Nickel silver,maillechort,German silver,[1]argentan,[1]new silver,[1]nickel brass,[2]albata,[3] oralpacca[4] is acupronickel (copper withnickel)alloy with the addition ofzinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc.[5] Nickel silver does not contain the elementsilver. It is named for its silvery appearance, which can make it attractive as a cheaper and more durable substitute. It is also well suited for beingplated with silver.
A naturally occurring ore composition in China was smelted into the alloy known aspaktong orbáitóng (白銅) ('white copper' orcupronickel).[citation needed][6][7] The nameGerman Silver refers to the artificial recreation of the natural ore composition by German metallurgists.[8] All modern, commercially important, nickel silvers (such as those standardized underASTM B122) contain zinc and are sometimes considered a subset ofbrass.[9]
Nickel silver was first used inChina, where it wassmelted from readily available unprocessed ore.[7][10] During theQing dynasty, it was "smuggled into various parts of theEast Indies", despite a government ban on the export of nickel silver.[11] It became known in the West from imported wares calledbaitong (Mandarin) orpaktong (Cantonese) (白銅, literally "white copper"), for which the silvery metal colour was used to imitatesterling silver. According toBerthold Laufer, it was identical tokhar sini, one of the seven metals recognized byJābir ibn Hayyān.[12]
In Europe, consequently, it was at first calledpaktong, which is about the waybaitong is pronounced in the Cantonese dialect. The earliest European mention ofpaktong occurs in the year 1597. From then until the end of the eighteenth century there are references to it as having been exported from Canton to Europe.[13]
German artificial recreation of the naturalpaktong ore composition, however, began to appear from about 1750 onward.[13] In 1770, theSuhl metalworks were able to produce a similar alloy.[14] In 1823, a German competition was held to perfect the production process: the goal was to develop an alloy that possessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger inBerlin andErnst August Geitner inSchneeberg independently achieved this goal. The manufacturer Berndorf (founded in 1843[15]) named the trademark brandAlpacca, which became widely known in northern Europe for nickel silver. In 1830, the German process of manufacture was introduced into England, while exports ofpaktong from China gradually stopped. In 1832, a form of German silver was also developed inBirmingham, England.[16]
After the modern process for the production of electroplated nickel silver was patented in 1840 byGeorge Richards Elkington and his cousin Henry Elkington in Birmingham, the development of electroplating caused nickel silver to become widely used. It formed an ideal, strong and bright substrate for the plating process. It was also used unplated in applications such as cutlery.[citation needed]
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Nickel silver first became popular as a base metal for silver-platedcutlery and othersilverware, notably theelectroplated wares called EPNS (electroplated nickel silver). It is used inzippers, costumejewelry, for making musical instruments (e.g.,flutes,clarinets), and is preferred for the track in electricmodel railway layouts, as itsoxide is conductive[citation needed]. Better qualitykeys andlock cylinder pins are made of nickel silver for durability under heavy use. The alloy has been widely used in the production ofcoins (e.g.Portuguese escudo and the formerGDRmarks). Its industrial and technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance.
In the nineteenth century, particularly after 1868, North AmericanPlains Indian metalsmiths were able to easily acquire sheets of German silver. They used them to cut, stamp, and cold hammer a wide range of accessories and also horse gear. Presently, Plains metalsmiths use German silver for pendants, pectorals, bracelets, armbands, hair plates,conchas (oval decorative plates for belts), earrings, belt buckles, necktie slides, stickpins,dush-tuhs, andtiaras.[17] Nickel silver is the metal of choice among contemporaryKiowa and Pawnee inOklahoma. Many of the metal fittings on modern higher-end equine harness andtack are of nickel silver.
Early in the twentieth century, German silver was used by automobile manufacturers before the advent of steel sheet metal. For example, the famousRolls-Royce Silver Ghost of 1907 used German silver. After about 1920, it became widely used for pocketknifebolsters, due to its machinability and corrosion resistance. Prior to this, the most common metal wasiron.
Musical instruments, including theflute, saxophone,trumpet, andFrench horn, string instrument frets, and electric guitar pickup parts, can be made of nickel silver. Many professional-level French horns are entirely made of nickel silver.[18] Some saxophone manufacturers, such asKeilwerth,[19][20] offer saxophones made of nickel silver (Shadow model); these are far rarer than traditional lacquered brass saxophones. Student-level flutes and piccolos are also made of silver-plated nickel silver,[21] although upper-level models are likely to usesterling silver.[22] Nickel silver produces a bright and powerful sound quality; an additional benefit is that the metal is harder and more corrosion resistant than brass.[23] Because of its hardness, it is used for most clarinet, flute, oboe and similar wind instrument keys, normally silver-plated. It is used to produce the tubes (called staples) onto whichoboereeds are tied.
Many parts of brass instruments are made of nickel silver, such as tubes, braces or valve mechanism. Trombone slides of many manufacturers offer a lightweight nickel silver (LT slide) option for faster slide action and weight balance.[24] The material was used in the construction of the National triconeresophonic guitar. Thefrets of guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and related string instruments are typically nickel silver. Nickel silver is sometimes used as ornamentation on thegreat highland bagpipe.
Nickel silver is also used in artworks. The Dutch sculptorWillem Lenssinck has made several pieces from German silver. Outdoors art made from this material easily withstands all kinds of weather.
The alloy came originally from China, where its composition is said to have been known.
smuggled into various parts of the East Indies ... and is not allowed to be carried out of the empire
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