12k vs 24k

[Fleabit]

Ok. I looked and looked and could find nothing on the difference between 24k cigar pens (CSUSA) and 10K cigar pens besides price. Is the 10k a harder gold plating vs the 24K, as in the jewlery racket, or is it something else?

As always...Thanks.

 

[woodpens]

The 10k kits do not show wear as rapidly as the 24k kits. I am confident there will be some argument over this, but that is what I have experienced.

 

[Gary]

The 10k gold plating is harder and more durable than 24k.

 

[Fred in NC]

Pure gold is very soft. 10K is an alloy with harder metals, so of course it is more durable. Common alloys are Nickel (Ni) and Copper (Cu)

10K gold contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metals, making it 41.7% gold. 10K gold is the minimum karat designation that can still be called gold in the US.

 

[jwoodwright]

Fred,
Why do the call it 24K gold if:

10K gold is the minimum karat designation that can still be called gold in the US. [?]

 

[Fred in NC]

A gold karat is 1/24th of the total weight.

24K is pure gold, 24 parts gold, and no part of anything else. The most expensive. 18K has 18 parts of gold, 6 of other metals. 10K is the least expensive, but most durable. A metal with only 9 parts of gold cannot legally be called gold in the US.

Gold is also very malleable. That means that it can be made into very thin sheets. It takes very little gold to 24K plate a pen part, because the plating is very thin and the plating process is fast. On the other hand, a 10K plating, although made with the cheaper metal, is much thicker. It takes more time to plate it. Plating is done with electricity, which adds another cost.

So plating with the cheaper gold is more expensive, but also more durable.

 

[DCBluesman]

10k, 14k and 18k will all have better durability than 24k plating of the same thickness.

<b>Details</b>

Gold is gold, and it is as hard as it is. 24k gold is too malleable for anything other than plating. In plating, the thing that matters is the thickness in the plate. For the most part, that information is not available to us. Studies have shown that with all things being equal, the gold content of an alloy does not seem to affect its durability.What really matters in karated gold are the alloy materials and their percentages of the alloy. The three most common and abundant alloy materials you find in karated gold are silver, copper, and nickel. (There are other metals in small and even trace amounts.) Among these three metals, nickel is the toughest and also the hardest (it's also only used in white gold), followed by copper, and then silver. With these two alloy materials, it is possible to make an 18K alloy as hard as 10K alloy.

 

[Fred in NC]

Lou: "24k gold is too malleable for anything other than plating."

Another common use is for guilding. Since 24K is so malleable, it can be made into very thin sheets, "gold leaf", such as used for guilding picture frames and accents in fine furniture. The guilded pieces are usually varnished.

 

[jwoodwright]

I appreciate the info.[]

 

[Fleabit]

GOTTA love this place! Lots of good info even off of a simple newbie question!
Thanks again for everyones help and information. Makes this a whole lot simpler.

 

[Tom Stephens]

Almost all the 24K kits are epoxy coated [:0]. I say almost because I don't know any that are not, but I sure don't know everything. Does epoxy hold up better than 10K plating? Some epoxy is somewhat soft, but that it a relative term. I know there a lot of opinions. I have seen 24K kits hold up very well with a lot of use.
Tom

 

[wayneis]

I believe that Lou did a test experiment of all of the different finishes our kits come in and the 10k tested out better than the 24k epoxy coated kits. Am I right on that one Lou? If I remember right the 24k kits that he tested were the epoxy coated veriety. For the small monetary difference between 10k and 24k if it were me I would go the 10k. If you are comparing 24k or 10k to titanium gold, which is what I prefer the difference is greater and you would have to then deside if your customers want to pay the increase for quality.

Wayne

 

[DCBluesman]

You're right, Wayne. Here's the link on the pen part test I performed. http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2141

 

[TonyDentino]

I learn something new every time I log to Penturners. One more question: What does titanium gold ad to the discussion?

Tony