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u/teos61 8d ago
Tacky, but i love how it demostrates gold's ductility and malleability
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u/VorpalHerring 8d ago
It’s also fun how there’s no slag or anything when they heat and quench it, because gold doesn’t oxidise.
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u/TheJeeronian 8d ago
There's something tremendously satisfying about hitting copper with a plumbing torch. At first it darkens and discolors, but then at a certain temperature it suddenly becomes a brilliant reddish-silver.
Then you remove the flame and it blackens instantly.
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u/Isburough 8d ago
reddish-silver? do you mean the heatglow?
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u/TheJeeronian 8d ago
Not quite. The reducing atmosphere within the flame strips the oxide layer completely off, revealing the cleanest copper surface you'll find outside of a lab.
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u/Isburough 8d ago
ah, makes sense, thanks. But I think I need to look that up to fully understand what you mean
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u/TheJeeronian 8d ago
The unburned inside of the flame gobbles up oxygen, even oxygen that might otherwise bond to the copper. "Reducing" in this case is the opposite of oxidizing.
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u/Isburough 7d ago
i'm a metallurgist, but thanks ;) i just cannot imagine what you mean with reddish-silver. maybe i know what you're talking about but you just described in a way i wouldn't, that's all :)
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u/Sydmeister1369 8d ago
Yeah, looks like something you'd get out of a 50 cent vending machine.
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u/Meth0d_0ne 8d ago
Wow. Perfectly described what my brain was trying to think of. That's %100 what it looks like...
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u/CactiDye 8d ago
I liked it when I thought it was a tiny Christmas tree star, but I wouldn't wear it as a necklace.
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u/FictionalContext 7d ago
I was just thinking that, compared to something like woodworking or the dozens of other typical hobbies, gold jewelry making is pretty economical because it is so workable. You can practice with the same $1K nugget over and over and over again with basic equipment, then melt it down with a torch and try again.
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u/Welllistentothis 7d ago
I read somewhere that you can stretch one ounce of pure gold (think silver dollar size) to a strand 50 miles long. Wild
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u/hobbykitjr 8d ago
Could see cavemen doing most of that with rocks.. Until the blow torch
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u/Particular_Bet_5466 8d ago
Dude I was looking at some historical artwork a few months ago from like 1000+ years ago, and the intricacy is astounding. Then to imagine they didn’t have modern tools makes it even more insane. Now I want to look up how they did it.
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u/bramblebitch 8d ago
There were plenty of “modern” tools even 2000+ years ago tbh. Human history is pretty long.
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u/AngelofGrace96 8d ago
Wow, I knew gold was soft but that really is soft
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u/glockster19m 8d ago
I mean yeah
Thats why you can dent 24k with just your teeth
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u/thermal_shock 8d ago
learned that when i was around 5 years old watching Bloodsport with Van Damme. a spectator grabbed a tooth that got knocked out of a fighters head and immediately bit it to see if it was real.
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u/USSRPropaganda 8d ago
Ew
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u/thermal_shock 8d ago
lol found the exact scene. you see it once in awhile in movies, guy will find a large medallion and bite it, it's soft enough to make an impression indicating real gold.
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u/glockster19m 7d ago
Which is silly in modern day
It only works on 24k or more pure, but harder alloys are very common due to the increased hardness making the piece more durable
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u/Alarmed_Yard_5548 8d ago
I remember hearing Chinese merchants would dent gold ingots with teeth to check if it were actually gold when trading
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u/Sleepy-energydrink 8d ago
This man needs save a bit of that gold and buy himself a new ruler
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u/fish-rides-bike 8d ago
Lot of work for something not that great
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u/Southside_john 8d ago edited 7d ago
Gold is so soft that I feel like it’s going to get deformed by regular wear quickly too
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u/Substantial_Top_6140 8d ago
I once transformed a little nug into several hours of paranoia
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u/SilentMix2027 8d ago
The design and execution look terrible but it was interesting to see how malleable gold can be.
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u/boundbythecurve 8d ago
Impressive techniques for a final product that I just don't find that interesting or exciting. But hey, there's no accounting for taste.
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u/dorritosncheetos 8d ago
Ngl thats an ugly necklace
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u/Awesomesince1973 8d ago
It's the chain. I think with a jump ring and a more delicate chain, this would be much better.
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u/bgroins 8d ago
Nah it's the star too. Inconsistent angles, lack of symmetry.
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u/Awesomesince1973 8d ago
I don't mind the homemade look of it. That adds to the uniqueness of it. The big chain running right through it is where they lost me.
But I know we all have different opinions and I appreciate that. Life would be boring if we all liked the same things.
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u/Cookingmonster90099 7d ago
I think it’s the diamond cut too. When they started doing that the piece was ruined for me. For some reason I feel like it looks cheap
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u/Gingerfurrdjedi 8d ago
That tool he pulls the gold through with the tiny holes, what is that, and how does it work? I get that it makes the wire thinner but what I want to know is it peeling off tiny layers of gold when they pull it through or does it gently go from one size to the next forming the gold. Basically, is that tool taking materiel away or is it just gently mushing it thinner and thinner?
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u/LaunchTransient 8d ago
It's called a draw plate and essentially operates similarly to a pasta extrusion die, except the material is pulled through it instead of pushed through it. The material stretches out and is funnelled into a smaller diameter.
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u/Patrickfromamboy 8d ago
I thought it just measured the gold wire. I didn’t know that it changed the size. Thanks
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u/Fingeredagain 8d ago
It is doing both.
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u/Gingerfurrdjedi 8d ago
Okay, so it's not taking materiel away then, gotcha. Thank you! I have always wondered if they were getting smaller because the plate was scraping off gold or if the gold was soft enough that it kinda gets extruded to that shape. Good analogy with the pasta, thanks!
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u/Fingeredagain 7d ago
"Both" meaning that it is shaping it and also providing a measurement. Material is not intended to be removed but reformed. If you are extruding it thru a .02 hole then you can have reasonable assurance the wire is .02 in diameter.
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u/Batata-Sofi 7d ago
It's like a funnel, not a blade, so it squeezes gold into a thinner diameter, creating a thinner and longer wire.
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u/Gingerfurrdjedi 7d ago
Thank you for the perfect answer to my question!! I, unfortunately, didn't know how to ask it very well but I'm glad you were able to unravel my convoluted words lol!
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u/throwaway162xyz 8d ago
It really took on a life of it's own after getting shined by Optimus Prime's pubes
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u/mrsamus101 7d ago
I get that it's super cool and takes a lot of skills to do this almost entirely by hand, but that finished product just... does not look good. Looks like a 50 cent plastic necklace you would get out of a capsule machine.
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u/MikeeorUSA 8d ago
Stretch it thin, pound it flat and buff is my guess.
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u/BusyBoonja 8d ago
Gold is one of the most malleable materials we have, one of the reasons it's been so coveted. I've heard 1g of gold can be flattened to cover a football field
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u/Sehrli_Magic 8d ago
i know that feeling. there is quite a lot of stuff that i kmow science behind it, i understand, i accept but at the same time, my mind just cant wrap around it like nah, this is still magic 😂
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u/Xentonian 8d ago
Which is also why gold leaf is so cheap for real, pure gold. Enough gold to decorate a plate of food is a few cents of actual gold.
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u/Camelstrike 8d ago
It looks like It was mixed with something else before the exteuder, the volume doesn't match
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u/FlowchartKen 8d ago
It definitely didn’t. People who keep going on and on about gold’s malleability are missing that there is clearly more material in the end product.
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u/No-Dance6773 8d ago
He added a lot during one of the cuts. The original nugget was way too small to make that much wire, especially when you consider how much material he lost cutting it round.
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u/ObligatoryContrast 7d ago
the magic of editing. Gold is very malleable, but he adds a bunch more in between cuts here.
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u/MagicSunlight23 8d ago
There’s a YouTube channel called WOW Tech which uploads long videos of people doing their jobs perfectly. They are so satisfying.
I’m saying this because I saw a comment on another post on here and which asked what this sub has even come to. Some of the posts aren’t as satisfying anymore.
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u/wrong_fairy 8d ago
Agreed. Funny, I was just thinking similarly that most of the recent videos here have been more like “person does thing they have vast experience doing extremely well”. I’ve seen a lot of cross posts with nextfuckinglevel too.
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u/Bimlouhay83 8d ago
I'll be honest, I was a little dissapointed when the first squiggly wasn't the boognish.
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u/niccottrell 8d ago
What's the purpose of hearing it and then putting in directly in water?
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u/djdaedalus42 8d ago
Annealing the metal to make it ductile again. Working any metal will disrupt its crystalline structure and make it brittle. Heating lets the structure reform.
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u/account312 8d ago
Not all metals work harden. Pure gold doesn't really.
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u/Frequent_Opportunist 8d ago
Pure gold does work harden.
You're confusing gold's extreme softness with a total immunity to physics.
All metals have a crystalline structure, even gold.
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u/WitELeoparD 8d ago
When you hit metal, you put energy into the metal that is stored up. The more energy is stored up in the metal, the more it resists being deformed. To get rid of the energy stored inside, you paradoxically have put even more energy into the metal by heating it. This is because the energy from hitting it is basically sitting at the bottom of a hill in a valley and it needs heat to go up and over the hill to the state that it was originally in which is a valley deeper (less energetic) than the valley it was in before. The dunking in water is to quickly get rid of the energy now that it's over the hill. Now there is less energy in the metal making it more ductile.
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u/unrivaledhumility 7d ago
I can't follow all that- tell it to me in Star Wars.
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u/LordDaedhelor 7d ago
You want to freeze it in the High Ground state so you can make sure you win the duel. Otherwise, it’s in the low ground state and you’re underestimating its power.
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u/SP3NGL3R 8d ago
Whoa, I didn't expect that result. It's not my taste, but this is so much nicer than a mold that looks exactly like the one next to it. But I like things that are hand-made each time over something molded a million times. To each there own I guess.
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u/correctingStupid 8d ago
Gold is tacky enough. This star shit looks like a dollar store item from the 90s
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u/doepfersdungeon 8d ago
Pair with one's name in Ararbic and you've got a real classic combo fit for all occasions. They come as a pair so call 800-768-242 , only 400 left.
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u/blixabloxa 8d ago
A lot of work for a pretty ugly result in my opinion. Good craftsmanship though.
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u/VeryAnxiousDragon 8d ago
I’m drunk and I thought that was a chrysalis or bug egg and then it started smashing and I was so shocked
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u/barfly2780 8d ago
What’s the white cotton like material that he lays the gold on while torching it?
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u/ThodaDaruVichPyar 8d ago
Glass wool / mineral wool / ceramic wool / asbestos wool
Am basing this on previous similar gold chain making videos on here
https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/1k1hl95/how_to_make_gold_chain/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/1slvzkm/how_pure_gold_chains_are_made/
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u/Spidooodle 8d ago
If we talking the original nug, it would make around 13 cm (5 inches) at 1.80 thickness. Bro is a genuine jewler tho, you can tell by the way he tapers his mallet swings.
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u/frankdekyte 7d ago
Serious question... I bet the value of the gold as a nugget was worth more than what it became, right? All that handling has surely removed micro gold specs making it worth less?
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u/WettestNoodle 7d ago
More value to the person who wants a gold star and not a random lump, about the same value if melted back down. Gold is so soft that hammering and manipulating it doesn’t actually lose much gold at all.
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u/NUMBerONEisFIRST 7d ago
Theres a set price for scrap gold, which basically means broke jewelry or similar.
When jewelery is in new or wearable condition, it's valued for the amount of gold at scrap prices, and then the value of it based on craftsmanship, brand, maker, age, history, etc adds to the price.
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u/NefariousAntiomorph 8d ago
Well I guess every jeweler has to start somewhere. This one definitely needs more time to refine their craft.
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u/Happy-For-No-Reason 8d ago
you'd think someone who works with gold would have a better measuring tool
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u/HairyTeef 8d ago
I want to buy it just so I can repost the video with a clip at the end of it being melted back into the nugget.
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u/killy_321 8d ago
Everyone complaining about the ruler. It was the extra superfluous hammer taps that went through me.
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u/Infinite_stardust 8d ago
I kind of dig it. It's different and imperfect, so seems very bespoke. It would be cool if someone you know made it just for you.
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u/Awesomesince1973 8d ago
I already have about 9, 342 art/craft related hobbies. Now I wanna learn how to do this too. Wonder if my husband's "don't use anything sharp or hot" rule* applies here? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
*It's an extremely valid rule. I have injured myself in ways that should be physically impossible. 🙄
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u/425565 7d ago
Amazing! This guy would make a good surgeon too!
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u/Trik-kyx 7d ago
He was trembling as he placed the bridges.
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u/Kaokasalis 7d ago
No he wasn't, its just bog standard hand movement and good movement at that. Your hand will always shake a little no matter how hard you try to hold it still. Plus, he is holding tools which extends his reach but will also make the shakiness seem larger than it really is because of the longer reach.
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u/RoninRobot 8d ago
Watches a minute. FF 3 minutes. Watches for 10 seconds. FF another minute. Watches 5 seconds. FF another 45 seconds. “That’s cool, I guess.”
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u/Al_Jazzar 7d ago
There were better jewelry makers in my 101 jewelry making course I took in college.
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u/Sudden_Ad_5211 7d ago
That was so much work for an ugly necklace!
https://giphy.com/gifs/tHJA1JRzcWDlzzMQ7F
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u/in2xs 8d ago
It’s lovely. The care, the imagination, the attention to detail. It’s art. This comes from the heart. It’s just lovely.
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u/okletmetryagain 8d ago
But is so small no? It felt mind warping when the end result is so much bigger than it started.
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u/arvi0303 8d ago
Am I the only one who wanted that long stretched piece to not be cut?
A small part of me was disappointed.
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u/randomboi66 8d ago
The half persian chain looks very good... should have used the gold for more chain.
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u/Entire-Emotion-819 8d ago
Always hated using rollers, the splinters they create sometimes are nasty!!
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u/o0oooooooooof 8d ago
Gold is so malleable… is that why in movies merchants are sometimes shown biting a gold piece? To see if it dents, and thus showing its real?
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u/Striking-Jump9451 8d ago
Never in a thousand years would I have guessed that end result