[TheForge] Silver question

[Andrew Vida]

Jeff & Leslie wrote:
> Guys,
> 
> Awhile back I found a bunch of sterling silverware in a trashpile.  It 
> had been thru a fire and much of it was melted and welded together in a 
> mass, but some of the pieces were just mishapen and discolored.  I 
> cleaned up and reshaped a few serving spoons and I really like em.  They 
> are a little soft however and may bend if used for somthing like getting 
> cold dogfood from a can (dog thinks he's a prince, doesn't like 
> stainless).  So, i'm guessing it was annealed by the fire and would like 
> to know what to do to make them stiffer if that's possible and feasible.
> 
	If you lightly tap the metal with a soft faced (VERY soft) object 
(mallet?) the silver will work harden.  It is an old silver smithing 
trick.  You do not hit hard enough to cause any plastic movement of the 
metal.  I used to do this with a goat horn mallet.  It takes some 
patience as the metal is slow to harden, but harden it will.  IIRC, a 
couple hours in the ultrasonic cleaner will so the same, or time in a 
vibratory tumbler.  The only problem with the latter is that you have to 
use a non-abrasive medium, such as walnut shells to avoid marring the 
finish.