Re: Argentium Silver.

Séimí mac Liam wrote:
Ted Frater <ted.frater@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:1a5ss3553sbo0j61hltqa6n03fanfsod94@xxxxxxx:


Séimí mac Liam wrote:

This article would seem to indicate that only the Name is protected:


UK Inventor, Finnish Manufacturer Team Up to Produce Tarnish-Free
Silver - Alloy Took Ten Years of Trial and Error


At long last - tanish-free silver.

Could it be true?

A British silversmith says he has found a way to make tarnish-free
silver, and the largest silver manufacturer in Northern Europe,
believes he is right.

Peter Johns, a trained silversmith and technical tutor at Middlesex
University has been working for about 10 years on a problem than has
plagued smiths for centuries. Called firestain or firescale, the dark
coating found on silver occurs when the metal oxidizes at high
temperatures. It is nearly impossible to get rid of and it makes
working the silver very difficult. "It causes problems when you join
things together because if you solder on top of the firestain, you
don't get a proper bond," says Johns.

Silversmiths often deal with firestain by coating the metal with
boric acid or other caustic, sometimes toxic solutions.

Johns found that by adding germanium, a semiconductor used in early
transistors and now employed mainly as a vital part of military
nightscopes, the silver alloy didn't develop firestain. He said he
tried germanium at the suggestion of a French company that was trying
to find new uses for the element after the Cold War ended, military
uses were diminishing and most transistors and chips were starting to
be made of silicon.

The tarnish resistant characteristic is what may be of the most
interest to consumers but it is the firestain resistance that is most
important to Johns and other silversmiths. Because firestain is
virtually eliminated in the alloy, it can be welded with a laser,
allowing increased automation of silver manufacturing. "You also need
less,grinding," says Johns. The product has been in limited
production since last year, but is growing almost weekly, according
to Tony Jackson, technical development manager at Kultakeskus OY, an
81- year old privately owned silver manufacturer about 60 miles north
of Helsinki.

The company, which is the largest silver maker in Northern Europe,
has been working with Johns for six years to learn the right amount
of germanium and other metals to produce a silver product that has
the best characteristics of sterling but without the firestain.
"Finally, we found the correct mixture," says Jackson, "but it took
us a long time to do it. We went through every possible usage
(silverware, hollowware, Jewelry) until we found the correct
percentage." The alloy is considered sterling because it is 92.5
percent (sometimes called '.925') pure silver.

Like Johns, the most important aspect to the company is the
no-firestain feature. "Because there's no firestain, it saves
production time and we don't have to use acids or other substances
(used to prevent firestain) that are not environmentally friendly."
He adds: "One of the big savings is that we can weld which saves a
lot of time. A lot of people said that we could never weld silver,
but we can - with a laser."

He says that consumers in Scandinavia are asking the company to
produce additional products made of the tarnish-free alloy. "They're
asking us 'when can you make such and such' product. We're increasing
production weekly," said Johns who would not give out production
figures.

The new alloy is not without drawbacks. Adding germanium raises the
price 7 to 10 percent, but Jackson believes that most consumers would
gladly pay a premium if they didn't have to polish their silver
pieces to eliminate tarnish. "To many people, it's drudgery." The
other issue is that of,availability. Germanium is a by-product of
lead and zinc extraction, and is also found in coal. The main source
is in Kazikstan, which is in an unstable political region. "We're
always worried about the price of germanium going up," says Jackson.

Another side effect is that the silver alloy gets some yellow
substance on it. "We're not sure what it is, but it wipes off easily
with a damp cloth," says Jackson.

The bulk of the effort to produce this new alloy has been
accomplished by trial and error. "We trust the alloy," he says. "it
does exactly what we want it to do and consumer demand is high and
growing in Scandinavia and elsewhere."

Johns realizes that skeptics exist, so he invites people to study.
"It's in the public domain. Anyone can see it." He also freely gives
demonstrations to silver makers on how to make the alloy. "They're
surprised that I'm so open about it."

Silver News - February / March 2000

http://www.silverinstitute.org/news/2a00.html

Peter Johns is the creator of Argentium silver. From his closing
statement above, it would seem the formula is not patented or
protected in any way.

All power to the developer and the firestain free alloy.
BUT there are a lot of inaccuracies in the article.
Fire stain is not the oxidation of the silver,
but the oxidation of the copper in the sterling alloy.
The baloney about the use of dangerous chemicals and acids etc is
just
a smoke screen.
Im happy to say this year is my 40th!! as a silversmith and over this
time, I made 1000's of joints in all metals from the simplest using
lead solders to fusion welding of titanium.
With the right technique, the right fluxes, and the right joining
alloy, meaning brazing alloys, one can make fire stain free joins in
sterling all day long,without damage to oneself and the enviroment.
20 yrs ago we had the development of firestain free silver alloy using
aluminium as the hardening part.
Take up was small.
You can braze titanium with silver IF you know how.
Ted
Dorset
UK


.



Though no veteran of forty years, I did notice those same inaccuracies.
I posted the article only for the Peter Johns' quote wrt protection of
the formula.

It looks as tho the article was written by a non technical journalist
outside of our chosen field.
no personaloffence meant!!.
Ted
Dorset
UK
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Argentium Silver.
    ... Silver - Alloy Took Ten Years of Trial and Error ... Peter Johns, a trained silversmith and technical tutor at Middlesex ... Called firestain or firescale, the dark ...
    (rec.crafts.jewelry)
  • Re: Argentium Silver.
    ... Finnish Manufacturer Team Up to Produce Tarnish-Free Silver ... Peter Johns, a trained silversmith and technical tutor at Middlesex ... Called firestain or firescale, the dark ... the silver alloy didn't develop firestain. ...
    (rec.crafts.jewelry)
  • Argentium Silver.
    ... Finnish Manufacturer Team Up to Produce Tarnish-Free Silver ... Peter Johns, a trained silversmith and technical tutor at Middlesex ... Called firestain or firescale, the dark ... the silver alloy didn't develop firestain. ...
    (rec.crafts.jewelry)
  • Re: Argentium Silver.
    ... Finnish Manufacturer Team Up to Produce Tarnish-Free Silver ... Peter Johns, a trained silversmith and technical tutor at Middlesex ... Called firestain or firescale, the dark ... the silver alloy didn't develop firestain. ...
    (rec.crafts.jewelry)
  • Re: granulation
    ... it at least slightly melts too, forming a thin layer of eutectic alloy. ... with the silver or gold with which it is in contact. ... gold will, if there IS a lower melting combination of the two metals in contact, ...
    (rec.crafts.jewelry)