[Jewelry making - Article 00474] - Re: [Orchid] Fusing: Sterling or Fine Silver?

[Richard Davies]

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Barb-

    You will probably get a flood of answers to your question! 

    Anyway, the problem is that fine silver has a melting point of about
    961 deg. Celsius, while sterling (alloyed with copper) has a MP of
    893 deg. C. So by the time you got the sterling base hot enough to
    "fuse," the whole thing would be melting! But you can fuse fine
    silver to itself, as in making jump rings or bezels, then just use a
    hard silver solder with a MP just under the MP of sterling to fasten
    the piece of fine silver to sterling. That would offer less risk of
    melting everything into a lump (assuming proper flame control). 

Dick Davies
Occasional silver melter
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