My hoard of silver is starting

[Nick79]

Hi all,
I've caught this hunting for silver in thrift stores bug and been buying it if it's cheap enough. Some after I melt I might loose a little but most things I get are 2 to 6 bucks. I took a gamble and lost a few bucks on 2 fake pieces but they were only a couple dollars each. Anyways, I started this 2 or 3 months ago now with the idea of making a crucible and melting my own bar, it's been really fun looking for hidden or very small silver marks that they don't catch. I need to start my melting game and soon!

 

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[Red James Cash]

Hope you have a furnace that can reach 1700 degrees F give or take.

 

[Nick79]

Looking back, it's only been since January 12th since I started going crazy

 

[diggingthe1]

Finding silver is always a thrill. You can melt small amounts of silver with a torch and small crucible. In my metalsmithing class we would take dental investment(plaster like stuff) mix it up let it set(dry). Then we would carve designs into it and just pour the silver in. You could even press a coin into the stuff as it was setting up. It is only one sided but a lot of fun. You will need a little flux to clean the silver when you melt it. It would be fun to make coins for a treasure hunt this way.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Say what? There’s no way in Hades I’d melt those awesome buys. You only end up with an ugly blob of dull metal, it’s identity known only by you. Those pieces are beautiful in current state.

 

[Toecutter]

Nice finds, i would hord them the way they are, not sure i would ever buy a silver bar someone homemade, no point in hording if your the only one who wants it .....

 

[trdhrdr007]

I have to agree with fistfulladirt. I don't think the jewelry pieces are all that beautiful but they are readily identifiable. Where are you going to find a buyer for a lump of "silver" that has unknown purity?

 

[GibH]

I have to agree with fistfulladirt. I don't think the jewelry pieces are all that beautiful but they are readily identifiable. Where are you going to find a buyer for a lump of "silver" that has unknown purity?

Exactly. In order for it to be worth anything to a retail buyer for investment, you'd need to have it assayed. Not everyone has a 15 thousand dollar xrf analyzer.

 

[captain flintlock]

Exactly. In order for it to be worth anything to a retail buyer for investment, you'd need to have it assayed. Not everyone has a 15 thousand dollar xrf analyzer.

I agree. I actually use an XRF analyzer at my work place and they’re not cheap. An ICP unit is even more expensive. I would just stash it all away, sell some of the nicer pieces for more than melt price and when silver goes up in the next recession, unload it then.

 

[Tommybuckets]

Seems wasteful to melt nice crafstmanship into an uncertified blob. The stuffs worth more as it is now.

 

[Nick79]

Hahaha, wow I wasn't talking about selling after I melt. Just thought it would be fun to do and keep. Make the bar custom.

 

[Beachkid23]

Try selling on eBay per piece. Or Etsy. If no sales, then scrap it. I have a 2nd hand dealers license... get 90% of spot max. Honestly, you have some good pieces. But it’s going to be in the jewelry and their hallmarks.

 

[Beachkid23]

My daughter made $100 today. I’m thinking at least 2 silver bars. She’s been getting into babysitting at 13

 

[Beachkid23]

Hahaha, wow I wasn't talking about selling after I melt. Just thought it would be fun to do and keep. Make the bar custom.

Here’s the thing. You have to find a place that will melt and refine what you have. I have held bars worth $50-$75,000 in gold. Mind blowing. But if you have a Silver bar you melted and you take it to sell or someone in your family does after you leave this earth then you have to have a place that scans it with xray gun. No one will pay top dollar for something you melted. If you try to sell a melted flatware set with no marks, that is a clump you will loose money if they don’t have a xray gun to test it. Or there is a computer system too.

 

[Nick79]

Here's the thing, I said make my own crucible and again I don't care about selling it or authenticating it. No ones gonna get rich on a small silver bar especially with today's silver value.

 

[Nick79]

I also bought a charm anklet marked 18k the other day. Turned out to be fake, so there's that factor also

 

[Plumbata]

So far so good, I'd keep accumulating the sterling before starting the melt. Sometimes reasonably hefty and ugly dented tarnished pieces show up that most would agree need to be put out of their misery and broken down for melting. Keep/sell the best pieces and melt the rest, I bought one of these electric furnaces, mostly to play around with melting scrap copper and pewter to make bronze to cast into various things, but also to melt down scrap sterling and make the sophisticated brawler's Sterling version of brass knuckles . Haven't done the latter yet but will be trying this year. This one came with a "2kg" capacity crucible, and the furnace takes up to 4kg capacity crucibles of this style.



2 years ago it was 289.99 for the unit and I got it when eBay had a 10% eBay Bucks promotion which was nice, but now its 399.99, I suspect cheaper ones can be obtained if ya shop around: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-...h-2kg-Crucible-110-Volt-HD-234SS/311711252270

 

[washingtonian]

Very cool! Ever have luck finding unmarked pieces? This is so far out of my realm of expertise but man, I'm going to be having kids in a couple years and I know detecting will take a back seat but I hope to be able to do some other activities like Coin Roll Hunting and looking for other opportunities like this.

 

[Nick79]

Got some more today. I have seen some very small homemade unmarked pieces but not worth it. The ones I get cheap often look like costume jewelry with the Mark hidden. The 1.99 one today just said STER. It's small but I'll add it to the pile. So far my wife likes the one with the pink stone. It really sparkles and has no scratches so it's a hard stone.

 

[against the wind]

Please don't melt the skeleton key.
It is so cool.