Video Summary

The video documents NileRed's months-long journey to create a ring made entirely of "purple gold," a rare and fragile gold-aluminum alloy.

• The Goal: After seeing purple gold jewelry online, NileRed discovers it is impossible to buy a solid purple gold ring due to the metal's brittleness. He decides to manufacture one himself [01:44].

• Early Failures: His first attempts produce a "crusty," oxidized mess that is silver-colored rather than purple. The alloy proves extremely brittle, shattering under a hammer rather than bending [15:04].

• Solving Oxidation: Realizing that aluminum reacts with air to form ugliness oxides, he builds a custom furnace setup that pumps inert Argon gas into the crucible to shield the molten metal [18:17].

• The Porosity Problem: Even with oxidation solved, the castings are riddled with tiny holes. Research reveals this is caused by hydrogen gas trapped in the aluminum, which bubbles out as the metal cools. He solves this by bubbling Argon gas directly through the molten mixture to "degas" it [35:56].

• The Color Mystery: The alloy often appears silver after sanding. He discovers via a patent that annealing (heating) the metal at 600°C is required to restore the vibrant purple surface layer [25:47].

• Final Success: Casting a ring is difficult because the metal shrinks and cracks as it cools. After a failed attempt where the ring snapped, he successfully casts a slightly incomplete ring (which prevented tension cracking), carves it into shape, and anneals it to reveal a genuine purple gold ring [48:02].

Research & Technical Findings

1. Composition & Chemistry

• The Recipe: Purple gold is an intermetallic compound, specifically gold aluminum (AuAl₂). The video uses a recipe of approximately 81% Gold and 19% Aluminum by weight (approx. 19 karat) [03:28].

• Brittleness: Unlike standard gold alloys which are malleable, purple gold is a crystal structure that behaves like glass or ceramic. It cannot be resized or hammered; it must be cast or ground into shape [02:49].

• Gamma Phase: The specific ratio used was chosen to push the alloy towards a "gamma phase" structure, purportedly making it slightly less brittle than the standard 78.5% gold mix [13:43].

2. The Manufacturing Challenges

• Oxidation: Aluminum forms a resilient oxide skin immediately upon contact with air. This prevents the gold and aluminum from mixing cleanly and ruins the surface finish.

  • Solution: An inert atmosphere (Argon gas) is essential during melting [17:16].

• Hydrogen Porosity: Molten aluminum absorbs moisture from the air, turning it into dissolved hydrogen. As the metal solidifies, the hydrogen solubility drops, causing the gas to eject and form microscopic bubbles/voids in the jewelry [33:46].

  • Solution: Degassing. By pumping Argon gas through the liquid metal (using a quartz tube), the hydrogen diffuses into the argon bubbles and is carried out of the melt [39:14].

3. Surface & Color Properties

• Formation: The purple color is intrinsic to the crystal lattice of AuAl₂.

• Loss of Color: Aggressive sanding or grinding disrupts the surface, often leaving it looking silver or metallic pink.

• Restoration: Annealing the finished piece at 600°C (approx. 1100°F) for about 30 minutes regenerates the rich purple oxide/surface layer [26:54].

• Optical Illusion: The "pink vs. purple" debate in the video was largely due to lighting. A polarizer lens revealed that his homemade gold was identical in color to professionally made samples [42:16].

4. Casting Technique

• Molds: Graphite molds were used because they can withstand the high heat and do not react with the alloy.

• Shrinkage Cracking: Because the metal has zero ductility, as the ring cools and shrinks around the mold, it builds tension until it snaps.

  • Workaround: A "failed" pour that didn't complete the full circle allowed the metal to shrink without tension, resulting in a surviveable casting that could be finished into a ring [46:55].

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What is the metaphysical properties of purple gold carries?

Gold, in alchemical terms, represents the perfection of humanity as it aligns with the sun, embodying the ultimate goodness from a human viewpoint. Aluminium, on the other hand, symbolises a distracted individual, burdened by numerous thoughts, reflecting a state of mental disarray. The fusion of these elements manifests as the violet invocation of advanced intelligent magic.

However, the alloys available in the current human world are quite limited and basic compared to what we had during the golden ages.