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Trish
14-04-2013, 11:11 PM
I read somewhere that you should add fine silver to scrap sterling when melting, can anyone tell me what proportion of fine silver to add and what difference does it make ?
What happens if you don't do this ?

Dennis
15-04-2013, 08:20 AM
It is to restore as far as possible the 925 proportion by offsetting any solder in your scrap. Otherwise it might not melt or flow as well and might not be of hallmarking quality. I can't say more for certain as I don't re-melt scrap, but others will give you their rule of thumb as to how much fine silver you add.

A lot of information is found here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Melting%20scrap%20Silver&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a. Dennis.

Trish
15-04-2013, 07:30 PM
It is to restore as far as possible the 925 proportion by offsetting any solder in your scrap. Otherwise it might not melt or flow as well and might not be of hallmarking quality. I can't say more for certain as I don't re-melt scrap, but others will give you their rule of thumb as to how much fine silver you add.

A lot of information is found here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Melting%20scrap%20Silver&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a. Dennis.

Thank you Dennis for that information , I suppose if there is not much solder in the scrap then less fine silver will be needed .
I just wondered if the heating process made the metal brittle or something .

Dennis
15-04-2013, 09:43 PM
Yes the melting process causes the metal to become chrystalline, and it needs working into sheet or wire to restore its useful properties. I'm not much of a metallurgist, but to my mind it's a bit like bread dough needs kneading. Dennis.

art925
16-04-2013, 10:33 AM
I would also add, not to have your gas mix too oxygen rich, and recycled silver can be more porous, so consider this when you come to solder your items.