Anyone know wher I can get some raw Gold and Silver cheap ?

RDT

RDT

Joined
Dec 17, 1999
Messages
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I know it isn't gonna be that cheap but I need some Gold and/or silver Bullion or bar or round asap...and as inexpensive as possible. Anyone know who's got any ? Preferably raw and not stamped bars with all them designs and crap. Thanks guys.....Rich
 
Might try calling a local jewler and see who they use as their supplier. ANd not one of those stupid chains in the mall, but little local jeweler who does their own work.
 
That's right Jeff , last night I saw a tv program about prospecting .There's lots of gold in Arizona. But in all my years in Brooklyn I could only find it in jewelry stores !
 
I made a deal with a local pawn shop to buy their scrap silver. It's really lots of different mixes of metals. I hope to do some separation when I get enough for a melt.
Just me, because I'm cheap!
Lynn
 
mete said:
That's right Jeff , last night I saw a tv program about prospecting .There's lots of gold in Arizona. But in all my years in Brooklyn I could only find it in jewelry stores !
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If I wasn't married, that's right where I'd be, bro.
 
I am a manufacturing jeweler. So... where are you headed with this? investment? knife embelishment? There's so many different products I can point you toward but I need to know what your up to........

regards, mitch
 
As to the price of precious metals, it changes by the second really. Go here for a look at around the world price activity. Click on the NY link for prices updated about every three min. or so. Of course this is the spot ask price, not the bid and not the price for manufactured product (wire, sheet, grain ect...)

the NY link.....

http://www.kitco.com/charts/livegoldnewyork.html
 
Thanks guys ! much obliged.
Hey Mitch,
I am gonna make a ring or two for the lady. Either the best grade silver (she prefers silver actually) or gold. What should I do ? I just need a piece or two say about 1/2" thick or so. About 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" diameter or squared. I was thinking about maybe even having some custom made damascus done and then silver lining the rong hole ? Hmmmm ? unsure at the moment but the pricing and availability may help me decide. Need it by Mid August. Thanks and let me know....Rich
 
I'm headed off ot my shop in town and will check this thread later today. But let me tell you that for the most part you will find that "fine" gold or silver ('fine' being a refiners term for 'pure') much too soft for all but a few specialized jewelry applications. I'd say use "sterling silver". In terms of purity, its .925 fine silver (92 and one half percent pure silver) with the remainder being copper. This alloy is as old as you can imagine; the Romans were fond of it... Why don't you consider the "lost wax" method of making your ring?? Again; the damned ancient Romans invented it!! (sorta...) Then you can find someone local to "cast" it for you and you do the finish work. I'll try and find a suitable link to explain the process.

regards, mitch
 
RDT said:
I need some Gold and/or silver Bullion or bar or round asap...and as inexpensive as possible.
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BWAHAHAHAHA!
Dude, I just walked over & checked out the market prices. Gold is over $400 per ounce right now. Four or five years ago I bought like $3000 worth of casting grain for $268 per ounce. I sold it back to the supplier I got it from when I needed some fast cash, and the market was around $330. Since I make mostly miniature knives, I doubt I have any pieces left that would be big enough for your application. What are you using it for, anyway? Usually if you want to find a good deal on some, it takes time to find it.

Now, since you're in a hurry, depending on what you're doing with it, you may be better off starting out with an alloy of known composition in the shape and size you need. This company, Hauser & Miller, was recommended to me by the head professor of the Metalsmithing department at Southern Illinois University. My few dealings with them have been great. A few months after I bought all that gold from them, they even sent me a Christmas card! Their prices seemed very reasonable to me- usually only a few bucks above market price for raw forms, and more for any shapes they have to put labor into. I feel this would be your best option.

If you just need a simple piece of gold for an inlaid escutcheon or something, you might want to check out your local dentist office for old fillings & bridges he's removed. I've had decent luck with them. Or even better, check out the local pawn shops or especially jewelry stores that do repair work. They usually have a buch of broken gold jewelry that they're just gonna send to the smelter for scrap price. They'd be just as happy to sell it to you, and you can easily melt it into a useful shape yourself with a blowtorch & hammer it into a small bar. However, you must be carefull in selecting this scrap jewelry! Many chains are made with soldered links, and the solder can mess things up.
 
Interesting thread, I've been wondering about fine silver and gold for alloying with copper to make shibuichi and shakudo eventually. I have to learn all about melting copper and making bronze, which isn't as easy as I first thought it would be, before I invest in any alloying with precious metal though!
 
RDT said:
I am gonna make a ring or two for the lady. Either the best grade silver (she prefers silver actually) or gold. I was thinking about maybe even having some custom made damascus done and then silver lining the rong hole ?
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Oh! Just read your next post. Why didn't ya say so? I have the absolute perfect solution for you! All those ideas together! Check out Reactive Metals Studios. You can get bars of Mokume-Gane made from varying grades of yellow or white gold, or palladium, mixed with sterling or fine silver, or even Shakudo or Shibuichi. Sounds like she would like the palladium/sterling mix. These come in a straight bar of the fused layers, so you can do your own pattern manipulation. Simply twist the bar to make a nice twist pattern, or file grooves through the layers & forge it flat again for ladder, etc. Make it as complex as you want. I made my wife's wedding band from their 22kt/silver mix. I twised the bar tightly, then cut & resoldered it, and forged it out to form a two bar composite twist pattern, and channel set five diamonds on top. I used a bit of used ferric chloride to patina the silver, so the pattern really stands out.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide.
 
Okay, I am sold...Moume it is. I have always really liked the Plladium white gold and silver mix for jewelry and so will she. So, no where can I get a nice chunk of say rain drop Mokume in silver and palladium white ? Reactive metals has it but too small for me. Thanks for all the input guys....Rich
 
Well, I don't personally know of anyone else who makes mokume with fine metals on a production basis. If you're not comfortable doing pattern manipulation yourself, then we'll have to find a custom jewelry maker or a 'smith that does a lot of fine work with non ferrous metals. And I kinda doubt we're talking about "quick and cheap" anymore. I guess I should ask, have you done much work with fine metals before?

Actually, I wasn't aware that Reactive Metals did much patterning with the fine metals, aside from their 22kt/sterling random pattern sheets. In fact, I'm pretty sure the maker does not like doing manipulation or custom work- that's why they make straight fused bars for you to work with. That said, you could always give them a call & see if they'd make if for you. If you're worried about the thickness, that's no problem. Just solder it to a solid backing of fine silver or something. If you wanted, you could even forge it curved so that you can't see the backing when the ring is worn. I think if you want a raindrop pattern to look good on something ring sized, these bars would require a great deal of manipulation. You'd have to forge or roll them out, and stack and re-fuse the pieces several times to increase the number of layers before adding the rain drops, otherwise your "rain drops" would look more like "polka-dots", or only show two or three rings. Is there any other pattern you like?
 
Never done any work with precious metals. As well, I don't have forging facilities. I was thinking of stock removal methods on the ring and hand filing. Hmmmm ? I think this will be a moreexpensive endeavor than first thought. :eek:
 
GOLD ??? have you checked the sword section of the general knife discussion ? THAT"S a Persian Sword !!!
 
The golden rule according to nap!

Thems that has the gold, makes the rules.
Thems that have the lead, takes the gold

But in all my years in Brooklyn I could only find it in jewelry stores !

I'll bet you can find gold in Brooklyn using the golden rule! :eek: :footinmou
 
RDT said:
Never done any work with precious metals. As well, I don't have forging facilities. I was thinking of stock removal methods on the ring and hand filing. Hmmmm ? I think this will be a moreexpensive endeavor than first thought. :eek:
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Well, I didn't mean to scare ya. With a few tips you should be able to do it yourself yet with basic equipment. When we talk about forging non ferrous metals, we're generally talking about cold forging. You can work the metal a bit with a polished hammer over any smooth steel, and then anneal it with a torch often. It's not like you need a forge & tongs and stuff to work fine metals. Some patterns also require more manipulation than others. That's why I suggested a twist pattern over raindrop. (keep in mind you can get a few variations by this same method. Twist the bar & forge it flat, and it will look more like a ladder pattern. Or cut off the sides of the bar to expose the internal "stars" that people usually associate with the twist pattern) There are of course some other details involved, but in my opinion, (and my wife's!) the end result is well worth the effort.
 
Thanks guys for all the input. Possum, no worries bro, you are extremely helpful. However, I am a lil' scared to screw up the cold forge on some moume. I have some in my shop that I am gonna try and toy with and see what happens. Maybe I will have the finger hole silver or gold plated as well to ensure no greening of the finger...LOL Tha basic shape will be easy and any file work too but the rest is something I won't have time to learn as I am on a schedule. Thanks a million though. Take care.....Rich
 
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