Silver Dime in Brass Butt Cap

B

Bob Lyon

Joined
Aug 11, 1999
Messages
69
I'm making a bowie for a friend, and I want to set an 1836 dime I have in a brass butt cap. 1836 is the year of the Battle of the Alamo.
While I was thinking out the best way to set it in the butt cap (I'm still thinking that one out), I started wondering if there would be any problem with having the brass and silver touching each other. Would there be some kind of slow reaction between the two, electrochemical or otherwise, that might eventually mar the cap or dime? Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bob
 
couldnt you maybe silver solder the coin in? or maybe silver solder a threaded piece of round stock to the back of the coin, and then maybe drill a hole and thread it into the hole in the butt cap? i dunno im just throwing ideas out there. i dont think the brass and silver will react toghether, it'll probably just tarnish.
 
Dissimilar metals will react with one another, some more than others. If you could clear coat the dime somehow,maybe with the clear epoxy you set it with, it would prevent the electrolysis(sp ?).Or maybe a fiber spacer behind it ?
 
I guess you may need to put some sort of a cathodic protection system on that knife. :eek:

This is something I really wouldn't worry about too much. We put nickel silver, silver, gold, brass, aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, low carbon steel, high carbon steel, damascus steel next to simple carbon steel, high carbon steel, low alloy steel, high alloy steel, high tech steel, low tech steel, carbon damascus, stainless damascus and we don't have many, it any problems.

Particularly with brass and this silver coin, we silver solder brass all the time, don't we?

Care of the knife is the most important thing.

Craig
 
If it was me I'd tin the entire contact area with silver solder, then solder the dime in or on, use a water soluble flux for ease of clean-up.

Tony
 
I would set it almost like setting a gem and use some very good epoxy. Any galvanic corrosion that will take place on the silver would only become evident after a couple hundred years, and then that is assuming it is never polished or taken care of. Thats assuming it gets dropped into a well and left until discovered again centuries from now. In other words, you'll probably be fine. A little tarnish on an old coin gives character. :thumbup:
 
Higgy has the right track.Inlet a shallow, round depression to fit the coin.Make the center deeper than the sides (to allow room for the epoxy).When the handle is finished,epoxy the dime in the hole.Clean up with acetone and give a light buff with a polishing cloth.I have set quarters and half-dollars in the butts of stag the same way.Six pence are good in sgian dubh (skeen doo) handles.
Stacy
 
I made a pair of fixed blades with deer antler crown handles, then set undated pure silver Morgan dollars into both crowns. I dremeled out a hollow in each of the crowns. Then, silver soldered a threaded flat head brass screw on the back of the coins and Acra Glassed them in. NOTHING will ever budge those coins.
 
The silver shouldn't be hurt if there is any reaction I think. Since it is the noblest metal there it should take electrons from the other metals. The brass part should matter less if there is a little corrosion on it.
 
bladsmth said:
Higgy has the right track.Inlet a shallow, round depression to fit the coin.Make the center deeper than the sides (to allow room for the epoxy).When the handle is finished,epoxy the dime in the hole.Clean up with acetone and give a light buff with a polishing cloth.I have set quarters and half-dollars in the butts of stag the same way.Six pence are good in sgian dubh (skeen doo) handles.
Stacy
Click to expand...

Six pence, eh? Good idea! Hey I just had another thought... One could also media-blast the back side of the coin and the inside of the recess to ensure better adhesion. I like John's idea of using the acra-glas too. :thumbup:
 
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