what is 'white metal' ?

Jens Schuetz said:
Just a fun fact:
German Silver in Germany is called Neusilber (new silver)

If you order an Amerikaner (American) at the bakery
well its a bakery so yeah kind of obvious it's not meat. :-p
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you could ask for a berliner while you are in the bakery ;)

i remember well th day JFK made his speech in Berlin, and spoke his immortal words in german:

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i am a jelly donut.
 
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JFK was a Berliner too. :-D
Berliner (the pastry) in many areas in Germany are called Pfannkuchen (pan cake) since they are fried but what's known as pancake in English they would call Eierkuchen (egg cake) lol.

Pariser (Parisian) however can not be gotten in a bakery. Hard to guess what it is until you picture what alleged image French guys supposedly have in the world.
 
Pure silver is very soft so "sterling silver" is used most of the time . If you don't want it to tarnish easily there is now "argentium" which is a sterling silver but far less likely to tarnish [tarnish is silver sulfide ]. Sterling silver can be HT'd to a degree .
The Nickel silver or German silver is copper-zinc-nickel and was used for example [my old scalpel handle] instead of stainless steel in the old days .
Then there is pewter ,as soft tin-antimony alloy which is rather soft and melts at low temperature.
White metal may also be a cheap zinc alloy which can be used to add weight to something like a brass candle stick.
 
sterling silver is .925 silver, the rest copper (usually) to harden it. also known as coin silver, minted in the city of sterling, it's why english money is referred to as pounds sterling, as it was originally based on the silver coins from there that formed the basis.

as was mentioned above the black tarnish is silver sulphide, and occurs not only on pure silver, but sterling silver and silver plated items. one easy way to tarnish silver is to cook/eat eggs with it. the same sulphur compounds in eggs that eventually cause the distinct 'rotten eggs' smell, which you also get at smouldering volcanoes, reacts with the silver. sour oil also contains hi levels of sulphur compounds, people have ben killed by the sulphur gasses given off by it, in high concentrations it kills so fast you can't smell it before hand.

sterling and pure silver and plate have different hallmarks stamped into it.
 
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More incredibly cool and useful information from the HI pool of knowledge. I do so love learning.

And the thing I miss most about German Bäckerei is the subtle sweets. They probably use about the same amount of sugar in a whole batch of "Berliners" as an American bakery uses in each donut or so it seems to my tastebuds.

In fact we are reaching the time of year I get most homesick for my lovely little home in Rheinberg. Walking through the Christkindlmarkt eating a bag of hot krapfen (little donut holes filled with currants and rolled in sugar/cinnamon mix.) and gebrannte mandeln (the little paper cones of hot almonds dredged in spiced sugar) and sipping gluhwine to stay warm. <sigh>
 
No MoonW, I am American. But I lived in Germany for 10 years at the end of my military career. I was fortunate enough to be stationed at a very small logistics post in North-Western Germany where we did not have a post, just a single office building that had been a carpet factory before we moved in with less than 200 Americans (including spouses and civilians) and everyone lived out in the city and bought our groceries, clothes ect. in the German stores. We also were not allowed to wear uniforms so it was an incredible experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. We still send letters and cards to my husband's landlord and her family every month and we get a "care package" of stollen and other yummy goodies every Christmas from them. That area of Germany is mostly Agricultural and coal mining with not very many tourists. We didn't have the issues that we kept hearing about in areas like Kaiserslautern with huge American presence. We got along with the locals very well with a lot of close friends (Germans are more reserved than your typical American who makes friends in minutes it can take years for a German to consider you a friend, though they were very friendly the whole time) and never had any issues the entire time I was there between us and the locals.
 
my side of the family is 3/4 german and 1/4 austrian. the other side is half alabama blackfoot ndn and half english (we're related to jimmy carter) so my 61 2" blue eyed blonde son son is 1/4 ndn. fried peach pies and pecan pies and pulled pork BBQ from one side, sauerbraten, wursts, golabki, schnitzel and schwartzwalderkirschtort from the other (and crepes stuffed with whipcream and strawberries from my austrian granny along with a whole range of pastry as well as hungarian and polish add-ons from the old empire (she originally came from galatia, now ukraine, when it was austro-hungary. her family moved there from wien to serve the empire in the late 1800's & she came to the USA in 1905 to escape an evil stepmother... my other german relatives came from hamburg, dusseldorf.

i miss the wursts myelf. you can't find a decent fresh bratwurst (or baurnwurst, weisswurst or any other kind either) here in the UK, only pale imitation bratties vacuum packed and frozen. grandpa, otto kröncke ran a beer garden (complete with oompa band) in brooklyn in the german area & you could get fresh wursts and german pastry within a couple of blocks of his flat. (you could go a couple of more blocks into the italian bit and get fresh homemade lemon ice in little paper cups.)
 
Shavru said:
No MoonW, I am American. But I lived in Germany for 10 years at the end of my military career. I was fortunate enough to be stationed at a very small logistics post in North-Western Germany where we did not have a post, just a single office building that had been a carpet factory before we moved in with less than 200 Americans (including spouses and civilians) and everyone lived out in the city and bought our groceries, clothes ect. in the German stores. We also were not allowed to wear uniforms so it was an incredible experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. We still send letters and cards to my husband's landlord and her family every month and we get a "care package" of stollen and other yummy goodies every Christmas from them. That area of Germany is mostly Agricultural and coal mining with not very many tourists. We didn't have the issues that we kept hearing about in areas like Kaiserslautern with huge American presence. We got along with the locals very well with a lot of close friends (Germans are more reserved than your typical American who makes friends in minutes it can take years for a German to consider you a friend, though they were very friendly the whole time) and never had any issues the entire time I was there between us and the locals.
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Wow, what an experience! Thanks for sharing that.

You described my own experience with both Nations to a T :).
 
kronckew said:
my side of the family is 3/4 german and 1/4 austrian. the other side is half alabama blackfoot ndn and half english (we're related to jimmy carter) so my 61 2" blue eyed blonde son son is 1/4 ndn. fried peach pies and pecan pies and pulled pork BBQ from one side, sauerbraten, wursts, golabki, schnitzel and schwartzwalderkirschtort from the other (and crepes stuffed with whipcream and strawberries from my austrian granny along with a whole range of pastry as well as hungarian and polish add-ons from the old empire (she originally came from galatia, now ukraine, when it was austro-hungary. her family moved there from wien to serve the empire in the late 1800's & she came to the USA in 1905 to escape an evil stepmother... my other german relatives came from hamburg, dusseldorf.

i miss the wursts myelf. you can't find a decent fresh bratwurst (or baurnwurst, weisswurst or any other kind either) here in the UK, only pale imitation bratties vacuum packed and frozen. grandpa, otto kröncke ran a beer garden (complete with oompa band) in brooklyn in the german area & you could get fresh wursts and german pastry within a couple of blocks of his flat. (you could go a couple of more blocks into the italian bit and get fresh homemade lemon ice in little paper cups.)
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I think I love every kind of wurst ever invented. But then, I could rival an ostrich when it comes to eating.

(Now on a diet.)

You mentioned Hungarian cuisine. (I'm half Hungarian, half Romanian.) Love it! Those genes might be the reason I so enjoy eating what would otherwise mortify some of my friends, such as the spiciest foods, and yet at the same time a tasty Williams pears or cherry soup.
 
Oh an nice meeting another dog person here on the forum. I have too many ;), two sleeping in different beds right now (beds are mine), two somewhere else in the hallway. These are aours, got a few ones outside on top of those we take care of (we have a pet daycare here).
 
Wursts.... Man oh man, I am lucky there is a rather sizeable German population in this area of the PNW and it gets a boost from the spouses of military personel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord just a ways down the freeway. I have a wonderful German Bäckerei/Delikatessengeschaft where I can get all my favorites and make up german style breakfasts with Brotchen and meat and cheeses as well as pick up traditional wurst for big pots of split pea soup just like the ones I got ever weekend during Volksmarch season. I think I got into Volksmarching just for the big bowl of soup and wurst afterwards :D especially good when the walk was on a brisk cold day. Oh man Kron, I forget about schwartzwalderkirschtort and Sachertorte both perfect examples of what I meant by the subtle sweet of the region. Yummy
 
I absolutely love the white metal on my khuks, I've pulled the trigger on 2 khuks jus cause of the white metal lol to me, looks way better than brass, I dunno, I jus don't like the yellow of brass :/
 
DanTheKnifeMan said:
I absolutely love the white metal on my khuks, I've pulled the trigger on 2 khuks jus cause of the white metal lol to me, looks way better than brass, I dunno, I jus don't like the yellow of brass :/
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Right on, looks much better to my eyes as well.
 
White metal cost by the pound what sterling silver cost by the ounce. hard to find it as scrap because it is used mostly in the decorative industry. Possibly an antique store (plates platters). Jantz knife supply is one place that sells nickel silver guards pommels and sheets. I get scrap free bronze and copper from shipyards where I live. Old bearings and propellers. Old homes being torn down are a good source of pure copper pipes. While white metal is cheaper, it is harder to work then silver. White metal when melted (if you cast it) can gives off toxic deadly fumes, heavy metals like cadmium and lead. Be sure to use a mask. I agree a beginner might as well just get started and learn along the way. Each knife maker develops methods , use of tools, preferences of all kinds. You may enjoy making Damascus, or prefer time in the artistic handles. You may not know till you just do it! I began with $100 and no electricity, so it does not have to be expensive to get started. Good luck!
 
Shavru said:
No MoonW, I am American. But I lived in Germany for 10 years at the end of my military career. I was fortunate enough to be stationed at a very small logistics post in North-Western Germany where we did not have a post, just a single office building that had been a carpet factory before we moved in with less than 200 Americans (including spouses and civilians) and everyone lived out in the city and bought our groceries, clothes ect. in the German stores. We also were not allowed to wear uniforms so it was an incredible experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. We still send letters and cards to my husband's landlord and her family every month and we get a "care package" of stollen and other yummy goodies every Christmas from them. That area of Germany is mostly Agricultural and coal mining with not very many tourists. We didn't have the issues that we kept hearing about in areas like Kaiserslautern with huge American presence. We got along with the locals very well with a lot of close friends (Germans are more reserved than your typical American who makes friends in minutes it can take years for a German to consider you a friend, though they were very friendly the whole time) and never had any issues the entire time I was there between us and the locals.
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Just this week I discovered Stollen imported from G in Trader Joe's.
 
White metal is only white in isolation. Put it next to stainless steel or clean silver and it can look yellowish.
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Just this week I discovered Stollen imported from G in Trader Joe's.
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Yummy Jens, One of my favorite Christmas traditions. I am very lucky here. We have a large German heritage population and a military base close by so many German spouses. We have a couple of really good German Deli/Bakeries not too far from me. Anytime I am feeling a need for a bit of Germany I can get a quick fix. Or when I miss the Christmas markets around this time of year we have a whole town a couple hours drive that is a little replica Bavarian town makes for a great weekend stay. Place called Leavenworth http://cityofleavenworth.com/
 
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