Is this Silver? Tips on Acid Testing.

[Bigcypresshunter]

There seems to be some confusion for those inexperienced with acid testing silver and other metals. This is understandable. You also need to be able to distinguish between amber and red. Basically if its not red, its not silver.

I found this link online and I wanted to share. Study it because it has a lot of useful information. I don't know if this is the proper forum but it seems this is where it will do the most good. Only silver will make a drop of acid turn red and for those that are color blind or have trouble distinguishing colors, red is the really deep tone, amber is a clear translucent-golden tone.

How to test platinum, palladium, steel, white gold

 

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[Nitric]

Because I'm out of date with all this.......Are all the test kits pretty much the same? Meaning depending on brand, will results be the same? My way of doing it is old. I haven't paid attention and see all kinds of products out there now. The old kits use to come with a wooden box, a stone, a thing with different actual k gold pieces. And bottles with glass stoppers. So, I'm on the forums reading and thinking....RED? But I see why now. Here I've been telling people the wrong thing, from me not being familiar with the newer products.

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Ive always wiped it with a paper towel and silver leaves a dark red stain that stays after the acid dries. On junk it completly disappears

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I used to put a drop on the item ( if its scrap) because it will leave a stain and damage an artifact.. The drop will turn red in a few seconds and there is no mistaking it. Not amber or orange, It has to be red. Aluminum, Lead or Tin will turn an amber color.


The test solution I am referring to is a Nitric Acid/ Potassium Dichromate/ Distilled water solution and as far as I know, a drop will not make a hole in a large piece of metal or coin. It will only change colors. I dont ever remember it dissolving anything. But maybe someone else can help here.

I used to mix my own diluted Nitric Acid test solution. Potassium Dichromate Crystals is a deep red and it will dye the Nitric Acid a reddish/amber color in the bottle. So this may help you identify the silver test solution.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Because I'm out of date with all this.......Are all the test kits pretty much the same? Meaning depending on brand, will results be the same? My way of doing it is old. I haven't paid attention and see all kinds of products out there now.

Good question. I do not know if they are all the same. Its certainly possible that the test solutions are not as good as my homemade mix strraight from the Chemical Supply Co.

I have noticed that even some of the color charts are different. Silver is red not creamy white but I have seen a chart that put Sterling at creamy white and this is incorrect.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Pure Nitric Acid I am told is hard to purchase. This is used mostly for testing jewelry. its a completely different test and it will not turn red. It will turn green on brass/copper/ bronze so its used to test jewelry to see if its plated.

 

[Nitric]

Good question. I do not know if they are all the same. Its certainly possible that the test solutions are not as good as my homemade mix strraight from the Chemical Supply Co.

I have noticed that even some of the color charts are different. Silver is red not creamy white but I have seen a chart that put Sterling at creamy white and this is incorrect.

That's where my confusion is, We used straight nitric. If I remember right, it was a creamy white, like a light grayish,tanish,color. if left on would turn black. But our way of testing was within seconds, not waiting. When you wiped it off. It would be nice and shiny!

It's been a while and I might have things all mixed up. But if you see someone describing that way? that's why, they are doing the same thing we did. Now, id o think if you left it on nickel it would turn red.

Great, now I have to read up on it, I'm behind!

more info for anyone interested in the subject. This is the old way.

http://www.stebgo.com/blog-0-PreciousMetals/bid/66961/Old-School-Straight-Nitric-Acid-Testing

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Some of these test solutions may be made in China because they are not all equal. Here is an example that was brought to my attention. The company that is selling this solution got the colors mixed up! This is not unusual when instructions may have been written by someone in China. So please do not use this color chart. It says .925 Sterling will turn creamy white but this is wrong.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Thanks for helping solve this mystery. I hope this helps anyone having trouble with these cheap test kits. Dont get the 2 mixed up.



So to clarify and simplify silver testing:


1-Old school pure Nitric Acid testing on Sterling= creamy white

2-The Potassium/Dichromate solution test on silver= RED

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

That's where my confusion is, We used straight nitric. If I remember right, it was a creamy white, like a light grayish,tanish,color. if left on would turn black. But our way of testing was within seconds, not waiting. When you wiped it off. It would be nice and shiny!

It's been a while and I might have things all mixed up. But if you see someone describing that way? that's why, they are doing the same thing we did. Now, id o think if you left it on nickel it would turn red.

Great, now I have to read up on it, I'm behind!

more info for anyone interested in the subject. This is the old way.

Old School! Straight Nitric Acid Testing

Good link. I have been working on this all day and I think we solved the reason some people are having trouble with the color charts/silver testing. I know Im happy about it and maybe someone will appreciate my efforts. Thanks for your input on this matter. BTW the Potassium Dichromate solution only takes seconds as well and a nickel with this solution will turn blue..

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I don't really follow any threads and kind of watch the active ones, I kind of bounce around, I realized I have given A lot of misinformation not knowing the products and different results. I'm use to the old ways, from learning from the older guys. Speed was also a factor. We went through stuff so fast, you really didn't have time to stop and change from one bottle to the next and play around, so maybe that kind of testing isn't all that new, just wasn't fast enough for the guys I was around. Test it, and move on.

I learned a lot the past few days! About testing,blobs,history,pictures.............

No its not all that new. I was mixing my own batch in my garage in the late 90s. I needed to find a way to test all this metal I found on the Treasure Coast. Finding out my relics were worthless was an eye opening experience. Been there, done that. Everyone at TN in those early days wanted me to test their beach nuggets.

When I finally found something that tested red, I joined TN to get an ID. Ive been here ever since.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Here is a good link I found online Confused about "acid test" for silver and other precious metals

Apparently the test solutions go bad in about a year and according to the posts here, some solutions are weak when they first arrive. It appears the quality of some of these acid test solutions are suspect.

I would have to say that my solution stayed good for a long time but I started with a stronger Nitric..

more good stuff on different silver testing but its says acid is the best on only test you need. http://www.finishing.com/364/71.shtml

 

[bigfoot1]

with the puritest brand kit I have yes stering or better is deep red.I learned from a jewler that one can also use the 18k solution on a silver scratch..it produces an aqua blue reaction.the last two times I scrapped silver both guys did infact use the 18k solution and I find myself doing it too.not important but an observation.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

with the puritest brand kit I have yes sterling or better is deep red

Yes red is the color for silver, even silver plate will show red. But I am finding many of these cheap acid test solutions are saying creamy white for Sterling and this is wrong. Creamy white is the color to look for if pure Nitric Acid is used.

 

[Tedyoh]

Because i am really really ignorant on this whole acid testing subject and lately this has been a hot topic, what in the world are you guys finding that warrants this type of testing?
An once of silver is next to nothing now, buy some Eagles from the US Mint

 

[G.I.B.]

Because i am really really ignorant on this whole acid testing subject and lately this has been a hot topic, what in the world are you guys finding that warrants this type of testing?

Fire nuggets, or maybe not.

Melted blobs of metal.

Is it aluminum, lead, tin, silver, platinum... or some alien metal.

Not all trash is junk, and not all junk is treasure. It's nice to know what kind of metal your disfigured metallic salt encrusted time worn hunk of metal is made of.

 

[Tedyoh]

I guess I get it but go buy some Eagles....you KNOW what you are getting / have?

 

[Tedyoh]

Plus 9,999 times out of 10,000 its beach aluminum, and for argument say your little blob is silver, so what? Enjoy your $1.00 in silver for the $25 test kit?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Plus 9,999 times out of 10,000 its beach aluminum, and for argument say your little blob is silver, so what? Enjoy your $1.00 in silver for the $25 test kit?

My point exactly. 9,999 times out of 10,000 they are beach aluminum but we have some beginners here that do not know this and think that they have found Spanish treasure or Native American artifacts. I am only trying to help these people.

We know that ancient Indians in Florida melted Spanish Reales but its extremely hard , if not impossible, to prove that melted silver blobs, with no visible markings, found in the shifting sands, are artifacts. So yes you are correct. All you basically have is a few bucks of scrap silver.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

If there is a way to determine melted Spanish Reales from modern coin silver or Sterling, we havent found it yet. Does anybody know a way to determine this by testing?

GIB has found a blob of melted silver on private land near an ancient Indian historic area.