Re: Making safe alloys

twocranks1@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> After much helpfull advice and reading other posts I've been using a
> copper/silver alloy for casting small items recently.
>
> To keep the cost down I use abot 90% copper (scrap electrical wire) and
> 10% pure silver (a bar of bullion bought from ebay).
>
> I am trying to keep a non-toxic work enviroment - I use no 'found'
> metal that I'm not 100% sure of it's composition; I'm avoiding nasty
> fumes/dusts from alloys with berrylium or anything else that industry
> uses.
>
> I'd like to try adding something to my mix to make a differant colored
> metal - maybe tin or zinc to make it more silvery without adding more
> silver.
>
> Can anyone offer any advice on a mix or any other suggested alloys
> that I can make or get hold of readily that would be safe to use and
> cheap to make?
>
>
To take your last para as a starting point,
theres no metal you can add to your current mix that will make it more
silvery.
If you look at the common mixtures of copper and other additions, the
normal one is zinc, on account of cost.
starting with 5 to 10 % this will give you a pinkish tone.
adding progressively more zinc will change the colour to gold, then
to yellow then to a greeny shade. this is when your up to 50 % zinc.
theres no way you will get to a sivery colour without leaving copper out
of any alloy.
to get a sivery colour your going to need to go to the tin based
alloys altho comparatively expensive to copper, a lot cheaper that siver.
you will need to do a lot of reading to get into the background of
this range of alloys,
you will find the babbit or white metal range of alloys easy to melt,
under 400@'centigrade, easy to pour and if centrifuged give sharp
detail are nice and white. .
you dont describe your products, what your casting moulds are made of
where you are and what your melting method is.

the more info you can supply us here the better we can help you.

.

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