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Metallurgy and Silversmithing
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by
on 2004-08-13 19:30:10 |
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Okay, I figured that this topic could either be here or in the Other board, but figured that it was closer in spirit here in Physics. Recently, I've been cleaning up my room after comming back from overseas, and one of the things that I've been noticing in abundance are old silver half-dollars. My grandparents have been giving them to me for years, where they would then be thrown into a drawer and forgotten. Ones prior to the 1980s were cast in a high percentage of silver (you can tell because they begin to tarnish, new ones do not.) Now because they are currently going to waste, I was thinking, "Why not just melt them down into a ring or something?" Now, I've been thinking, an acetelyne tourch should be more than hot enough to melt down coin silver, which has a melting point of something under 1650 F. One of the major pluses to having a father who works on industrial machinery for a living is the constant supply of bores and taps lying around the house. I am thinking about boring a ring of the size I need into a hard wood, like oak. I believe that the silver will cool rapidly enough to not set the wood on fire, but... Needless to say, I'm planning on working on concrete. My biggest problem right now is finding a bowl to heat the silver up in. Something in a thick stainless steel should be able to stand up to the heat of the tourch. The question now would be finding a way of holding said bowl. Every previous instance I've seen of smelting (usually heading with my Dad as an extra hand,) the workers had special bowls with long handels attached. Maybe a pair of rubber handled plyers? Any comments, suggestions or experience?
--theKiyote
"Everything you ever loved will be altered or destroyed" |
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Re: Metallurgy and Silversmithing
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| No offense but I think you are retarded for wanting to ruin history for something as pointless and ungratifying as jewlry. You act as though your ring will look half as decent as something that is store bought.. if you really want jewlry go and buy it.. those coins have a value which can't be replaced.. they are history and therefore limited.. now a ring on the other hand might be unique.. but think about how shitty it will come out.. it wont be perfectly smooth or even have complex designs.. it will just be some tacky band that you put on your finger. but if you really want to waste away history.. maybe you could have a pot halfway submerged in water.. the water will dissapate the heat and hopefully stop it from melting together. dont quote me on that.. just an idea |
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Re: Metallurgy and Silversmithing
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by
on 2004-08-26 16:17:34 |
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fortezozo: as politely as one can say it, you are the retard. taking valuable things and turning them into a work of art makes the work of art all the more valuable. historical value is something to consider but for something that was MASS PRODUCED like a coin, it doesnt matter if a few are used to create real art. i seen this one guy at the japanese cultural fair in santa cruz, his rings were home made (not from valuable metals, from less valuable ones) but they were way more awesome then the crap at JCPenny's. what do you think kiyote, should i ban him? hehe 
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Re: Metallurgy and Silversmithing
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by TaiyakiFerret
on 2005-01-15 16:21:33
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| try long nosed pliers! I melt silver based solder for jewelry making purposes on the kitchen stove. long nosed pliers should do perfectly fine. Also, I suggest using clay for a mold. I've used index cards and scotch tape for molds before without any trouble, but be careful of moisture in the mold as they can cause unwanted defects on the bottom of your ring. |