Sterlium plus alloy

Jewelry Discussion
1

I’m having trouble getting info on “sterlium plus”. Stuller’s carries
it but it is considered a special order. Does this handle the same
way as Argentium Sterling silver? Such as hardens in the home oven at
a high heat, better resistance to cracking when hammering, fuses with
a torch, or pale pink when annealing? any help would be appreciated.

Lynda Marie Keen
www.keenjewelry.net

2

Morning,

Let me answer the questions on the new metal from Stuller and UPM

Sterlium Plus

You can get Sterlium Plus in casting grain, wire, sheet, stock…
We are starting to replace all of the silver with Sterlium Plus… We
still will be carrying deox and regular casting grain…

We do offer a tech sheet on the metal and will be happy to send to
you via e-mail or fax…

After testing and hearing from our customers, we feel it handles as
good if not better than Argentium especially in investment casting…

If you have any other question, please call one of the stuller tech
members at ext 4300, or myself at ext 4191…

Sterlium Plus is the most improved tarnish resistance metal on the
market today.

Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold

3

Lynda,

I think United Precious Metals makes that Sterlium plus alloy, and
they have great customer service there. They have metallurgists and
technical help that can let you know about their alloy’s working
characteristics.

Sterlium is a sterling they came up with that is alloyed with
palladium. I bought an ounce of it many months ago, but haven’t had
time to try it out.

Jay Whaley

4 
Sterlium is a sterling they came up with that is alloyed with
palladium. I bought an ounce of it many months ago, but haven't
had time to try it out.

OOOH! I got in trouble, off-line. In a previous post, I mentioned
that I bought an ounce of some Sterlium Sterling Silver, which I
understood was alloyed with palladium. Well, I have been contacted by
both Stuller and United Precious Metals, off-line, who inform me that
Sterlium does NOT contain palladium! United Metals’ “Silvadium” alloy
is alloyed with palladium. I stand corrected, sorry for any
confusion!

Jay Whaley

5

Jay,

Thank you for the correction on new Sterlium Plus Metal… And if
anyone needs any We will be happy to send a tech sheet
to you.

Andy “The Tool Guy” Kroungold

6

I have found that Sterlium wire laser welds well.

Mark

7

I was a bit disappointed by Andy Kroungold’s post on “Sterlium
Plus”. It read more like an unsubstantiated promotion than the
exchange of that I expect on the site, and seemed better
suited for ad material. While Stuller’s (United’s) new alloy may
well be a fine metal, the post promoted it by making a clear
implication that Argentium silver has some properties to be wary of
as a casting alloy.

I have been casting the higher purity Argentium 960 silver since it
was first introduced, and did have some problems with it. However,
past concerns have evaporated this year with the introduction of the
newest casting grain made by Legor - the recently licensed, sole
manufacturer of Argentium silver casting alloys. I’m delighted with
the improvement over the problematic previous manufacture’s
material, and though I hope that technical advancement is never
abandoned, my current experiences reveal no areas where performance
is less than superb. The new material performs beautifully for me,
free of aggravations or problems, and additionally, within its array
of charactericstics, has good hardening properties, which are
important to me since my work requires hardenable castings that
develop spring for tension settings. So please, judge metals on
their own specific set of merits for your work, and also continue to
share current personal experience to help us all go beyond marketing
statements, keep up with advances, and find the best materials and
methods for our own individual uses.

A craftsperson’s post on Sterilium Plus would have been more
instructive than Andy’s, though I can’t fault him for having
enthusiasm for his product and hope that it performs well for both
Stuller and anyone using it. I would be happy to post my own
personal observations on the Argentium 960 silver that I’m using,
but feel that would be better shared separately.

With best regards to my fellow artists,

David Worcester