|
6th February 2024, 08:32 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Germany
Posts: 139
|
Hi A.G.
The mamas question is a little bit new for me. I searched by google and in this forum without a result ( till now) what alloy-content I have to expect. Will be very interesting to learn something to use for my own knives. I have some pieces in my collection with some parts of yellowish alloy, bright color like german silver but brighter, but that looks different. I have some silver in my collection and my feeling was „polishes like silver“ and the cleaning rag with the polish looks black like the same. But proof is better than feeling and to be honest, I wanted to expect silver lol I will go to a jeweler to proof. |
7th February 2024, 01:03 AM | #2 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,737
|
Buy a little bottle of silver test from a jeweller's supply house, it is cheap, it lasts forever, you only need a tiny drop for testing, & it can prevent costly error.
Other names for mamas are paktong, p'aitun, it is a nickel + copper + zinc alloy, Chinese in origin. Similar, or maybe even the same as alpaka/albata, nickel silver, argentum, german silver, mailechort. There has been a real lot of "silver" ornamented weaponry from Indonesia & SE Asia in general that has been sold into the Western World that is in fact ornamented with mamas. |
8th February 2024, 07:39 AM | #3 |
Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Germany
Posts: 139
|
Ok I think now that this is mamas on this piece. (Not a big issue for me, have paid a low price for it)
I have tested some pieces yet with my „grandma‘s cleaning tip for silver“ saltwater and aluminium foil. I put a drop of saltwater on a silver coin and some weapons of my collection, hold a piece of aluminiumfoil for 30 sec in that drop, and after this I saw a clear cleaning effect by the form of the drop when there was definetly silver. On other pieces of white metal as on this pedang, no effect ( due to nickel ? ) . What do you think about this simple test guys ? Best Thomas |
8th February 2024, 09:06 AM | #4 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,044
|
White metal on weapons can also include white brass, which is a Copper/Zinc alloy (no Nickel). Yellow brass is a similar alloy and the main difference between the two is that white brass has 66% Zinc and yellow brass 63%. The additional Zinc makes white brass a little more durable and tougher than yellow brass, but white brass may corrode more easily.
Nice blade, Thomas, for an inexpensive purchase. |
|
|