How can i smelt silver?

Question

Just want to smelt some coins i got with a % in silver to separate silver from the other metals and then handle it to a jeweller so he make something beautiful for my wife

Answer 1

The amount of pure silver you will get would be too small for jewelery, have a jeweler smelt it for you but I doubt you can find one that will do it without charging alot.
Either sell thecoins or trade them at the jewelers for newer pieces.

If you insist firat cut the coins as small as possible then place in a crucible then place in a fire pit or blow torch for hours you'll also need lead to redut and it is just too complicated.

Good luck.

Answer 2

A chemical way to separate the silver from the copper:
Dissolve the coins in nitric acid. Try not to use much more acid than needed.
Add a strong solution of salt (sodium chloride) to the nitric-silver-copper solution a little at a time. Each drop you add will create a white precipitate of silver chloride. (Copper chloride will also be created but will remain in solution.) Add until no more precipitate forms.
Filter the silver chloride from the mixture and then wash it in the filter paper with water.
Dry the silver chloride.
WARNING: The next step will liberate toxic chlorine gas.
Heat the dried silver chloride in a crucible. The compound will decompose to silver and chlorine over several minutes, and the silver will remain in the crucible.

Answer 3

US silver coins are 90% silver and 10% copper for hardness. The alloy melts at about 1700 F so it can be melted by a hardware-store propane torch. Your question implies that you are interested in purifying the silver, which can best be done by chemical or electrochemical means, but my recommendation is that you simply use the coin silver as is: the copper provides added hardness and durability (which is why it is in the coins in the first place), so the resulting pieces will hold their shape better.
-- Robert A. Saunders, Lake Stevens, WA.