Acid Test Questions

[silverdollarbill]

So, I bought a basic acid test kit. The gold testing part of it is pretty straight forward.

However, the silver testing part is really confusing. The instructions say silver should react with the silver acid in the following way:
.9999 - turns bright red
.925 - turns creamy white
.800 - turns brown
.500 - turns green
*green/brown reading could mean your item is plated

So I tested multiple pieces of silver along with some random metal and every time, it turned a reddish brown.

I then watched a youtube video that used the 18K acid to test silver. If it turned blue then there was silver present. I then retested the silver and random metal I had with the 18K acid and the silver samples turned blue and the random metal did not.

It seems like acid testing is somewhat of an art. Anyone have any insights?

hh
bill

 

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[billn1956]

hope you get the help I am having same troulbe but i did not know about the 18 k test will have to try it myself thank you

 

[2Minnesota]

The silver acid that I use has always turned red or reddish brown for sterling. I have never had it turn white.... This is my 3rd bottle and have been testing for a long time. If your pieces that you know are sterling are producing a reddish brown color then it would be safe to say that other pieces that produce that color (or close) are sterling as well. Was your acid freshly mixed when you got it? Some acids get old and should be replaced after a year or less; however, it sounds like yours is working right. They will not work and some of your items will get tossed in the junk bin even if they are sterling because you don't know it's not working. Good luck!

 

[mkulltra]

I always use the 18k acid to test silver. It gives you a very clear white and blue if it is sterling. It will almost look like a paste.

 

[diggummup]

What the last two guys said.

 

[silverdollarbill]

Thanks everyone....really helpful. Looks like the instructions were wrong.

 

[jerseyben]

That nonsense about green being .500 is not true. Green = not silver.

 

[silverdollarbill]

That nonsense about green being .500 is not true. Green = not silver.

Hey jerseyben....saw your response below on another thread:
That is not an accurate way to acid test silver. You need to file deep into the piece and drop some of the acid into the cut. Then wait and look for bubbles of green or brown.

The sure fire way to check is to blot the cut with a tissue. The color will absorb onto the tissue. You should be able to tell if it turns the milky red color meaning sterling.

So what is the best practice for testing silver, should I use the 18K gold acid to test silver, or should I get myself a different batch of silver acid to test? I've been able to get consistent results using the 18K acid (tested on random metals and things I knew were silver). With the "silver" acid I have, all metal seems to turn a reddish/brown.

thanks,
bill

 

[jerseyben]

Hey jerseyben....saw your response below on another thread:
That is not an accurate way to acid test silver. You need to file deep into the piece and drop some of the acid into the cut. Then wait and look for bubbles of green or brown.

The sure fire way to check is to blot the cut with a tissue. The color will absorb onto the tissue. You should be able to tell if it turns the milky red color meaning sterling.

So what is the best practice for testing silver, should I use the 18K gold acid to test silver, or should I get myself a different batch of silver acid to test? I've been able to get consistent results using the 18K acid (tested on random metals and things I knew were silver). With the "silver" acid I have, all metal seems to turn a reddish/brown.

thanks,
bill

Use what works best for you. I am no expert.

 

[silverdollarbill]

Use what works best for you. I am no expert.

Ok. I am going to get a new bottle of silver testing acid and see what happens. Will update thread with results.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Dont forgot that the ACID can go bad too...I would get a test kit at least every other year if possible

 

[jnkhntr]

I use 18K gold acid to SCRATCH test silver items. The only time I use the actual silver acid I use it directly on the piece. I only test directly on the piece with silver acid if the piece has only scrap value as it will leave a stain. If you scratch test with silver acid you will usually get red because you are ONLY getting the Plate and not getting deep enough to get the other metal. Just my opinion.