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  #1  
Old 11-04-2004, 10:58 AM
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Does anyone know of a supplier who carries Coin Silver in sheet form .050 thickness?


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Old 11-04-2004, 11:52 AM
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why would you want coin silver? coin silver is 90% silver, sterling is 92.5% silver and sterling is available from a great number of local and national suppliers.
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Old 11-04-2004, 01:24 PM
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also readily available is fine silver, which won't tarnish like sterling.


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Old 11-05-2004, 06:31 PM
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The main reason to use coin silver is for accurate historical reproductions. Most American-made items that incorporated silver used coin silver as it was readily available. If you were in the southwest, you used Mexican coin silver, which had a higher silver content than American coin silver, something like .900 rather than .875 to .890.

Once you get lower than around .850 silver, you get a much more pronounced coppery yellow color to the alloy, a phenomenon readily visible in low-alloy silver solders.
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Old 11-05-2004, 10:19 PM
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Alan,not to cause a rutkus. maybe south of the mason-dixon line coin silver was used.in my research most silver that was used was sterling,based on shipping records,silversmith's records,hudson bay and northwest company records, and the british standard that was adopted by the colonies.
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Old 11-07-2004, 09:43 AM
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No ruckus taken!

Here in the good ol' southern backcountry coin silver was the standard, unless you lived near Charleston or one of the other coastal towns. It was just handy in that the few silversmiths there were didn't have to keep much stock on hand; if someone wanted an item made out of silver, the customer provided said silver in the form of coin. The highfalootin' sorts did demand sterling, but usually got it from Philadelphia, Charleston, Savannah, etc.

Thanks for the info on northern tendencies.
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Old 11-09-2004, 08:40 AM
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I want "Coin Silver" because of it's relative hardness as compared to Sterlling or softer "Fine." My intention is to make some Money clips in bass relief engraving. Harder material will keep it's "spring" better than Sterling. Currently I'm using "German Silver" or Nickel (18%) Brass.

Anyone know where some can be had in about .50 thickness???


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Old 11-13-2004, 01:22 PM
Raymond Johnson Raymond Johnson is offline
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you know you ask a simple question and it just take a life of it's own. I don't know if you can find it, but if you do, please let the rest of us know. I have found a lot of silver on jewelery supply sites, but most of that is sterling. There is coin out there. So just keep looking and if I find any i'll let you know, as I am looking for some too. Thank You. Raymond Johnson
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Old 11-13-2004, 02:57 PM
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again,there isn't enough difference in the hardness or softness between .900 coin silver and .925 sterling to make any difference in the finished product. also available is sterling spring silver which would be harder for your purpose than coin silver.
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Old 11-13-2004, 03:50 PM
Hot&CoaledForge Hot&CoaledForge is offline
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Re: Coin Silver

All I've been able to find is in rod form - http://www.surepure.com/featured/coin_silver_rod.php
- Jim
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  #11  
Old 11-14-2004, 10:42 AM
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Shakudo has a very good point. Sterling can also be hardened by a process called heat aging. Basically, you make your object and then bake it at 500 degrees F for an hour or so and allow to cool slowly. That will make it pretty darn hard, for silver.

I've been playing with .024" thick sterling sheet lately, and I can promise you it would hold up fine for money clips. One good bend, not even as radical as for a clip, and it's too hard to deform by hand anymore. I have to anneal it every few minutes during shaping.
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Old 11-14-2004, 11:47 AM
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Santa Fe Jewelry supply has German SIlver in 16ga (.051" which is what I think you meant since .50" is 1/2" thick!)
They also carry it and Sterling in 18 ga which is .040"

Their number is 800-659-3835

BTW - I have gone to using at least 20 ga (.032") Sterling and preferably 18 ga for solid silver spur strap conchos that get lots of use since they don't crush so easily. Even when heat treated they just hold up better after the HEAVY use that real cowboys give them.

The other option is to use a Sterling overlay system - make your clip out of stainless steel and then overlay a thin plate of Sterling using Tix low heat silver solder - it melts at 250F so it won't destroy the heat treat and is plenty strong enough.

Of course you could also get older Mexican silver coins and roll them out with a small hand mill - Mexican coin silver is normally in .850 from what I've seen - it was the source of the silver for the old time Dine (aka Navajo) Silver work and the old timers still prefer it when they can get it.


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Old 11-15-2004, 10:44 AM
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I must say thanks for all of your help, suggestions and insight. I didn't know that there was such a thing as Sterling Spring Silver. Now all I have to do is find a supplier. Anyone got any idea of where to look?

I may have to try "hardening" as Alan L. describes. I didn't know that silver could be hardened other than work hardening. As a machinist with very little experience with precious metals, I've found that applying heat to copper, brass, bronze and most other non-ferous metals only softened them.

I haven't as yet found a supplier for sheet coin silver. Most suppliers that I contact can't refer me to any source either. I live in Philadelphia and we have a couple of good jewelry, findings and metal suppliers, but they haven't a clue as to where to obtain coin silver.
Once again, Thank You Much.


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  #14  
Old 11-15-2004, 11:01 AM
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http://www.surepure.com/products.php?ID=4&subCat=19
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  #15  
Old 11-15-2004, 11:47 AM
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most of the major metal suppliers carry 80/20 silver for reticulation.for the most part coin silver is an outdated term. hoover and strong carries most alloys and types of precious metal and is the supplier to a lot of the smaller local outlets.

Hoover and Strong
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