Big silver bars and smelting into smaller bars

[crazy hippo]

hi guys, 

 

considering the premium on the larger bars, and if a SHTF scenario plays out.

a lot of people argue that you won’t be able to find someone who can afford that size of a bar. we are talking 1kg 100 oz and 5kg bars.

 

I’ve seen that people can pay to have their stirling stuff casted down into bars.

now in theory it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who would be able to smelt down a big bar into manageable pieces, like a 10 oz or even 1oz bars. i know you can have this done in the US, into some pretty sexy looking cast bars.

http://www.prospectorsgoldandgems.com/refining-services.html

 

the key here would be having someone do this who is also able to assay the silver.

 

i think this pretty much negates the, i won’t be able to sell it fear of big ass bars.

 

responses thoughts etc....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[motorbikez]

Hi CH,I hope some of our Aussie buddies will chip in on this one as on SS I have seen this subject come up a few times,they are always melting and smelting bars over there

[Danny-boy]

You can buy a 1kg furnace for £300, and can stamp .999 if it's made from that.

I'd like to have a bash myself.

Also, there was somebody on here that provided that service, but I don't believe they ever came back with prices.

[Ares]

Presumably selling home smelted bars would be very difficult, myself I would be very sceptical if it was a person casting his own smaller bars and would want every test under the sun to be done on them to ensure their authenticity.

 

I dunno, as something to do It'd be fun on a less precious metal like copper and cast them into ingots, but I'd not be keen on doing it to silver because

 

• I'd probably cock it up, the guys at JM or Sunshine Minting know their stuff and produce a perfect product with zero blemishes, i've seen people cast copper ingots on Youtube and they mainly ended up black
• Can't imagine it'd be easy to sell to joe public because of the doubts I voiced earlier
• Price, you need to pay for all the equipment somehow and I suspect any ingots cast would need to be substantially cheaper than regular bars to deal with the fact they'd probably be really ugly compared to manufactured bars
• I'd be left with my own ugly ingots as opposed to really nice looking manufactured ingots

Just not a fan myself, don't get me wrong I would love to do it with metals which are not as valuable, but definitely not worth the risk with silver. I'd rather buy the smaller bars and pay the higher premium than run my own Mickey Mouse operation

[Danny-boy]

PS, I don't believe in the SHTF thing, whilst it might happen, when everybody is starving nobody in their right mind would swap silver for bread or fuel.

As for being hard to sell, you'll have the same issue with any small-time smelter, unless you want the Perth or royal mint to do it for you, but that may cost a bit.

Agreed you will only end up with ugly bars, but in a SHTF situation (which is what you are taking about) I doubt people would be arsed what it looks like.

[ChrisSilver]

I think one of the guy in Australia who produces poured bars from your scrap sterling silver, (amazingly beautiful bars btw) charges about 10% for his services and takes it from the silver you send to him. (I may be wrong about the % might be nearer to 6%, can't quite remember)

Anyhow, assuming this was the average cost of producing smaller bars with your larger bar, it is not cost / time effective. The reason is that you can just give a 10% discount on the silver bar and you will sell it in no time. There are plenty of wealthy collectors/stackers/investors who have large quantities of these larger bars. Unless spot price goes through the roof I don't think it will be hard to find a buyer.

[Ares]

PS, I don't believe in the SHTF thing, whilst it might happen, when everybody is starving nobody in their right mind would swap silver for bread or fuel.

As for being hard to sell, you'll have the same issue with any small-time smelter, unless you want the Perth or royal mint to do it for you, but that may cost a bit.

Agreed you will only end up with ugly bars, but in a SHTF situation (which is what you are taking about) I doubt people would be arsed what it looks like.

 

Me either, It makes me chuckle when people talk about not being able to barter for groceries at a shop with larger sized bars, if the globe experiences a worldwide financial meltdown where regular currency has no value how are shops in general functioning anyway? By then they've been cleared out by riots and had their utilities cut off for a long time.

 

But again, because I don't believe a SHTF scenario will occur in my lifetime on the scale some imagine, then people will always be bothered about the aesthetics and it makes the idea of smelting my own bars even more untenable in my mind.

 

@Chris I'll always be suspicious if someone tries to sell me a bar of silver they have smelted themselves, the same way as I would be suspicious if people were selling rounds they minted themselves. I like the security in knowing that the purity is guaranteed by a mint, Government or some organisation. Unless I know the person well personally I simply couldn't part with my money in that case because there are plenty of unscrupulous people around.

[ChrisSilver]

I'll always be suspicious if someone tries to sell me a bar of silver they have smelted themselves, the same way as I would be suspicious if people were selling rounds they minted themselves. I like the security in knowing that the purity is guaranteed by a mint, Government or some organisation. Unless I know the person well personally I simply couldn't part with my money in that case because there are plenty of unscrupulous people around.

Yea but this guy has been doing it for years. I found his site:

www.walkersilver.com

Fee is actually 12%. But the bars do look beautiful, worth it if you have a lot of scrap and want to make it into something beautiful.

[Ares]

Suppose it does make sense in that respect, I was thinking mainly in terms of splitting the likes of a 1kg bar into 10oz or 1oz bars. Storing scrap is a pretty space inefficient exercise anyway.

[Danny-boy]

Suppose it does make sense in that respect, I was thinking mainly in terms of splitting the likes of a 1kg bar into 10oz or 1oz bars. Storing scrap is a pretty space inefficient exercise anyway.

If you are splitting down, it must be for a SHTF situation, otherwise there is no point.

In a SHTF situation, people won't care if it's you done it at home, or a small mint. Big mints maybe, but that puts it towards pointless due to cost.

It'd be better to sell and re-buy in my opinion.

I do fancy melting some coppers into 1kg bars though!!!

[Ares]

It'd be better to sell and re-buy in my opinion.

I do fancy melting some coppers into 1kg bars though!!!

 

That's what would be my preferred solution if the aim is splitting up one big bar too, but then you gotta be prepared to (naturally) get a smaller weight of smaller bars.

 

Copper is a metal I could definitely melt down myself, the video I saw used all sorts of scrap and it was pretty cool to see them pour it out. Getting the copper would be the thing though, can't be using Her Maj's currency

[Danny-boy]

I'd have a go with fiat, I doubt the flying squad will be scoping out my garage.

I'd proffer that the silver you lose on the swap would be comparable with the fees you would pay for smelting. Thus, you could have the 1oz bars / rounds you want, and possibly not from a small-time smelter / refiner.

[crazy hippo]

yeah the 10% plus shipping, it wouldn’t be worth while, may as well pony up now, and keep it manageable.

[MAXlMUS]

You can buy a 1kg furnace for £300, and can stamp .999 if it's made from that.

I'd like to have a bash myself.

Also, there was somebody on here that provided that service, but I don't believe they ever came back with prices.

 

I`m with you Danny, I would love to try this at home I have about 2kg of scrap sterling.

 

Imagine that in a poured bar

[SilverPirate]

I have thought of keeping copper for a melt one day but it is so dangerous, it is more easy just to sell it and use the money to by a copper bar of the bay.

C I Silver has dacota copper rounds for 98p each plus shipping.I don't know if is worth adding a round here and there to your orders if that's what you want to stack.

I have watched melts on you tube including aluminium, i get so little for ally at the scrap yard smelting into  a bar would not be cost effective. But it would be cool to have a shed full of brass,copper and ally bars.Another but maybe a big but would a scrap yard take this unrecognized scrap.All metal stacked is a winner.

[Danny-boy]

C I Silver has dacota copper rounds for 98p each plus shipping.I don't know if is worth adding a round here and there to your orders if that's what you want to stack.

But an ounce of pure copper is 10p using pre-92 2p & 1p.

I'll take that road!!!

[TheBullionBoy]

I think Capella Bullion do metal swaps so x amount of sterling = y amount of 999. Obviously they make a margin somehow but I think they'll probably swap large bars for smaller ones. Again for a margin. Probably best to contact them and speak with Duncan. I used to refine .925 into 999+ in my living room using electrolysis, (destroyed my walls and floors with silver nitrate stains not to mention severe cadmium poisoning when a beaker exploded and filled my living room with poisonous fumes) and melt the bars using an electric furnace. My suggestion, get someone else to do it. Much easier, quicker, cheaper & less damaging to your health.