# I am new to silver refining



## jacko (Oct 25, 2011)

So the subject line says it all but i have wanted to get into it for awhile . I heard that refining with 55 % nitric acid then filtering then use a copper rod to getm your silver cement back . The problem i have had is finding nitric without having to pay 200 bucks for a quart .Does this process work pretty well . Like i said im new to all of this and i no so ways sound really complicated so any help i can get would be appreciated . I refining sterling . THANKS IN ADVANCE.


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## philddreamer (Oct 25, 2011)

Hi Jacko!
You can read thru this section, SILVER" & you'll find all the answers to your questions & how to proceed with refining your sterling. 
In general, you would incinerate your material; digest in in 50/50 nitric & distilled water. Filter; cement with copper. Rinse properly. Melt into anodes for the silver cell. Build a silver cell. Refine into crystals; rinse, melt into .999 ingots. Easier said than done, but very posible, since you have all the information @ your disposal; just spend the time to learn it. I did, just like many others! 8) Thank you GRF!!!!

Take care Jacko & be safe!

Phil


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## Duxthe1 (Oct 25, 2011)

I'm pretty new too and I'm sure its posted here somewhere but I'm curious as to what purity you can reach just by cementing with copper? I'm sure there is some copper contamination but how much, generally?


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## philddreamer (Oct 25, 2011)

You can get .99% pure when you cement. Then run thru the cell for .999.

Phil


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## MysticColby (Oct 25, 2011)

After cementing silver on Copper, is that pure enough for a 999 stamp?
I read that cemented silver, after being thoroughly washed, should expect about 99.4% pure
I heard somewhere but haven't verified that anything 99.1% and above can have a 999 stamp
Doing a quick wikipedia search for Hallmark reveals that a Hallmark stamp is only accurate if someone else puts the stamp on it after they confirm it's that purity.
At the most legitimate, I plan on maybe (several years from now) selling cemented silver (melted into ingot) on eBay with a description of where it came from. I'm just curious on the rules for 999 stamps.


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## philddreamer (Oct 25, 2011)

Hi MysticColby!
Cemented silver is not pure enough for a .999 stamp. .99+, maybe. 
I understand that to stamp .999 on a silver bar that's LESS than .999 is fraudulent. 
After cementing your silver, you should run it thru a silver cell; that would give you .999 purity, if you follow the proper steps of the cell. 

I sent my silver samples to an assayer of cemented & crystals from my cell. 
The results, .99+ from the cemented & .999+ from the crystals.
I'm sure of my stamped bars.

The correct information its found here in this great Forum!

Take care & be safe!

Phil


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## jacko (Oct 25, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys it helps alot . Do any of you guys no were to get nitric without paying out the wazoo.


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## philddreamer (Oct 25, 2011)

Where in the US do you live? 
Some of our fellow members in your area can point you to a supplier.


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## jacko (Oct 25, 2011)

north east oklahoma


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## philddreamer (Oct 25, 2011)

Here is an outfit in Tulsa, http://www.brainerdchemical.com/brainerdchemical/home.asp


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## seawolf (Oct 26, 2011)

Jacko I buy my chemicals from John Bull Company in Tulsa. He stocks most of the supplies you will need and sells by the ounce or pound pint or gallon. He will need to see your drivers licence before he will make sales to you.
John Bull Chemical & Supply Co
Place page 
8141 East 46th Street
Tulsa, OK 74145-4801
(918) 663-7727

Mark


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## philddreamer (Oct 26, 2011)

Thanks Mark!


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## SilverNitrate (Oct 30, 2011)

if your sure you have sterling silver/copper, your cemented silver can be boiled with a small amount of nitric then allowed to set for some days and traces of copper would leach out into solution. The process can ba carried out inside an old kitchen blender thus breaking the cemented Ag into fine particles. I have done this with satisfactory results and skip the cell.


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## Harold_V (Oct 31, 2011)

SilverNitrate said:


> if your sure you have sterling silver/copper, your cemented silver can be boiled with a small amount of nitric then allowed to set for some days and traces of copper would leach out into solution. The process can ba carried out inside an old kitchen blender thus breaking the cemented Ag into fine particles. I have done this with satisfactory results and skip the cell.


I'm curios what you'd call "satisfactory results". Have you had the resulting silver assayed? 
How do you deal with the residual silver nitrate?

Harold


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## SilverNitrate (Oct 31, 2011)

Harold_V said:


> I'm curios what you'd call "satisfactory results". Have you had the resulting silver assayed?
> How do you deal with the residual silver nitrate?
> 
> Harold


I would assume 999fine, I have tested a dissolved solution using optical comparison.
the resulting nitrate would be filtered off and used later on more silver and cemented out again. 
Personally I don't do this anymore because my goal is to produce pure 'silver nitrate'


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## Harold_V (Nov 1, 2011)

I used to monitor the quality of silver from my cell by using the harvested batch to make new electrolyte. May seen a bit crude, but it yielded a virtually clear solution, which I interpreted to be acceptable to be marked as 999 quality. When traces of palladium were present, it was quite obvious. 
One thing I learned was that the solution held in suspension NOX. Heating to boiling, with a watch glass cover, would liberate the entrapped gasses, yielding a virtually colorless solution. It had a hint of green prior to prolonged heating. I found this to be routine. 

Seems to me you can produce ultra pure silver nitrate simply by creating and dissolving silver nitrate crystals. A few iterations should yield exceptional quality. Am I missing something? 

Harold


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## jacko (Nov 1, 2011)

Hey thanks alot guys i am going to check out those places today . I was wandering is their any way i could lose my silver doing this with nitric and all . I need to look into it more but i just love messing around with silver and gold and would like to start making jewelry one of these days .


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## jacko (Nov 1, 2011)

Well i just called john bull and a gallon of nitric was 27.97 wow that is alot cheaper than amozon 197.50 a quart.


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## RESET (Nov 10, 2011)

I hope Jacko doesn't mind me jumping in on this thread. I just cemented my first batch of silver. What I got was an off white mud just a very slight tinge of pink. I have seen several pics of the crystals from the silver cell but I can not find any pics of cemented silver. Does my mud sound right? should it be pure white or grey or something other than white with a slight hint of pink. A pic would be great.


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## niteliteone (Nov 10, 2011)

MysticColby said:


> After cementing silver on Copper, is that pure enough for a 999 stamp?
> I read that cemented silver, after being thoroughly washed, should expect about 99.4% pure
> I heard somewhere but haven't verified that anything 99.1% and above can have a 999 stamp
> Doing a quick wikipedia search for Hallmark reveals that a Hallmark stamp is only accurate if someone else puts the stamp on it after they confirm it's that purity.
> At the most legitimate, I plan on maybe (several years from now) selling cemented silver (melted into ingot) on eBay with a description of where it came from. I'm just curious on the rules for 999 stamps.



mysticColby
This found on wikipedia

Prerequisites to hallmarking Notwithstanding the hallmarking systems themselves, many nations require, as a prerequisite to official hallmarking, that the maker or sponsor itself mark upon the item a responsibility mark and a claim of fineness. Responsibility marks are also required in the U.S. if metal fineness is claimed despite the fact that there is no official hallmarking scheme in that country. Nevertheless, in nations with an official hallmarking scheme, the hallmark is only applied after the item has been assayed to determine that its purity conforms not only to the standards set down by the law but also and with the maker’s claims as to metallurgical content.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark

Tom C.


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## RESET (Nov 10, 2011)

I just remembered Steve's video on cementing silver so I watched it again. The stuff I have looks nothing like his cemented silver. Now I have no idea what I have in there. I will make a new thread.


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