Beyond Gold and Platinum: Mokume Gane

In many ways, the ultimate precious metals that you might consider jewelry is not gold or platinum, but a little tan cousin Iridium. The possible exception of osmium (which is smelly and toxic) are the most rare radioactive element not in the earth's crust - several times more than gold or platinum. It is even more chemically incorruptible than the other two, is the heaviest (17% denser than gold and 6% denser than platinum), and is much more resistant to scratches. It is also more mystery, like most if not all of my Iridium future effects of the meteor it is supernatural. Unfortunately, there was no one with a way to work with him financially, mainly because of their absurd high melting point and its fragility glassy. The first boat to tame Iridium certainly take the world by the tail. But in the meantime, it is a specialty metal that is also interesting, if not more so-called winner Mokum (MO KOO-May-GAH-Nay), which is to link the largest number of thirty alternating layers different colored metals, twisting, stretching or any other major distortions resulting mass, and then the sculpture in the rings and so that shows a vortex or three riotously Agate surface. Japanese Denbei Shoami metallurgical (1651-1728) invented Mokum win to make the handles of ornamental samurai sword. The metal used, among other things, silver, gold and various shades of the same, as pink, white and green; shakudo (an alloy of copper 96% and 4% of gold is that developing a blue-black patina); kuromi-do (copper with a little arsenic), shibuichi (a pink copper / silver alloy), and various alloys of titanium and tungsten May imply that iron , Nickel and molybdenum. Sandwich that these layers and heat to a temperature, chemical called eutectic, which is hot enough to cause atoms to jostle and mix in the team limit, but not so large as to melt the battery in a note undifferentiated . It is undoubtedly a major art and not something that everyone can benefit. Is now the most famous master seems to be winning Mokum Norio Tamagawa, whose family has worked in the field on nine generations. Google, the word can find very good sources, but one of the most visible and accomplished is clearly in James Binnion http://www.mokume-gane.com/ http://www.mokume-gane.com The previous article comes from Curious of the week on my website. http://www.curiousnotions.com http://www.curiousnotions.com