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How is gold drawn into extremely thin wire?
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gold
The precious metal gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au. Its square on the periodic table details some of its properties, including its atomic weight, atomic number, and crystal structure.
Gold is drawn into thin wire through a process called wire drawing, which involves pulling the metal through a die to reduce its diameter and increase its length.12
Historically, this was done by hand, but modern production utilizes mechanical processes. The general procedure includes:1
- Preparation: The metal is formed into a rod, which is cleaned of surface oxides using acid or mechanical methods.1
- Lubrication: The rod is treated with a coating, such as lime or borax, to neutralize acids and facilitate movement through the equipment.1
- Drawing: The rod is pointed and threaded through a die. An electric motor then pulls the material through the die using a drawing block.1
- Reduction: Because the diameter reduction possible in a single die is limited, multiple dies are often used in series to achieve the desired thickness. For very small wire sizes, a multiple-block machine—essentially several single-block units combined—is employed to perform the reduction in successive stages.21