I had a conversation with one of my casters in RI today about their
recent experience with Argentium.
The upside is that it casts with no noticeable pitting- very dense
castings. They were able to cast it successfully on their first
attempt using a casting machine with an inert gas atmosphere. They
were casting handles for a client’s project. A boon for silversmiths.
The downside, at least for the present, is its cost- about $4 per
ounce more than sterling. I was told that it cannot be re-melted for
additional casting, and that about 60% is used up by sprue trees in
a (for them) typical 15 ounce cast. Roughly, it is about 3 times as
expensive to cast in Argentium, before you factor in the refining
recovery. If you are running sufficient volume to make refining
practical, the additional casting cost would probably be offset by
the reduction in finishing labor.
Rick Hamilton