Question about silver scraps

Rio Grande will take your sterling or fine silver scraps back for credit.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "laura" :

]What should I do with this stuff?

send it to Tink or Marissa!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

I think sterling is only useful to silversmiths, and that bead makers need fine silver.

Tina

That's correct. Sterling can't be mixed with hot glass because of the copper. Bad chemistry.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ" :

]That's correct. Sterling can't be mixed with hot glass because of the ]copper. Bad chemistry.

another idea blown. sorry Marissa!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

As a silver smith, Marissa C. IS able to reuse sterling.

Tina

But I thought you could use copper with hot glass...?

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]As a silver smith, Marissa C. IS able to reuse sterling.

oh, good - then i can keep collecting my scraps. i get SO tangled up!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

I also wondered if she could refine sterling into fine silver...

Deirdre

I don't think refining and alloying metals is anormal jeweler's function. Isn't mentioned any where in Tim McCreight's "bible".

Tina

Hi Dierdre.

You can put scrap into a crucible and melt it with a torch. Then you can cast it or fabricate with it.

My husband once made me a ring by pouring melted scraps on an anvil, pounding them into a strip, soldering the strip into a circle, and shaping it with a jewelers' saw.

I believe that after a certain number of reuses, alloy scrap (such as sterling or 14k gold) becomes fatigued and needs to go through the refining process again.

• TL *

But you can't seperate the copper from the silver to make fine silver (at home), can you?

Tina

A glassworker put sterling silver "filings" in a paperweight I got-- she rolled the blob of clear glass over them, then encased with more clear. They turned a pale, grayish green color. Kaytee "Simplexities" on

No - the only way to turn it into fine silver is to send it to a supplier like Rio or IJS, get a credit, and buy some fine silver. ;^)

• TL *

I have got some silver in my finger. When I was making my silver goblets, somehow or other the piercing saw slipped and there was I anchored to it in my forefinger left hand. A trip to the hospital was needed. I had gone to the bone and it had left silver bits in. I cut it between the first and second knuckle and the side of the finger is numb because it cut the nerves. The doctor wanted to do an operation to put them back together but I decided against it. It does not worry me but I can see the silver under the skin. Shirley

In article , Kaytee writes

I think that's cool. I have steel in my ankle, but none of my art scars have anything precious in them.

Tina

It probably wouldn't be worth the effort, since you could buy fine silver for a small amount more than its equavalent in sterling.

Deirdre

Well...

You can take a tiny dab or some shavings of sterling and mix it into a gather of ivory or white and pull it into stringer for an interesting effect.

But you barely use any.