# Silver bars smell like Sulpher??



## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

3 days ago I took all the silver I had from a couple of cementing's and a few pieces of Sterling silver and melted it all down in my furnace and clay graphite crucible. I used a homemade steel mold out of angle iron it has been used several times before and I had a torch on the mold so it was not cold. Why then day's later do the bars smell like Sulpher???


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## Palladium (Mar 26, 2018)

Cemented from what? 
What kind of water supply do you have? City or well water?


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## snoman701 (Mar 26, 2018)

Is it also brittle? You likely have silver sulphide.

Remelt it with a piece of re-rod or other steel or iron object in the crucible with lots of borax, stir it good with that item. The iron is immiscible with silver, so no concerns about it alloying together or anything.


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## pokermandown (Mar 26, 2018)

> immiscible with silver



im·mis·ci·ble
i(m)ˈmisəbəl
adjective
(of liquids) not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together

Probably a good word to add to the glossary


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## ION 47 (Mar 26, 2018)

snoman701 said:


> Is it also brittle? You likely have silver sulphide.
> 
> Remelt it with a piece of re-rod or other steel or iron object in the crucible with lots of borax, stir it good with that item. The iron is immiscible with silver, so no concerns about it alloying together or anything.


Instead I use Na2CO3 + Fe (although the crucible is rapidly destroyed)


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## Palladium (Mar 26, 2018)

If it was just jewelry and cemented silver i'm trying to figure out where the silver sulphide would have come from. Unless he cemented it from thio. He hasn't made that clear yet.


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

I used nothing but distilled water for all processes. 

The cement came from Sterling silver I dissolved in Nitric and cemented with copper. 

Yes it was just Sterling silver jewelry and the silver cement that I melted together in the crucible, nothing else.


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

The bars are quite strong, not brittle. I can drop on on the ground and it does not break.


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

Snoman701- I will try that, thank you for your input.


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

Ion47- I'd prefer not to destroy my crucible, those things are not cheap. But if all else fails I'll defiantly give it a try.


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## Lou (Mar 26, 2018)

All silver needs to smell like sulfur is to be exposed to a sulfur source. I.e. Cabbage.


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

Lou- I try to be extremely careful not to cross contaminate anything during any process. The only thing I can think of is even as well as I clean my crucible maybe, just maybe there was a trace of something left from the previous melts.


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## Palladium (Mar 26, 2018)

Did you clean them in sulfuric to remove any flux?


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## goldsilverpro (Mar 26, 2018)

Regular silver tarnish is silver sulfide.


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## modtheworld44 (Mar 26, 2018)

goldsilverpro said:


> Regular silver tarnish is silver sulfide.




I agree 100% and since you posted the correct answer,you get this lovely gold emoji. :G :mrgreen: lol.

P.S. We have discussed what silver tarnish really is several times.Nurdrage even has a video on how to remove it with electrolysis.

modtheworld44


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## Ben321 (Mar 26, 2018)

Palladium-- No sir I did not wash with Sulphuric acid. No sulphuric was used in any process. 

GoldSilverPro--as Modtheworld44 said...WINNER WINNER.. :G 
I had forgotten that silver tarnish was silver sulphide...

Thank you all so much for your help. Now how do I get rid pic the smell?? Is Snoman701 correct is his answer? Our is there another way.? I will melt them back down but prefer not to.... but I suppose it is the only way to rid it of Sulpher smell :wink:


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## Ben321 (Mar 27, 2018)

Correction....Silver Sulfide....sorry


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## anachronism (Mar 27, 2018)

Ben321 said:


> Correction....Silver Sulfide....sorry



Nah you were correct the first time 8) 8)


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## g_axelsson (Mar 27, 2018)

Tomato tophato... :wink: 

Göran


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## Ben321 (Mar 27, 2018)

LOL. Thank you all for your input, suggestions and help.


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## ION 47 (Mar 27, 2018)

Ben321 said:


> Thank you all so much for your help. Now how do I get rid pic the smell?? Is Snoman701 correct is his answer? Our is there another way.? I will melt them back down but prefer not to.... but I suppose it is the only way to rid it of Sulpher smell :wink:


You can use the method of electrodeposition (electrolysis), sulfur and other impurities will leave the silver. On the forum this method is described.


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## Lino1406 (Mar 28, 2018)

By rubbing a corner check if the sulfur is on the edge only?


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