Fired, polished, hate it.

I searched the discussion board for this but didn't find anything.  I have a few finished pieces that I just don't like - they really turned out bad.  Now what?  Is there a way to salvage the metal, or do I just take the loss?  I would hate to throw them away...and I know I couldn't give them away '>

[Metalman]

Well once it is fired, it is silver.  I save these materials up and use them for casting. Sometime/day you may have the opportunity to take a silver casting class somewhere and then you will have some silver to work with.
An alternative if you don't want to wait or your collection is building up; or you just like to do experiments is the following:

You will need:
1]a ladle or crucible to melt silver in, or a charcoal block with a depression carved in it to melt and hold the liquid silver in, If you make one of these, you will also want to carve a shallow trough so you can pour the silver out of the 'bowl'. You will also need a tool to pick up the charcoal block so you can pour. Last time I did this, I tied the block to a spatula I had with copper wire. Keep the wire away from the melt location.
2] a small steel can
3] pasta of a size and shape you chose
4] a torch large enough to heat and melt the silver in you crucible [most of the butane torches are a little on the small side for this]
5] Flux or borax for silver soldering

You take the pasta and put it in the can. You melt the silver and pour it over the pasta [make sure that its not damp or wet]. The silver will burn the pasta and cool, making strange silver shapes dependant on the pasta used. Once you have poured the silver, let it set, then quench the can and all with water to get it cool enough to handle. Then you sort through what you get, pick the good shapes created that inspire you or look useful and then, actually you can just do it again. You can melt and cast multiple times.

The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight [R&T#62-010] has additional information on casting, charcoal blocks, fluxes, etc.

[dubmblond]

Hello J&J

Another thing you can do is a water cast.

Have a large bucket of cold water.
Put an ovenproof dish (or anything else as long as the bottom of the bucket is protected against melting from the hot silver)
Melt the silver as Metalman already described.
Pour the liquid silver into the bucket and see what it has become. Take the shapes you like aside
Melt down the rest and do it over and over.

The way you pour will influence the result. Slow, fast, high drops, low drops it all makes a difference. Find out and have fun :'>  !!
dubmblond
arts and crafts by monique unique '>

[Metalman]

Thanks Monique,
This is a great method. Nice weird shapes

[BlingGirl]

If you’re not up to melting your silver you can always sell it!

I always, always, always save all my scrap silver; even the smallest unused piece of wire.  There are many places that will buy your silver from you.

So those pieces you didn't like save them along with all your other scrap silver.

You can search online and find places to send it to or most any city should have a place or two that will buy scrap silver

Some pieces I've just gotten tired of and thrown into my scrap bag sold it and bought more Art Clay with the money.  You generally don't get back 100% what you paid, but I've always gotten a fair deal.  A great thing for beginners too; a good way to get some practice without have to spend a lot of money, you can recycle your "learning curve" money.