The burnishability of dental casting alloys

1. A comparison of Table I with Table IV indicates that all the gold alloys have considerably lower burnishability numbers than are indicated by ADA specification No. 5 for the softened condition. In fact, they are even more burnishable in the hardened condition than specified for Type II alloys. 2. A comparison of Table III with Tables I and II indicates that one of the major advantages of ADA gold alloys is their ease of burnishing. 3. A comparison of Tables III and IV indicates that three of the new alloys (Paliney CB, Albacast, and Alborium) do not meet the burnishability number established from ADA specifications for Type III gold alloys in the softened condition. Moreover, three alloys (Forticast, WLW, and Auralite) probably will require softening heat treatments since their values for conditions of as-cast or hardening heat treatment are much higher than ADA specifications allow for gold alloys. All of these alloys are expected to be either impossible or difficult to burnish in the as-cast state.