New alloy for welding sterling and Argentium Sterling

Jewelry Discussion
1

Here I mention a new welding wire for sterling and Argentium
Sterling

Jeff Herman

2

You should all consider trying Stuller Sterlium Plus for Fabrication
of metals…

Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold
Director Tool Sales & Stuller Bench

3

Hi Andy K.

the stuller alloys Sterlium is the germanium alloy of theirs? and
the Continuum is the Palladium alloy?

could you PLEASE elaborate just so we are a little better informed,
the stuller site has info on the alloys BUT it is extremly basic, it
does not say the alloy type or content in fear of giving away the
proprietary recipe or ingredients, but as a metalsmith you must know
that is a total turn off, if I dont know whats in my alloys or what
I am useing, then I will step awayfrom useing it and find another
alloy or company I am comfortable with. naming the ingredients is
not giving away the secret recipe .

thank you
Hratch

4

Andy

I have been using Sterlium for the past few years and come to like
it very much. I still don’t love working with Argentium, but
Sterlium is so much more forgiving, esp. on soldering. I even
convinced a goldsmith I work with to try it and he likes it better
than sterling.

As for laser-welding, I like using Continuum the best as a filler
metal when I laser-weld. I use 28g. and 30g. wire.

New alloy for welding sterling and Argentium Sterling

For those of you who are still uncertain about Sterlium, my advice,
justtry it! My students like the fact it’s so much whiter, brighter
and nofirescale.

Joy

5

Andy,

Do you offer that alloy as a welding wire?

Jeff Herman

6

Hi all

Sterlium Plus is NOT Argentium but a knock off copy of Argentium and
not of the same quality.

If you want to use the world’s finest silver alloy then the first
and best is still Argentium. This is just and add for Stuller. I think
Argentium is easily available in the US so try the best.

all the best
Richard

7 
Sterlium Plus is NOT Argentium but a knock off copy of Argentium
and not of the same quality.

Well, no. Sterlium plus has similarities to argentium, but the alloy
formulation is distinctly different. It offers the same sort of fire
stain protection that argentium does, but the working and casting
properties are different. I find it casts better than argentium. For
fabrication, it seems mostly similar, but seems a bit stronger while
hot, though it doesn’t fuse quite as well. Personally, I like it
better.

Note too, that it’s not just some knockoff of argentium. If it were,
United Precious Metals would not have a patent on the stuff. United
is the original manufacturer of it. It’s not, at least originally, a
Stuller made product, though they may now have licensed it. dunno. I
think they just carry United PMR’s product, and United is the
original source.) The two are competitors, not one the original, the
other the copy. For one thing, Sterlium is optimized for casting,
though it works well for fabrication. Argentium is kind of the
reverse of that. Also, sterlium is not all that much of a newcomer.
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure United PMR was marketing
Sterlium and a number of their other fire stain free casting alloys
back at least as far as the early 1990s, or so my memory is trying to
tell me. I hadn’t dealt with United prior to that, so I don’t know if
Sterlium is older than that.

The United Precious Metals web site has more complete on
Sterlium plus, as well as on the many other alloys they manufacture,
detailing fabrication and casting techniques, and with some of their
alloys, composition info

Peter

8

Richard- We all have our favorite metals. I happen to love Stuller’s
Continuum. No I don’t get paid by them to like one of their metals.
I personally think that it is the best silver alloy out there for my
uses.

Every alloy in gold, silver, and platinum, has it’s unique benefits.
My husband Tim and I still disagree about 10% Iridium Platinum vs
Ruthenium Platinum. But then we have much more important things to
argue about. Like whether or not 1-405 is faster than 1-5 to get to
the south west side of Portland and who’s turn it is to empty the
litter box.

If anyone is interested to hear why I love Continuum so much just
ask.

Have fun and make lots of jewelry.

Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com

9

Jeffrey

Just get some 28g. or 30g. Sterlium wire, and use it for PUK welding
or laser welding. I take some of my thin gauge Sterlium and
Continuum, keep it on hand and use it while I laser-weld.

Necessity is the mother of invention. I just use whatever wire I
have on hand and use it.

Joy

10

andy,

what are the advantages of Sterlium plus for fabrication? Can
sterling silver and sterilium be mixed? does one have to keep the two
metals separate in the scrap/recycling bin? I’ve been concerned about
using this alloy with my regular sterling. As a stuller customer I’m
discouraged that I can no longer purchase sterling silver mill
products such square stock.

thanks,
Estelle Vernon

11

Try to buy your product in Europe and you’ll be amazed howmuch one
have to pay on taxes (import and shipping)! A very good reason to
stick with argentium even when sterilium might be a better solution.

Figure out yourself howmuch a gold or silversmith has to ask in
order to break even.

Best regards

12

I have used Sterilium. I like it, try some yourself.

13 
If anyone is interested to hear why I love Continuum so much just
ask.

OK - I’m sure I won’t be the only one, Jo - I’m asking!

Janet

14

Hi Jo,

If anyone is interested to hear why I love Continuum so much just
ask.

I sure would like to know as I have a small piece (3"x6") and have
never used it as I am not sure if it works like regular sterling.

Thanks for any you feel like sharing.

Lona

15

Thanks Jo

I am a big fan 90Pt 10Ir. Just old school I guess. But have started
to play with 95Pt 5Ru. From clean up and setting they seem much
alike. I have been using Sterlium and wonder if you would share why
you love Continum?

Regards
Franz

16

I haven’t worked that much in Continuum but I remember how much I
liked working with it the first time I tried it. I’ve also tried
knitting with 28g. Continuum and it’s a bit springier. However,
Continuum really shines when it comes to laser-welding. I find I
reach for my Continuum wire when I’m laser-welding. Smoother,
shinier, just a better filler metal than the conventional sterling
alloys. It is more expensive than regular sterling, so I haven’t
completely turned over my entire line to Continuum, but for selected
pieces.

Sterlium is my second favorite alloy. Argentium, still trying to
"love"it but I rather stick with Sterlium. Regular sterling now
seems so dark and requires more work so I don’ work with it much
anymore, except forold sterling stock I have bumming around my
studio.

Joy

17

I absolutely love Argentium but don’t see what’s wrong with any
competition. I’m glad there is more than one Germanium and Silver
alloy available. That is normally a fantastic thing for consumers, at
least in theory. In economics, I teach students that the greatest
thing about competition is that is fosters innovation. So perhaps
Stuller’s alloy has some qualities that the other one does not.

Slightly off topic but to illustrate, in Australia Richard, you have
no worries about drug patents. Here in the states, we only have one
pharm.

company that is allowed to make snake anti-venom. I think another
company is trying to get in the game and it can’t come soon enough.
So in USA, if you get a snake bite from a poisonous snake, you will
get a bill from 150,000 dollars to 500,000 dollars. Most of the cost
is from the anti-venom drug cost.

Here is just one snake bite victim’s story here if you find it hard
to believe that we are crazy enough to allow this.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep820f

Anyways, I love Argentium but am open minded to hearing how the
other alloy is worth a shot.

Rick

18

Franz- I like Pt Ru for casting. pt Ir for old school fabrication.

I like to think of Continuum as a metal that is in between sterling
silver and gold. I really think it is one of the very best
innovations in precious metal alloys in my very long career.

I use Stuller’s Continuum for silver pieces that need strength and
spring.

I use it mostly to make eyeglasses. It’s lighter than gold and just
as strong as 14 kt white gold. The temple pieces on my glasses are 1
mm thick and nice and stiff. Regular sterling would be a bent mess. I
also love it for setting stones. It wears like iron and as Tim says
he can raise beads like fence posts. Easier to set than Platinum. It
fuses beautifully and solders like gold. When I fabricate with it I
can use all IT solder. It also enamels beautifully and casts like a
dream. I can also re melt and roll out ingots over and over and over
again without needing to refresh or refine the metal. It takes
oxidizing with liver of sulfur beautifully. The only down side I’ve
found is that it’s expensive. But then we keystone our costs so it’s
more money for us.

If I had a line of silver jewelry I’d exclusively use Continuum.

Especially for setting stones. It will out wear and out last silver
by decades.

Have fun and make lots of jewelry.

Jo Haemer
timothywgreen.com

19

I haven’t lasered with Sterlium, but I’ve used regular sterling,
Continuum and Argentium. I like Argentium best. It flows on
beautifully, pretty much like gold (though it still helps to use
Sharpie on the receiving area). For what it’s worth, the laser I used
at work (I left that job) did not have cover gas.

Noel

20

To all who are posting on this subject and Jim and Shan from Stuller
and United, was the re a specific stamp for Continuum, as in its 925
but was there a specific designation for the alloy in the stamping
of it??? I had thattrouble with the Platinium sterling from ABI,
where the DWT was so expensive to cast us$2.00 for the regular
sterling and us$9.00 for the platinum 3%. and had a devil of a time
explaining it to customers. because it was still stamped 925.

thanks
Hratch