How I discovered Pink Silver!
After working for days etching, sawing, sanding and preparing copper pins for the Enamelist Society pin swap I thew up my hands in exasperation. There was no way I could make enough quantity in time with all that work to be done. That's when the light bulb in my brain went off and sent a message down to call a casting company.
I dialed Race Car Jewelry and Casting company in Rhode Island, and spoke with the owner, Dan Grandi about casting my pins in copper and using enamels. The conversation went well until he told me copper is not cast anymore but was I familiar with a metal called "Pink Silver", which is a combination of 17% silver and the rest copper? He had no reference from other enamelers if they used this metal or not, but suggested before I order a sample to call United Precious Metals who make Pink Silver and find out if the metal contained other ingredients.
My next call led me to Jim Silverson, an engineer at United Precious Metals, who gave me the forumula for Pink Silver: 17% silver, 81% copper and 2% zinc. My heart took a dive when I heard Zinc, but I felt there still might be hope at only 2%. Jim did not know of any enamelers who had used Pink Silver to enamel, so I was on my own.
Tom Ellis was my next pro to question and he had not heard of Pink Silver either, but.... he thought that Zinc at 2% of the mix, just might work with enameling with a few firings.
I called back Race Car Casting and put in my order, and in a few weeks when I come out of my laboratory, you will know the rest of the story.....
