German silver vs stainless steel
- Thread starter alphadog
- Start date
Oh, crap, I got so busy dealing with Rick's crew member I forgot to actually answer the OP's question. Sorry about that.
"German Silver" (aka "nickel silver", "Alpaca silver", et alia) contains no actual silver. It's an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. Percentages of each metal may vary a bit, but the copper in the alloy will react to certain chemicals by changing color. Rio Grande sells a compound that can be used to give nickel silver a "patina" (I forget the name of it), but you can also use gun-smithing compounds to accomplish the same thing.
Here's a cheap one that will probably work: http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Brass-Black-Metal/dp/B002JCZVOW
This stuff will not create a patina on stainless steel, so you should be able to use it to test your cue joint. Any simple metal polish will clean it up afterward if it is nickel silver.
Or, if you know a friendly gunsmith he can probably do a similar test for you...
TW
"German Silver" (aka "nickel silver", "Alpaca silver", et alia) contains no actual silver. It's an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. Percentages of each metal may vary a bit, but the copper in the alloy will react to certain chemicals by changing color. Rio Grande sells a compound that can be used to give nickel silver a "patina" (I forget the name of it), but you can also use gun-smithing compounds to accomplish the same thing.
Here's a cheap one that will probably work: http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Brass-Black-Metal/dp/B002JCZVOW
This stuff will not create a patina on stainless steel, so you should be able to use it to test your cue joint. Any simple metal polish will clean it up afterward if it is nickel silver.
Or, if you know a friendly gunsmith he can probably do a similar test for you...
TW
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Both stainless and nickel silver can be polished to a mirror finish. No doubt with VERY high magnification there would be some way to visually differentiate between them, but I'm pretty sure the average machinist or gunsmith would use a simpler approach. If damaging the piece is not a consideration there is probably a really easy destructive test or two, but I'm betting you don't want anyone to lick it with a file, or heat it with a torch, or anything like that.
If it came into my shop the first thing I would do is check it with a rare-earth magnet. If the joint was attracted to the magnet I would know it was NOT nickel silver, since that alloy is not attracted to a magnet - and if it was attracted to the magnet then I would know it was stainless. This test cannot produce a "false positive".
Unfortunately only a few stainless alloys are magnetically attractive, so a negative result does not automatically mean the joint is not stainless. Therefore a negative magnetic result only means you need to test further to eliminate the possibility of a "false negative". That's where the chemical test would come in handy.
One other way of testing might be to quantify the electro-conductivity of the joint. Almost certainly such a test would produce different values for stainless and nickel silver, but I do not know enough about that testing process to give you any reliable guidance. It's possible a manufacturing jeweler may be able to help in that regard.
TW
Thomas, YOU are expected to follow the rules just as much as anyone else.
Right. I'm glad you brought that up, because I've been wondering about that.
I guess my question would be, what are "the rules"? What I mean by that is, if the rules are only sporadically enforced... or far worse yet, selectively enforced... then are they really "rules". Or do they become more of a "good old boys club" benefit?
For example, take a look at this very thread. Kim Walker, who dislikes me and whom I dislike in return, have engaged in some interaction. How would you judge what I have written against what he has written? From my point of view I've tempered what I would like to say to him considerably - and even evidenced that by deleting a response in its entirety.
On the other hand, what I didn't say to Walker were things like:
"I wasted my time trying to be nice [to you]"
"Once again you have shown your spots that will never change"
"You are dead to me"
"You should be banned just for your personality"
That's not to say I don't feel that way toward him - I most certainly do. But I haven't verbalized those thoughts... although he has.
So once again my question is, are the"rules" really rules [to be applied to all equally], or are they more of a stick that gets subjectively swung at the heads of those not "in the club"?
TW
Let's try this again.
Mr. Wayne, if you break the rules again you will be removed.
You're a talented guy. If you want to be here, please consider what will go against that grain before hitting enter.
It will only take one more nazi insinuation to accomplish such a feat.
Capiche??
Mr. Wayne, if you break the rules again you will be removed.
You're a talented guy. If you want to be here, please consider what will go against that grain before hitting enter.
It will only take one more nazi insinuation to accomplish such a feat.
Capiche??
On my word of honor I can absolutely promise you will not find me making any such insinuation, either in the future OR in the past. To be honest, I would think that removal from the forum should be standard for ANYONE making such an insinuation - even if it did happen several days ago and the thread is now vapor.
TW
(PS: Regarding your use of "Capiche"; yes, I am of Irish-Italian origin. Was that a shot?)
I think the loss of Mr. Wayne, based on the evidence, would be ridiculous.
I am a mutt...as in adopted, but I've been told I could be Russian. I AM short, so please the insults fly.. :thumbup:
So you're an illegitimate rusky bastard? Aren't we all :thumbup:
Let me take the mic from Wilson here and explain ONE MORE TIME what happens here...
Thomas, yes that other thread may be the worst thing ever written. I havn't gone to look at it yet. The difference is that no one reported that thread. If it bothered you that much, THEN REPORT IT.
Neither Wilson or I read every single thread on the forums. Trust me, it is enough work to just read the ones that are reported.
So you see a thread that bothers you, you don't report it but you do let it fester in your mind, then you deal with it by taking a shot back at the original thread's poster. Others see your shot and report it, and we end up stepping in because of that reported post that you wrote. We don't see the original post that bothered you, and to be honest we can't read your mind as to what bothered you. So we deal with your post.
Then all hell breaks loose from people claiming censorship and/or biased enforcement of the rules.
It is simple. If you don't like a post and think it is out of line, REPORT IT!!
I don't want to hear about "I can fight my own battles!". This isn't a battle and no one named you Forum Police. If someone posts something out of line, it is your responsibility to report the thread. Not deal with it on your own. That is the way a COMMUNITY works.
I'm curious about this "I can deal with it myself" mentality. If you see someone breaking the law on the street, do you call the police or do you take it upon yourself to break the law by tackling the guy and beating him until you feel satisfied?
And if you do beat the guy, when the cops get there do they say "Oh, you are right. He broke the law. Good job. Be on your way"?
Thomas, yes that other thread may be the worst thing ever written. I havn't gone to look at it yet. The difference is that no one reported that thread. If it bothered you that much, THEN REPORT IT.
Neither Wilson or I read every single thread on the forums. Trust me, it is enough work to just read the ones that are reported.
So you see a thread that bothers you, you don't report it but you do let it fester in your mind, then you deal with it by taking a shot back at the original thread's poster. Others see your shot and report it, and we end up stepping in because of that reported post that you wrote. We don't see the original post that bothered you, and to be honest we can't read your mind as to what bothered you. So we deal with your post.
Then all hell breaks loose from people claiming censorship and/or biased enforcement of the rules.
It is simple. If you don't like a post and think it is out of line, REPORT IT!!
I don't want to hear about "I can fight my own battles!". This isn't a battle and no one named you Forum Police. If someone posts something out of line, it is your responsibility to report the thread. Not deal with it on your own. That is the way a COMMUNITY works.
I'm curious about this "I can deal with it myself" mentality. If you see someone breaking the law on the street, do you call the police or do you take it upon yourself to break the law by tackling the guy and beating him until you feel satisfied?
And if you do beat the guy, when the cops get there do they say "Oh, you are right. He broke the law. Good job. Be on your way"?
Hmmm; I guess we're both curious here.
As you can see a few posts above this one, Mr. Wilson threatened me with severe treatment If I made "one more nazi insinuation". The actual fact is I NEVER made even a single such insinuation to begin with. This has been pointed out to Mr. Wilson by several people, but - as usual - no acknowledgment of the misunderstanding has been forthcoming. Additionally, the AZB member who actually DID make such insinuations (repeatedly, I might add) seems to have skated away with nary a scratch to show for it.
Now YOU apparently are accusing me of having said "I can fight my own battles!", and are saying I have an ""I can deal with it myself" mentality".
Could you possibly provide me with a quote of me making those statements? I'm only asking because I have no recollection of saying anything of the sort, and I am unable to find such statements in an exhaustive search of my forum posts. I'm perfectly willing to discuss anything I HAVE said, but it seems a little unfair to be called to answer for something I haven't said - wouldn't you agree?
On a related note, I have MANY times reported posts that I felt were unreasonable and/or inappropriate. The net result has ALWAYS been zero moderator response (public OR private) and zero action taken. I have been temporarily banned without any clue as to why, and emails requesting an explanation have ALWAYS gone unanswered. I have absolutely no doubt there is a "good ol' boys" network in place, and have lately given up bothering to report posts that experience has taught me will remain in place anyway - not because of the merits of their content, but rather because of who wrote them.
TW
(PS: If by any chance my response should anger you, please remember that YOU decided to call me out more than a month after this had seemingly been put behind us, and I am simply responding to questions you have specifically addressed to me.)
(PPS: To answer another of your questions, my wife and I were once visiting a friend who lived in a mobile-home court and we happened to see a guy across the way who appeared to be trying to break into another residence. This was at night, and our friend mentioned that the owner of that residence was out of town. It was a weekend night, in a part of town well known for having a very slow police response time. Since I was carrying a concealed sidearm - as is my right as an Alaskan citizen - I went outside and arrested the guy, keeping him face down on the ground (at gunpoint) until the police finally arrived. The guy was arrested on charges of felony attempted burglary, and later pleaded out to a couple of misdemeanors.
So, yes, I HAVE intervened when I saw someone breaking the law - on more than one occasion, actually. At no time did I enact your fantasy of "beating him until I was satisfied", but I did act in accordance with my law enforcement training. Oh, I'm sorry... did I forget to mention that I am former law enforcement? My bad.
Oh, and one other thing. After clearing the serial number on my sidearm in the above mentioned incident, the responding police officers DID congratulate me on my actions. Thanks for caring enough to ask.)
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When I respond to a reported post, I do not send a note to the reporter telling them what I did or did not do to deal with the reported post. Until now, I have never seen someone say they expected any such notification.
Any insinuation that Wilson made can be responded to by Wilson.
As for any insinuation that I might have made, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...
I am sorry that your previous instances of not taking on the role of forum police did not go the way you wanted them to go. Nevertheless, it does not make it ok to hijack someone's thread so you can badger another user about something they said that was entirely unrelated to the post.
I decided to "call you out" because a user reported the thread to me. As I ask them to do when they see something getting out of hand.
Don't worry about my anger though. You will know when you anger me. It will mean you get a "you have been banned" message when you try to log on to the forums.
Any insinuation that Wilson made can be responded to by Wilson.
As for any insinuation that I might have made, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...
I am sorry that your previous instances of not taking on the role of forum police did not go the way you wanted them to go. Nevertheless, it does not make it ok to hijack someone's thread so you can badger another user about something they said that was entirely unrelated to the post.
I decided to "call you out" because a user reported the thread to me. As I ask them to do when they see something getting out of hand.
Don't worry about my anger though. You will know when you anger me. It will mean you get a "you have been banned" message when you try to log on to the forums.
I wrote:
"On a related note, I have MANY times reported posts that I felt were unreasonable and/or inappropriate. The net result has ALWAYS been zero moderator response (public OR private) and zero action taken. I have been temporarily banned without any clue as to why, and emails requesting an explanation have ALWAYS gone unanswered." [emphasis added]
You replied:
Okay, so that addresses maybe 20% of my statement.
You also wrote:
Yes, although his only response to me (ever) has always been a threat.
So no factual quotes to back up the words you want to put in my mouth? Even so, you haven't answered my question, which was, "...it seems a little unfair to be called to answer for something I haven't said - wouldn't you agree?" Or maybe you have.
I would consider "hijacked" to be a mis-characterization of the facts. I made what many [who are familiar with the history of the thread] would consider a humorous aside, and went on to provide valuable, accurate information in response to the OP's question. The thread remained solidly on point for at least a month, until ... um... recently.
That's fine. Except that by now the thread had been heavily modified, and the only remaining reference to the "duck" (your analogy) are threats/warnings from Mr. Wilson directed at me for "insinuations" that I never made, and fabricated "quotes" by you that I never said.
Yes, that certainly is the power you have, and the threat you wield. I respect that power and submit to it on this forum. But - and this is a sincere question I'm asking here - is it too unreasonable to hope that if I am admonished for something it really ought be something I actually did?
TW