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Dear all, A century ago Marc Rosenberg described a method of gold granulation he says was used by the goldsmith F. Stanger whereby gold grains are heated in charcoal dust so they surfaces absorb carbon, this reduces their surface melting temperature (down to 900 deg C) thus allowing them to be fused onto gold sheet... This has been repeated on and off since, most recently by Müller, H. W. and E. Thiem.1999. *The royal gold of ancient Egypt*. London where Müller says 'this is the method still employed by goldsmiths at Luxor in Egypt'... Charles Lewton-Brain has said 'Finally the view of Stanger may be contradicted as the gold has almost no ability to dissolve carbon and that small amount is given up again upon cooling. The gold carbide compound can only be made with difficulty; it is unlikely that it can be formed by simply heating in charcoal dust! http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/granul.htm I tend to trust Charles L-B's thoughts on this, but any other comments would be very welcome. Thanks Jack Jack Ogden E: [log in to unmask] T: +44 777 47 85865