22ct gold - a bit frightening!

[neekee]

I'm a hobbyist who's worked with silver quite a bit, and a little bit with 9ct gold. As a 50th birthday splurge I want to make myself something beautiful, valuable, simple and lasting in 22ct gold - a simple bangle. What worries me is the annealing process. I have read a lot about annealing less pure forms but can't find anything much about the processes and pitfalls with 22ct. Can anyone help me? In particular, how will I know by looking that I've gone far enough? What about quenching? Should I let it cool first, and how much? Any tips gratefully received. Also, pickling - do I use normal pickle? Polishing - I'm thinking of using a little rouge and that that should be enough. Am I right? Thank you so much!

[Dennis]

Short answers:

Anneal by heating as evenly as possible with a bushy flame to a dull red as seen in subdued light. After about two minutes allow to air cool. Pickle and go through the grades of polishes as normal.

22ct is beginning to be a little soft to resist wear and scratches, so if you have a choice, use 18 ct. Dennis.

[neekee]

thank you Dennis, I'll follow your advice. Nick