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Hi All,
I Have been using 935 casting grain for a while now and really like it. I have tried to source 960 grain in the uk but nobody seems to carry it, So I bought some fine silver grain and added it to the 935 to try to raise the carat . it worked ok but I have since read not to mix argentium with sterling or fine silver, doe's anybody know the reason(s) why ?
Thanks,
Richard.
I don't know the exact reason but I can make an educated guess. Argentium Silver has high tarnish resistance and does not suffer firescale because some of the copper is removed and replaced with germanium. If you mix it with standard 925 Sterling you are diluting the germanium and increasing the copper content thereby diminishing its resistance to tarnish and firescale.Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL
Hi,
Thanks for your reply, That certainly makes sense to me regarding the 925 , but I don't really get why fine (999) silver would be detrimental ?
It's the maths as explained by handmadeblanks above. Diluting it with fine silver reduces the percentage of germanium and affects the tarnish resistance. Dennis.Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL
Hi Dennis,
I suppose then the 960 grade has the germanium content adjusted to offset the dilution ? I understand from what i have read that 960 is slightly more tarnish resistant than 935
Argentium 935 is already so remarkable in its properties, that I would be quite content to work with it exclusively. That is even though the metal is not easy to work with and very fragile when hot.Quote:
Originally Posted by RichL
The real problem is the restricted availability, even where listed, the lack of findings and chains offered in the UK and the fact that the dedicated solders provided are flow sluggishly and tarnish prematurely.
So I am hardly going to bother with yet another layer of difficulty. There is some useful reading to be done here:
https://www.google.com/search?client....0.nRcha_yWMB8
and here
https://www.google.com/search?q=expl...ient=firefox-b