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My very first pour....new silver mini breadloaf bars!
gecko109
Posts: 8,231 ✭
Well, today was a sweet day. I did my first ever pour of .999 fine silver. I have created mini breadloaf style silver bullion bars. Consistancy must not be my cup of tea as the 21 bars I poured today varied from 13.5 grams all the way up to 19.1 grams! Each bar will be individually hallmarked with my custom logo (en route), the weight in grams (e.g. 17.2 G), the words "SILVER" and ".999 FINE", and finally a serial number stamped on the back of each bar. I stamped the serial numbers today so I would not lose track of which order they were poured in. The rest of the markings will be made later this week hopefully, and sales will start possibly by this weekend. What do you guys think of this "little" project?
EDITED TO ADD: That bar on the far right in the photo is NOT silver, but actually plumbing solder that I used for "trial pours".
EDITED TO ADD: That bar on the far right in the photo is NOT silver, but actually plumbing solder that I used for "trial pours".
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<< <i>Those are cute, and look like a too much fun to make. >>
They are a lot of fun to pour from a glowing orange crucible. However, the fun is all over if I ever drop one of those crucibles onto my foot!
days... but BAM. you already have samples going.
- Jim
Tried having your mold a little hotter when you pour?
<< <i>well you really do go all out! here i was thinking it would take a few
days... but BAM. you already have samples going. >>
I was told that my new kiln wouldnt arrive until a week after x-mas....well Mr. UPS was wearing the drab brown uniform, but all I could see was good ole saint Nick when he handed me that massive box today!!!
Besides forum members here, do you think the general public will buy them?
What is your motivation? Profit, or passing the time.
Do you have another use for the kiln?
Please understand I am not pickinh on you, I am just wondering what you are thinking?
Rob
How many are you going to make? Thousands of them or limited amounts???
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
<< <i>OK so now that you have made them, are you prepared to have a tough time selling them?
Besides forum members here, do you think the general public will buy them?
What is your motivation? Profit, or passing the time.
Do you have another use for the kiln?
Please understand I am not pickinh on you, I am just wondering what you are thinking?
Rob >>
Rob, this guy has been selling dozens (if not hundreds) of 1 gram silver bars that are simply cut from silver barstock and stamped "999". Notice his sales are $3 on the low end, and up to $7 on the high end. If you were to extrapolate those numbers on a 16 gram bar of mine, that would be around $48 per bar (based on his lowend sales). But I am a realist Rob. I expect a 16 gram hand poured bar to fetch anywhere from 3-5x melt value, or roughly $19-$32 per bar. Remember that HIS bars are simply cut segments of barstock with a simple "999" stamped. My bars are hand poured with a personalized logo, the words "SILVER .999 FINE", the actual weight, and a serial number all stamped by hand into each bar. You tell me which bar would be more collectible. Its a hobby that should pay for itself Rob. Kilns are not cheap, and neither are all the needed tools/accesories and last but not least, my time has gotta be worth a little something. So how many bars can I put you down for?
guy selling silver 1 gram "bars"
So can you not make a cooler mold?
<< <i>Pretty cool, whats the price for them??? Hope they aren't too expensive!
How many are you going to make? Thousands of them or limited amounts??? >>
The plan is to make about 50 bars per month. So they will be somewhat "limited" depending on how many people are interested in buying them. I am working out a price structure that would be fair for the forum members here. Its going to be most likely in the range of 2.5-3.0x melt. That would make a typical 16 gram bar cost around $16-$19 bucks. Im not Engelhard by any stretch of anyone's imagination (not even in my own dillusional mind), but a 4 oz hand poured Engelhard silver bar recently sold on eBay for $330! That works out to about $2.66 per gram. My bars should be worth at least $1 per gram to those who would like to own one or two.
<< <i>But his are shiny.
So can you not make a cooler mold? >>
Do you mean "cooler" as in more neat? Or as in put them in the fridge before I pour?
are you going to melt coin silver?
if so..... how you goin to get it 999 fine ?
how is that done?
<< <i>hey gecko...
are you going to melt coin silver?
if so..... how you goin to get it 999 fine ?
how is that done? >>
Im not going to mess with coin or sterling silver. I dont have the knowledge to refine them, nor do I want to go through the hassle of having the "refined" pieces assayed for fineness. These bars, and all subsequent bars will be poured using only .999 fine silver shot (grain) from APMEX. I trust them, and I know alot of people feel the same.
all kidding aside....go for it and keep us updated....
what ever happened to the dredging for gold in the Sierra Nevada?
also i am going to scan your finger prints and burglarize a bank....j/k
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If not they'd be greatly appreciated
In the old days, I used a blow torch and silver flake, taken from the plumbing pipes of a photo processing facility. It was crude in the shop and my nuggets looked like turds when I was done. (circa 1993). I've searched high and low , but cannot find them to photograph.
PM me if you would like to sell a couple for my grandchildren's trinket box.
regards,
I'd prefer their birthdates on them.
joe
<< <i>Will you be selling these on the forum? I'd love to buy a couple. >>
Yes, they will be offered to interested members here. Like I said in a previous post, im thinking I will have a special pricing for forumites. About $1 per gram is where i'd like to be with you guys. Closer to $1.75-$2.00 per gram when they go on eBay. Im taking requests for specific serial numbers in my PMs if that matters to you guys. Any number up to 90 that isnt already spoken for will be made available for you. The bars range from 13 grams up to 19 grams. The bigger bars look EXACTLY like miniature loaves of bread. The smaller bars have less pronounced "domes".
<< <i>Do you happen to have any pictures of your setup?
If not they'd be greatly appreciated
No. I do not. I have taken everything down for the day. I poured these in my garage so I wouldnt burn the house down if something went wrong!
<< <i>taking requests for specific serial numbers in my PMs if that matters to you guys >>
Gonna put a video of you makin' them on youtube???
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
my son has experimented with these too, has seen the prices on ebay for this stuff which seems to be quite consistent,
but then it seems to fall off, so who knows what the profit potential is.......
<< <i>did you use a electric furnace and graphite molds ?
my son has experimented with these too, has seen the prices on ebay for this stuff which seems to be quite consistent,
but then it seems to fall off, so who knows what the profit potential is....... >>
Yes, that is what was used. What did your son end up pouring?
<< <i>Anyone requested number 1 yet?
Where do you suppose numbers 0001, 0002, and 0003 will reside?
<< <i>How do you melt the silver? What do you use? >>
A small electric Kiln and some graphite crucibles. Any more info and i'd have to kill ya!
<< <i>Look awesome, can't wait to get mine. Think I saw them in the pile you showed. >>
Your bars do look good. Will look better once the logo and weight are stamped into the front! Bar #0011 weighs 14.4 grams, and bar #0012 weighs 13.8 grams. You will really enjoy these! Thats from one "oddball silver" collector to another.
<< <i> A small electric Kiln and some graphite crucibles. Any more info and i'd have to kill ya!
Just don't kill yourself in the process !
I knew it would happen.
<< <i>
<< <i>Will you be selling these on the forum? I'd love to buy a couple. >>
Yes, they will be offered to interested members here. Like I said in a previous post, im thinking I will have a special pricing for forumites. About $1 per gram is where i'd like to be with you guys. Closer to $1.75-$2.00 per gram when they go on eBay. Im taking requests for specific serial numbers in my PMs if that matters to you guys. Any number up to 90 that isnt already spoken for will be made available for you. The bars range from 13 grams up to 19 grams. The bigger bars look EXACTLY like miniature loaves of bread. The smaller bars have less pronounced "domes". >>
$31.10 per troy ounce?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Gouger!!!!!
P.S.: Don't forget to slip your alderman $500 for a business license, and another $50,000 to Da Guv for the Ambassadorship to Berwyn!!!!!!!!!!
TD
Very interesting hobby...Congrats.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
<< <i>Do you stamp the serials and logo while the metal is still soft or do you use a method sort of like branding cattle? >>
Sorry, but thats proprietary information!
<< <i>Will they be very liquid on the secondary market?
EXCELLENT question Perry! The short answer is "I dont know". However, I can speculate that if enough of these are produced (into the thousands), they may actually become known well enough to garner a following among silver bar collectors. With a very short/limited production run, they will almost certainley be a victim of their own scarcity I think. Only time will tell for sure.
Thank you!
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
<< <i>Gecko, how are you going to keep track of the production runs? Do you plan on making lets say 100 of a certain size and then not making it anymore? Or will you put something on the bars like 1st year, 2nd year, etc???
Thank you! >>
Every bar will be serial numbered in the exact order they are poured. I have not yet decided on the total number of how many bars of each size I will produce. That will be determined almost completely by demand. If/when I make other sizes, they will start with serial number 0001. Since there are just 4 digits in my serial numbering system, a maximum of 9,999 bars of each size may be produced, but numbers that large are VERY unlikely! In addition, im keeping a notebook on the exact date of production of each batch of serial numbers. For example, I poured 21 bars on Monday. Therefore in my "log", it shows that bars 0001-0021 were produced on 12-15-08. These records will be available to anyone who requests them at any point during my endeavor.
<< <i>Will they be very liquid on the secondary market?
I think they're only liquid during the pour............