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Silver solder with copper for Tibetan Silver?
Q. I want to "join" an adjustable Tibetan silver ring. Making it a secure size [it is my understanding that Tibetan silver is made with copper not nickel]. What material can I use. I have never tried soldering and think it would be a great addition to my business of selling jewelry. Thank you,
June SnipesTampa, Florida, USA
2006
A. Hi June,
There are silver solders available that contain copper. Silversmiths often have to match a solder with sterling silver which, as you probably know, is .925 silver and .075 copper. I'm not sure if Tibetan silver differs from sterling. If you know the copper percentage in the silver a solder supplier can match you up. Good Luck!
process engineer - Malone, New York
2006
A. BE CAREFUL
Odds are there is no silver in the ring. You must know what you have in front of you before you heat it. Often this "metal" has arsenic and cadmium or other harmful metals in it.
The manufacturer uses sub standard alloys because they are inexpensive. See this link from EBAY.
http://reviews.eBay.com/Tibetan-Silver-A-Buyer-s-Advisory_W0QQugidZ10000000003804484 ⇩
BEWARE, the vapor from these products can kill.
Lastly, if the "metal" is contaminated as the link suggests, the melting or "soldering" point could be much lower than you think.
Finally, if you don't know what you are selling, especially contaminated metal as "silver", your customers could get sick and sue you.
- lake in the Hills, Illinois USA
January 11, 2011
[Ed. update: The above link has broken. Thankfully, The Internet Archive preserved a copy
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