Stainless steel

**Caroline Foulkes** · 17-08-2009, 08:41 PM

Hi,
has anybody ever used this as an alternative to silver? (Ok, I know it's not as nice, but just wondering!). If so, what problems did you find with it? Where do you get it?

cheers from a cold Glasgow

**mizgeorge** · 17-08-2009, 09:27 PM

I occasionally make chains with stainless steel - usually commissions for 'real men' who think it's namby pamby to wear silver

These only use wire, which I find very hard to work. At the bigger gauges (which these inevitably are) it's tough on the fingers. And I go through saw blades like nobody's business!

**Coco** · 17-08-2009, 11:03 PM

I haven't worked with it yet but I have a stainless steel ring that's really nice to wear and I definitely want to give it a go.

I think you have to keep it away from silver during making, can't remember why though. It's unsolderable and turns silver unsolderable or turns silver a funny colour, or something.

**ps_bond** · 19-08-2009, 09:28 AM

There's an awful lot of different stainless steels...

Many of them are complete pigs to work with. Some of them are hardenable. Some aren't. All of them contain 12% chromium or greater. Most of them contain nickel - which is potentially a problem with the EU Nickel Directive.

I've seen references to using 316L in watches (and that's a nickel one). 416 is a nice one to work - free machining, so it cuts about the same as brass.

I can't remember if the sheets I've got sat around are 316L or not. They eat sawblades though, and they're just 1.6mm.