once the sections have been pre-polished, they are clamped together to create the center head.
Using a very hot flame, the pieces are welded together and a Pt round wire is soldered on the end using hard solder.
A hole is drilled in the exact center of the ring cross bar and the round wire with the head is pushed through. The head is turned until it is straight and centered. It is then soldered in position using the medium Pt solder
Jurgen
Using some left-over platinum stock the center line is being marked. By making two side by side lines, the jeweler can cut in between and thus cuts a straighter line
Using a 3/0 saw blade, the cut is made from both ends, leaving a dedicated area in the center intact.
Using a knife blade or a graver, both ends are spread apart.
After the piece has been cut in the exact center, further precise cutting will create a key for assembly of the pieces into a head for setting the center stone.
Jurgen
