Testing Silver

Hag730

Hero Member
Apr 29, 2012
620
398
Saint Marys Georgia
Detector(s) used
Excal II, Garrett AT Pro, Tesoro Compadre
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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scrapemann22

Tenderfoot
Apr 10, 2013
9
1
Has anybody heard of using 18K acid to test sterling silver? I saw a guy doing it on youtube yesterday and was wondering if there was any validity to the test? Obviously most test kits come with acid for sterling.....but his test seemed easier to read.

Yes it works well I use. 18 to test silver all the
 

SonnyFl

Hero Member
Mar 9, 2007
898
582
Hudson Fl.
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Excal
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I'll be damn! It works. Learn something new every day. Thanks Hag!
 

Jason in Enid

Gold Member
Oct 10, 2009
9,593
9,229
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Has anybody heard of using 18K acid to test sterling silver? I saw a guy doing it on youtube yesterday and was wondering if there was any validity to the test? Obviously most test kits come with acid for sterling.....but his test seemed easier to read.

thanks Hag! I'm going to use that method from now on. I could never get the silver solution to have any reaction at all.
 

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Hag730

Hag730

Hero Member
Apr 29, 2012
620
398
Saint Marys Georgia
Detector(s) used
Excal II, Garrett AT Pro, Tesoro Compadre
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I was hunting with the excal in a area of the beach that gets pounded by other hunters. I was really going slow and had my sens cranked. I found a large earring that I could tell had been down there a while and was missed by other guys swinging their coil 8 inches off the sand. It had no markings but looked like it could be silver. Once I got it home I tested with the sterling acid. It seemed to turn dark red......but then again, trying to determine if something is dark red against a black stone can be left up to interpretation sometimes. I went searching for another method and saw the video with him testing silver with the 18K acid....turns the silver milky white, very easy to read.
 

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zigzag

Full Member
Sep 17, 2011
181
202
ft laud, fl
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030, 2 xcal II 1000's, 1 has OBN's remote PP & peltor HP's, 2 aquasounds, dual field, sunspot 920i hybrid, 720i, 3 rtg scoops, Howie scoop
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
18 k acid will make it turn white & milky. Much easier than the silver acid.
 

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