What kind of metal is Mnts

MNC marking on a spoon, what it is, how much such devices cost

Beautiful cutlery has always been in demand, they were presented as a gift or simply bought for use in the household. Setting the table with gold or silver forks, spoons and knives is considered good manners, but not every housewife can afford such luxury.

Many people purchase cupronickel silver cutlery or nickel silver items, which are difficult to distinguish from silver ones. Taking a closer look, you can see the MNC marking on the spoon - not every user knows what it is and how much such spoons cost.

This article will help you understand the term; you should start with why cutlery is “branded” in general.

Markings on spoons

Modern industry does not produce devices from precious metals for mass consumption due to their fragile structure and high cost. To improve the quality and increase the service life of products, various metal alloys are used, giving an external resemblance to gold or silver.

High-quality tableware is indicated by markings, thanks to which you can determine the alloy material used to make the product. Domestic manufacturers, when minting a mark on a spoon, use the following designations in marking:

• MELCH (MN) – cupronickel alloy;
• MNC – analogue of cupronickel – nickel silver;
• AL – aluminum;
• STAINLESS – made of stainless steel.

Some devices are covered with a thin layer of precious metal on top. In this case, a double mark is applied, which includes an indication of the sample number. Silver spoons are marked using the numbers 925.

Many buyers confuse nickel silver devices with nickel silver alloy, which is explained by the high degree of external similarity of the materials. Their difference is that by adding manganese, a cupronickel silver product is obtained, and nickel silver is an alloy that includes zinc. The basic basis of both materials is the same - it is copper with nickel. Having studied the markings, the buyer will be able to find out the composition of the MNC alloy on the spoon, what it is, and how much such spoons cost.

What does MNC mean on cutlery?

Many people are interested in what the abbreviation MNC means, minted on tableware. Such a mark on a spoon or other device stands for copper-nickel-zinc. This alloy is called nickel silver. The use of zinc, in addition to the attractive appearance and practicality of the product, is characterized by a reduction in the cost of production. Translated from English, the name of this alloy means “new silver”.

Devices made of nickel silver in its pure form have an unpleasant metallic taste and smell. Therefore, they are coated with silver or gold plating with a thickness of at least 0.5 micrometers.

In accordance with GOST, the designation on sets of silverware is provided if the coating layer is at least:

• 24 micrometers for spoons with forks and knives, as well as dishes;
• 18 micrometers for cup holders.

Devices with gold or silver plating are an excellent gift for any person, regardless of age or gender, social status, or religion. Such gifts are given in the following cases:

• infant baptism;
• entering a university or obtaining a diploma;
• conclusion of a marriage;
• birth of the first child;
• silver or golden wedding anniversary;
• anniversaries and other celebrations.

It has long been believed that a donated silver spoon will bring:

• newlyweds - a long, happy life in love and harmony;
• students – successful mastery of science;
• babies - strong and healthy teeth.

Giving a fork as a gift was considered a bad sign, prophesying future misfortunes.

How does MNC alloy differ from silver?

If you do not take into account the MSC mark, it is difficult for the average person to distinguish silver-plated devices from real silver. Below is a comparison table that will help you understand the main characteristics of the products.

Characteristics	Silver cutlery	Products made from MNC alloy
Appearance	Silver or white color.	Silver or white color.
Strength	Fragile, easily bent and deformed.	Quite durable, resistant to physical impact and deformation.
Weight	Very heavy.	Lightweight.
Physical	Reflects light well; darken over time, heat up quickly, and are characterized by high electrical conductivity.	They do not fade or darken for a long time. They are characterized by weak thermal and electrical conductivity. Resistant to corrosion.
Reaction with iodine	They will darken.	Spots will appear.
With strong friction	No physical changes are observed, but a characteristic ringing sound appears.	Change in color, appearance of characteristic spots. Accompanied by a copper smell.

By carrying out the proposed simple manipulations, you can reliably establish whether the device is made of silver or a nickel silver alloy. If you cannot find out the material of the product experimentally, you need to contact a jewelry workshop, where a specialist will quickly determine the composition.

It is impossible to scratch a silver product with a sharp object; marks with a characteristic brown or red tint remain on nickel silver.

There is an opinion that tableware made of nickel silver or cupronickel has a detrimental effect on health. To understand how true this is, it is necessary to clarify how each of the components individually affects the physiological functions of the human body:

1. Nickel – accumulates in the pancreas and thyroid gland, enhancing the positive effect of insulin and maintaining low sugar levels. Microelement ions react with vitamin C, helping to increase the intensity of the oxidative process and accelerating the function of enzyme production. The accumulation of nickel in the body has a beneficial effect on the condition of hypertensive patients, keeping blood pressure normal.
2. Copper is a vital element for humans, a deficiency or excess of which has a detrimental effect on health. The substance regulates the production of a huge number of enzymes and has an antibacterial effect.

When studying experimentally the effects of nickel silver alloy on the human body, it was found that with regular use of the specified tableware, youth and healthy skin are preserved for a long time, general tone and resistance to infectious diseases increase.

But if the integrity of the coating is damaged and characteristic scratches appear, cutlery made from the MNC alloy should be removed from use. A large intake of zinc into the human body can cause an allergic reaction. Heated copper is toxic and gives food a metallic taste. An excess of this metal in the body leads to poisoning.

Nickel silver alloy is used not only for cutlery. It has found wide application in the jewelry industry - for the manufacture of jewelry and accessories that are not inferior in appearance to silver. In addition, this alloy is used to make:

• medical devices and instruments;
• precision measuring instruments;
• automation for steam and water boiler units;
• electrical parts and microcircuits;
• various types of wire rod;
• decoration elements for paintings and much more.

Nickel silver has excellent dynamic properties, resistance to deformation and corrosion.

Cost of spoons with a stamp

Giving a table set of spoons and forks made from MNC alloy as a gift is considered good manners. You can buy it at any jewelry store. An alternative way is to order online or from a collector. But you should beware of counterfeits: when making a purchase, you need to make sure that the product has the appropriate accompanying documentation.

The value and presentability of the table set will increase if the cutlery is beautifully arranged on satin linings and packaged in gift boxes. The cost of such a kit can range from 800 to 5000 rubles, depending on the following factors:

• degree of prestige of the outlet;
• Year of release;
• the percentage of nickel in the alloy (with an increase in the amount of this element, the devices acquire a light shade with a green or blue tint, otherwise the product is dark in color);
• presentability of packaging;
• external characteristics of the set (used or new).

Rare antique instruments made in Soviet or pre-revolutionary times can only be purchased from collectors or in antique stores. They are distinguished from modern products by the presence of three additional marks: the name of the master, the city of manufacture and the date of issue. The price of such sets reaches several thousand dollars. The cost of MNC cutlery is always lower than silver, but not significantly.

A low price should alert you; it may be an indicator of:

• low-quality alloy;
• small thickness of the applied layer of silver covering the product;
• high probability of counterfeit.

That is why you should be extremely careful when purchasing so as not to become a victim of scammers if you want to replenish your home “arsenal” with pleasant serving elements or give joy to friends and family.

Source: https://posuda-gid.ru/lozhki-i-vilki/177-mnts-chto-eto-i-skolko-stoyat-takie

Cupronickel • what is it, composition of cupronickel, differences from nickel silver and silver

If we say in clear language and unambiguously what cupronickel , then it is an alloy of copper and white nickel. It is very similar in color to silver, therefore it has been successfully “adopted” in the jewelry industry, the production of coins, dishes and other products with the initial goal of replacing silver with a cheaper analogue.

The introduction of cupronickel was very successful, since with proper processing, cupronickel products are very difficult to distinguish from silver, at least in color and basic properties. The most noticeable difference from silver is that cupronickel is noticeably superior to silver in mechanical strength.

In addition, various parts, electrical appliances, etc. are made from cupronickel.

It is generally accepted that cupronickel alloy was created by the French inventors Maillot (Mayo) and Chorier (Chorier) in the 19th century and it received its name precisely from the combination of their names, distorted in the German language. Maillot-Chorier eventually became Melchior. The French initially called their alloy nothing more than “maishor”, but this name did not stick.

However, according to other sources, cupronickel was known back in the third century BC under the name “white copper”, but for unknown reasons was forgotten for two millennia, only to be rediscovered under a different name, which turned out to be very pleasant to the ear and became very popular. Also, a similar alloy was known in medieval China as "pakfong" or "Chinese silver" - presumably an alloy based on bronze, nickel and zinc.

Pakfong is considered the progenitor of the nickel silver alloy, which is also very similar to cupronickel. Despite the fact that the creation of the alloy is attributed to French scientists, cupronickel is often referred to as “German silver”.

The word "cupronickel" itself was not invented in the 19th century. According to Western European church traditions, Melchior is the name of one of the three wise men who came to the newborn Jesus with gifts for Christmas.

The names of the Magi are not mentioned in the Gospel; it is believed that their names “appeared” in the Middle Ages. By coincidence, the name Melchior seemed to someone to be consonant with two names, or rather the names of the inventors who discovered this alloy.

The resulting name for the alloy has become so ingrained that, out of habit, even some similar alloys are now called cupronickel.

Cupronickel - alloy composition

The composition of cupronickel is a base of copper and approximately 5-30% nickel, as well as small proportions of some other metals that are inevitably present in any alloy. The most noticeable impurities in cupronickel are iron (up to 1%) and manganese (up to 0.1%). Roughly speaking, the most common type of alloy is 70% copper + 30% nickel.

Crockery, cutlery and jewelry are made from cupronickel with a composition of 70/30. More precisely, they were produced somewhere in the early 20th century and today have been replaced by other similar alloys with similar properties. For example, the nickel silver cutlery ZiSh, known to many, in the mid-20th century was already produced from MNTs 15-20 (nickel silver).

The composition of cupronickel can change in the direction of reducing nickel and adding copper; as this happens, the alloy will acquire an increasingly rich yellow-red (copper) hue.

Cupronickel alloys

There are many copper-based alloys besides cupronickel, and some of these are sometimes called "cupronickel alloys." Cupronickel alloys are solid solutions and can be easily processed in both hot and cold states. Nickel is responsible for corrosion resistance and strength, and as its proportion increases, these parameters also improve.

The alloy most similar to cupronickel is under the simple name “cupronickel” (chemical Cu-Ni) with the same copper and nickel in its composition, only two elements this time in approximately equal proportions.

Monel is a variety of cupronickel with a nickel content of up to 67%.

Constantan is an alloy of copper and nickel 59%/41%.

Cupronickel – Nickel silver – Brass

Since our site, let’s say, is more devoted to tableware than jewelry or technical products, we are most interested in three related alloys - cupronickel, nickel silver and brass. Because dishes, cutlery and interior items are mainly made from these alloys.

Brass is again a copper-based alloy. Unlike cupronickel, brass contains copper and zinc plus impurities. Brass is classified into many grades, the most interesting for us are L68 and L63 (composition - about 68% or 63% copper and 30-35% zinc, respectively).

Nickel silver (literally translated from German as “new silver”) is a copper-based alloy with nickel and zinc. Again, there are several brands of nickel silver with slightly different compositions, the most interesting for us is MNTs15-20 (composition - 65% copper, 15% nickel, 20% zinc).

Brass and nickel silver of the indicated brands differ little from cupronickel in properties and characteristics, therefore products made of brass and nickel silver were very often called cupronickel. Especially if these are nickel silver products with an external coating of silver, chrome, nickel, etc.

Perhaps these products were called cupronickel due to some illiteracy of the population of the 19th and 20th centuries, but rather the word “cupronickel” was simply more pleasant to the ear, over time it took root and remained in this form. Later, brass and nickel silver almost completely replaced cupronickel.

Today, cupronickel alloy, as such, is used very rarely, at least for the production of household goods.

Differences between the three alloys in simple terms: Cupronickel = copper + nickel Brass = copper + zinc

Nickel silver = copper + nickel + zinc

Melchior is a common noun

Today it is quite natural to hear that cupronickel cutlery is made of nickel silver, and cupronickel coaster is made of brass. Actually, this is how it is in most cases, the words “cupronickel” and “cupronickel” have long become common nouns and are simply a description of a certain group of goods (mainly various dishes, cutlery and interior items) that are made from various alloys similar to cupronickel.

Finding out from which specific alloy the base of a particular product is made is very simple - normal manufacturers must put the appropriate mark (sample) from the letter designation of the alloy and numbers - its composition, for example the same MNTs15-20, L-68, MN-19.

MN is precisely the mark of cupronickel (copper-nickel), the numbers are the nickel content as a percentage, the remaining abbreviations are described a couple of paragraphs above, we will not repeat ourselves.

The only thing is that, as a rule, cupronickel table knives are not marked; only the blade, which is usually made of stainless steel, is marked.

Cupronickel cutlery is necessarily coated with a layer of silver, and dishes are coated with silver or cheaper chrome and nickel. Also, silver-plated and nickel-plated products are often covered with a layer of gold plating.

The inner surface of chrome-plated and nickel-plated cupronickel utensils that come into contact with food products must be tinned (coated with a layer of food-grade tin). In silver-plated cupronickel ware, the inner surface is most often also silvered.

In this design, the specific alloy of the base of the cupronickel product (brass, nickel silver or cupronickel itself) is no longer so important - they are almost identical in properties, and on top, in any case, there is another metal in contact and we see silver or something else.

Cupronickel - Silver

Today, as we mentioned above, cupronickel in its pure form is almost never used. Just like nickel silver. Well, not counting technical products, complex spare parts and electrical circuits. Almost all products that make sense to compare in the format “differences between cupronickel and silver” are made from cupronickel or nickel silver coated with silver. Let's try to consider the main points in the differences between cupronickel and silver.

1. Useful properties of silver.
   Everyone has probably heard about antibacterial, disinfectant, cleansing, etc. properties of silver. And here, I think, you still need to pay extra and buy silver cutlery or dishes. But be that as it may. Oddly enough, cupronickel is better than silver in this regard. The reason is banal. Silver products are made from 925 silver (called “sterling”) or lower, which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. In contrast, cupronickel silver cutlery and dishes are coated with a layer of 999.9 pure silver (99.99% silver, 0.01% impurities). As a result, in terms of the beneficial properties of silver, cupronickel is more useful than silver.
2. Strength.
   We already wrote above that cupronickel is superior to silver in strength, nickel silver and brass have similar properties. This means that, for example, cupronickel cutlery will be more resistant to bending and breaking, which means they will be more durable and will most likely retain their original shape longer. Here again, cupronickel is ahead.
3. Thermal conductivity.
   Silver is one of the metals with the highest electrical and thermal conductivity. Cupronickel and similar alloys have lower values. It would seem that cupronickel has been caught, but no. Lower thermal conductivity is just better for dishes and cutlery. The walls of dishes and cutlery will heat up more slowly and to a lesser extent when in contact with hot food products, which means using cupronickel in this case will again be more comfortable than silver.
4. Price.
   Here it is clear - cupronickel is much more affordable than silver.
5. Product thickness.
   The lower price of cupronickel reveals the fact that cupronickel products, as a rule, are made more massive due to the greater availability of the material. This usually means that using such products will be more comfortable. For example, the thickness of cutlery is one of the main indicators of their quality.
6. Premium.
   The only thing that silver has left after the widespread introduction of cupronickel is its high price, which means silver dishes and cutlery remain premium-segment goods and goods of symbolic significance and are used by those for whom it is important to emphasize their status, or the status of a certain event. Silverware was, is and will be. Melchior will never keep up with silver in this regard.

Is cupronickel silver harmful to health or beneficial?

There is an opinion that cupronickel is harmful to health. Of course, if you eat cupronickel every day, there will definitely be harm; not only your teeth will suffer.

In fact, the harm of cupronickel is due to its composition, more precisely the main component of the alloy - copper, which can be toxic when in contact with many foods, especially hot dishes. Therefore, copper utensils must be tinned (coated with food-grade tin inside).

Cupronickel tableware is processed in much the same way as we already wrote above - tinned, nickel-plated, chrome-plated, silver-plated, gilded. Cupronickel silver cutlery - plated with silver.

It follows from this that the harm of cupronickel is nothing more than a myth and a horror story from manufacturers of silverware and expensive stainless steel products. Silver-plated cupronickel cutlery is even more useful than those made entirely of silver.

If cupronickel dishes and cutlery are not subjected to ultra-aggressive cleaning, they will serve faithfully for several generations of your family, and there will be absolutely no harm to you.

Just do not use abrasive cleaners - metal and other hard scrapers, brushes, powders and pastes not specifically designed for silver, and you will only benefit from cupronickel cutlery and dishes.

Buy cupronickel in our online store

In our catalog, cupronickel is presented in a wide range. You have the opportunity to buy a cupronickel cutlery set or cupronickel spoons, forks and knives individually, cup holders, trays, teapots and other products made from cupronickel, nickel silver, brass, copper, etc.

plated with silver, gold, nickel, chrome or unplated. We are sure that you will find many nickel silver products that will fill your home with comfort or will be an excellent gift for a loved one. Silver-plated cupronickel not only is not inferior to its silver counterparts, but also has a number of significant advantages.

Choose the best, surround yourself with beautiful things.

Source: https://miksem.com.ua/info/article/melchior/

Mnc on a spoon what is it?

Silver plated spoons with markings are a collector's item and will decorate any tableware set. The MNC mark on these products is found quite often. What is this mnc on a spoon and how much do such cutlery cost? What is the marking of silver spoons in general, and what are they? What is the difference between MNC and silver? We'll look at this and much more below.

How does MNC alloy differ from silver?

Silver is a pure and noble metal with a silvery and white color. MNC is a mixture of metals, an alloy of copper with nickel and zinc. Unlike silver, it is resistant to physical impact. Externally, both substances are similar to each other, so it is difficult to distinguish them at first glance.

With a detailed examination and simple actions, the difference can be identified. Silver weighs heavier than any other base metals or mixtures. In addition, it reflects better in the light and fades over time. It has high thermal conductivity and is characterized by greater electrical conductivity.

The mark on a spoon can be seen by looking at its surface and studying the composition of the product. If the item is genuine and was purchased from a collector's or jewelry store, the abbreviation and corresponding symbols will be indicated.

On silver there will be a regular digital hallmark, and on MNC there will be letters. Also, the difference will be visible when the product is lowered into water, iodine, or when rubbing the surface with a lapis pencil.

If there are any changes in the form of spots and color changes, then this means MNC. Iodine will darken silver.

Besides this, the price of silver cannot be low. It is usually more expensive than other alloys. Therefore, if the price is low, this is a reason to doubt the availability of the noble metal.

In addition, MNC smells like copper. This is especially felt during friction. It also does not produce a characteristic ringing sound like silver.

If you can’t determine it yourself, you can contact a collector, jeweler or metal restorer. Based on experience, they can easily determine the composition of the product: silver or fake.

The identification of a fake can be detected with a chromium pick. To do this, you need to take the product and drop the substance on it. Silver will have a bright scarlet color.

Ultimately, silver cannot be scratched with a needle, but alloy can: if the alloy is damaged, dark or red marks will be visible. Silver has its advantages and disadvantages, and mnc has its own.

Pros and cons of MNC alloy

The advantages they call it:

1. Availability and budget.

Unlike silver, alloy products can always be purchased at an affordable price. They can easily replace silver cutlery. Due to their aesthetic and mechanical properties, they can be easily replaced.

2. Low thermal conductivity.

An alloy of copper, nickel and zinc heats up less than silver and a product made from it can be used in any hot substance without fear of burns.

3. Long-term operation without rust.

Unlike silver, even with many years of use, products made from the MNC alloy retain their beautiful appearance for a long time.

4. Long-lasting strength, wear resistance and long-term use.

As a disadvantage, MNC spoons can quickly lose their shine, are subject to the appearance of dark spots and require maintenance. In addition, some talk about the possible harm of such products.

Important!

The harm is caused by the composition. The copper contained in the alloy is toxic when in contact with hot food. Therefore, copper utensils are silvered or coated with tin. But many say that the harm is a myth with a horror story from competitors who produce more expensive products.

Products that have been silver plated are completely safe and can be useful if used correctly.

Thus, the mark on the spoon, like the spoon itself, should not be cleaned too thoroughly using abrasive cleaning agents in the form of hard scrapers, brushes, powders and pastes.

Nickel silver alloy jewelry and casting features

What is nickel silver? Translated from German as new silver. Nickel silver is not a specific metal like silver or gold. It is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. There is also an alloy very similar to nickel silver, which is called cupronickel. What is their difference? In the proportions of the elements contained.

Nickel silver alloy

So, for example, nickel silver contains approximately 65% ​​copper, the rest is distributed between zinc and nickel (there is always more zinc). In nickel silver, zinc is often not added at all, and copper content is about 80%.

Compound	Cupronickel	Nickel silver
Zinc	—	20%
Nickel	18-20%	15%
Copper	80-82%	65%

History of nickel silver

The appearance of nickel silver is directly related to cupronickel, which was invented in China. The Chinese protected the cupronickel formula no worse than the secret of creating silk. This is not surprising, because it had completely unique qualities, could replace silver, but at the same time was several times cheaper.

Over time, cupronickel began to be popular among European secular society, which is why they really wanted to reveal the formula of this strange alloy. The best minds in Europe tried to solve this riddle. Whether long or short, chemists discovered the composition of the alloy, which they thought included copper, nickel and zinc. However, they were unable to calculate the ratio of these metals.

I don’t know how things went there, but apparently they didn’t pat the chemists on the back and suspended all research for almost 300 years. And in the 19th century, German researchers were still able to produce a sample of “cupronickel,” which in fact turned out to be not cupronickel at all. Research has shown that this metal was much stronger and more stable; the material is destroyed only in boiling hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.

Thus, German chemists managed not only to repeat the Chinese formula, but also to discover a new alloy of nickel silver. Silver, cupronickel and nickel silver look exactly the same, at first glance it is impossible to distinguish them. However, the cost of nickel silver is the lowest. It is precisely because of its similarity with silver that jewelers began to actively use nickel silver.

We are also preparing to cast our products from nickel silver. This is economically beneficial for you, our dear customers, because its cost will be in the same price category as bronze. This material is resistant to corrosion and temperatures, does not oxidize, does not turn black and does not change its properties over time. Jewelry made from nickel silver looks as much like silver as possible.

It is possible to distinguish them only by checking the sample. So, silver will have a 925 standard, but nickel silver will not have it at all, or in some cases they will put three letters “mnc”, which means copper, nickel and zinc.

How to clean nickel silver?

There are a huge number of options available and you can clean nickel silver at home. To do this, you can use toothpowder or toothpaste, dishwashing powder, salt or soda.

These are simple solutions that will help bring back the “newness” of your jewelry. Very soon you will be able to purchase nickel silver products in our store. In the meantime, don't forget that you can always buy silver or bronze.

Products from which are not inferior in quality and characteristics.

Does nickel silver contain silver?

Friends, I don’t think that we will reveal any secret, but there is no silver in the nickel silver alloy at all. A nickel alloy is used instead of silver.

Nickel silver casting

Friends, as it turned out in practice, casting nickel silver is not a simple matter. When I tried to independently form a nickel silver alloy using formulas from the Internet, I was not successful. The defect rate reaches 90%, which is very high.

Consultations with specialists who have experience working with nickel silver alloy showed that a good indicator of the quality of injection molding in open systems is a defect rate of 50%. As a result, by selecting the metal recipe, we managed to reach the quality/defect mark of 50/50.

Later, it became known for certain that obtaining 100% casting quality is possible only by using certain alloys and only one type of injection molding machines. Although this fact can also be considered dubious.

Nevertheless, in the end we achieved almost 100% quality of finished products. The actual defect rate at the time of writing this article is 95%. Out of 100 decorations placed on the Christmas tree, only 5 were defective. Upon closer examination, it turns out that 5 defective works can be attributed to defective wax models, bubbles under the surface of the wax.

Now the nickel silver alloy is in mass production and in principle no problems arise with its casting.

When casting this metal, special attention must be paid to the casting machine and not to the alloy itself. It is also necessary to strictly adhere to the production technology as a whole, from the moment of forming the tree, the time between evacuation of the flask and before placing it in the muffle furnace.

The diameter of the gating system is also important, although on certain closed-type machines this parameter is not important.

Source: https://blog.replicahouse.ru/neyzilber-chto-eto/

Nickel silver: alloy composition, characteristics, application

What is nickel silver? Judging by its composition and properties, we can say that it is an improved version of an older alloy - cupronickel, invented back in 1819. Unlike cupronickel, which consists only of copper and nickel, nickel silver also necessarily contains zinc, and in addition to it, iron and some other alloying elements.

Alloy Composition Options

In nickel silver, the main alloy element is copper.

In general, copper alloys are divided into three large groups: brass (copper with zinc), copper-nickel alloys (the second element is obvious from the name) and bronze (in which the alloying elements are other metals, that is, except nickel and zinc).

Although the nickel silver alloy contains both nickel and zinc, it is still classified as a copper-nickel alloy. This fact is explained by the fact that the main contribution to the properties of the material as an alloying element is made by nickel, and not zinc.

In percentage content, the amount of nickel can range from 5 to 35%, zinc - from 12 to 46%. GOST standards contain several specific alloy options.

1. Nickel silver MNTs15-20. The letters in the name indicate the metals that make up the alloy (copper, nickel and zinc), and the numbers indicate the average metal content as a percentage by weight. In this version of the alloy, the nickel content varies from 13.5% to 16.5%, zinc - from 18% to 22%, impurities in the form of other metals - silicon, antimony, etc. - no more than 2%, the rest is copper. The use of nickel silver with an alloy composition of this type is quite wide: it is used to make elements of precision measuring instruments, medical instruments, sanitary equipment, technical utensils, steam and water fittings, is used in electrical engineering, and is also used for the manufacture of consumer products (for example, cutlery) .
2. Nickel silver lead MNTsS16-29-1.8. As the name implies, here, in addition to nickel and zinc, lead plays an important role in the composition of the alloy, the content of which by weight ranges from 1.6% to 2%. Nickel occupies 15-16.7%, copper - 51-55%, the rest is zinc and no more than 1% impurities. Parts of watch mechanisms are made from lead nickel silver.

Physicochemical properties of the alloy

Nickel silver has a beautiful silver color. This is reflected in its name - literally translated from German, nickel silver means “new silver”. Despite the fact that copper, the main metal of the alloy, is reddish in color, nickel “overpowers” ​​it, giving the alloy a white color, sometimes with a blue tint.

By the nature of the bonds, nickel silver is a solid solution that forms copper with nickel.

One of the most important properties of nickel silver is its high resistance to corrosion. Copper and nickel as metals themselves are resistant to corrosion; the addition of zinc increases this resistance through the formation of a protective oxide film - corrosion is about 0.5-30×10-4 mm per year.

With prolonged exposure to an acidic environment, selective corrosion of zinc occurs - it undergoes oxidation and leaves the alloy, thus protecting the remaining components from destruction, although they also gradually corrode.

Therefore, direct contact with copper alloys is undesirable for humans, for example, when using cutlery made of nickel silver: the environment of the digestive system is acidic, which can allow copper from the alloy to enter the body and cause heavy metal poisoning.

Mechanical properties of the alloy

Mechanical properties include indicators such as hardness, strength, elastic limits, fluidity, strength under elastic influences, metal fatigue and some other characteristics. The addition of nickel increases the hardness and strength of the alloy, and also improves its elastic properties. Nickel silver is used to make materials of different properties - soft, hard, very hard products with correspondingly different mechanical characteristics.

The composition and characteristics allow this alloy to be used in a wide range of applications. In industry, nickel silver is primarily used to produce a number of important products: strips, ribbons, rods, and wire of varying hardness. High-strength nickel silver strips are used to make contact springs used in electric relays.

The use of nickel silver is determined by the composition of the alloy. Due to its increased resistance to external influences of any type, it is used in shipbuilding and is used in conditions of high temperatures and pressures.

Nickel silver products

At one time, cutlery made from cupronickel was extremely popular in the Soviet Union.

They were valued for their appearance, which was practically indistinguishable from silver by eye, although the cost of the copper-nickel alloy was definitely much less than the cost of the noble metal.

The use of nickel silver for the same purposes was not so widespread, although it had the same goals; in addition, devices made of both cupronickel and nickel silver still needed to be plated with silver to avoid the characteristic metallic taste.

For the same properties and characteristics, nickel silver is also very popular among jewelers. It is similar to silver and is cheap, but, unlike silver, it practically does not tarnish over time, and the wire made from it has good mechanical properties, which is why they like to use nickel silver in making jewelry.

Nickel silver as a coin metal

Although nickel silver has never been a popular alloy for coinage, it has sometimes been used for commemorative, limited or collector's editions, as well as specific single editions.

An example is the 20 kopeck coins minted in 1961. The design of the coin was not complex - it was an ordinary batch. And now among numismatists, samples of twenty-kopeck coins from 1961 are not valued very highly, despite the uncharacteristic metal.

In recent years, commemorative coins made of nickel silver have been minted in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. In Kazakhstan, these are a series of coins with a face value of 50 tenge, dedicated to one of the themes: “Fairy Tales”, “Space”, “Cities”, “Red Book”. In Ukraine, coins of different circulations and denominations were minted: in honor of famous people, memorable dates (many relate to the Great Patriotic War), cities.

Source: https://FB.ru/article/465418/neyzilber-sostav-splava-harakteristiki-primenenie

Nickel silver - the secrets of white alloy

The well-known German precision and rationality perfectly characterize this alloy. New silver or “neusilber” fully complies with this rule. It would seem that the ingredients and melting technology are the same, but the result is not cupronickel, familiar to everyone from cutlery and mantel clocks, but nickel silver - a durable and inexpensive metal, from which almost 50% of the world’s coins are minted.

History of origin

As usually happens in life, the reason for the birth of a new alloy was an acute shortage of more valuable and expensive metal. This was the case with the ancestor of nickel silver - cupronickel. The lack of silver for minting the most popular coins forced the rulers of China to order several government agencies to find a cheap replacement. History says that in the 8th century. BC e.

the solution was found in a very original way - alchemists and counterfeiters proposed a recipe for a new alloy, which did not contain a single gram of silver, but the coins were of such high quality that even the craftsmen could not distinguish cupronickel coinage from real silver ones.

As a result, the former received a huge reward in the form of saved silver, the latter received life, which is also important, but humanity gained a new alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with excellent chemical and physical properties.

But, as befits a secret, the secret of cupronickel’s components was carefully protected by the state, so alchemists in many countries continued to work on finding a recipe for “new silver.”

History, with a slight amendment, repeated itself in the 19th century in Germany. Germany, famous for its metallurgists and chemists, experienced an acute shortage of silver. It got to the point that silver coins began to be valued several times higher than their face value. And only the emergence of a new alloy - nickel silver - made it possible to solve this problem.

Nickel silver wire

The resulting alloy was not only cheaper than cupronickel, but also had higher chemical qualities - it did not corrode, was mechanically strong, malleable, and most importantly, it was susceptible to destruction in a boiling solution of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids.

The industrial production of nickel silver occurred at the beginning of the 19th century, then during the time of Napoleon, a similar composition was obtained by French chemists. And as often happens in history, each of the inventors gave his brainchild his own name. The French - Myshore, the Germans - German silver.

But fate turned out to be favorable to the Germans; they did not limit the use of metal only to the issue of coins - they went further, cutlery, gift plates and glasses, inexpensive jewelry and watches appeared from it, as from cupronickel.

So it was the name nickel silver that finally stuck, displacing its French counterpart.

Since 1825, the name was finally assigned to the alloy for cutlery and jewelry.

But in Russia it did not take root. The name cupronickel was actively used here. At the same time, the metal was mainly used by wide sections of the population; the intelligentsia, townspeople and wealthy peasantry could afford dishes and jewelry made from “Polish silver” and “German alloy”. Namely, the term “nickel silver” is firmly entrenched in the vocabulary of professionals - metallurgists, chemists, jewelers and merchants.

Alloy properties

The alloy formulation includes zinc, copper and nickel. These components provide high levels of corrosion resistance. But for better mechanical processing, lead is added to the composition. This metal makes the alloy softer, more malleable, and reduces brittleness at low temperatures.

In the steel and alloys brand, nickel silver is marked MNTs and MNTsS, respectively copper-nickel-zinc and copper-nickel-zinc-lead. In the decoding of the compositions, after the abbreviation there is a digital code - MNC 15-20. The numbers show the percentage of nickel and zinc in the material. The industry today produces about 50 grades of copper-nickel alloy, of which MNTs 15-20 and MNTs 16-29-1.8 are most often used in the jewelry and food industries.

The constituents of an alloy are important to the physical and chemical properties of the metal. Nickel in the formulation provides mechanical strength and corrosion protection. The copper-nickel alloy has high mechanical strength and oxidation resistance. At the same time, the strength increases by 10-12 times compared to pure copper. At the same time, it is the nickel content in the composition that makes the alloy very expensive.

The introduction of zinc into the composition reduced the cost of the product. In addition, zinc imparts even greater strength; tests show that strength can reach 30 HRC. True, in this case it is necessary to use annealing.

Zinc also affects the electrical conductivity of the metal; it significantly increases the resistance. But as for processing, it becomes possible to subject the metal to forging, which is used in coinage.

True, there is a minus - zinc reduces the melting point.

Lead in all alloys imparts ductility, thanks to which the metal can be drawn, bent, twisted and processed with a press. Alas, lead does not contribute to the formation of strength, especially when heated - the alloy is susceptible to brittleness when heated.

Chemical

Nickel silver has high corrosion resistance for both acidic and alkaline environments; resistance to organic acids is especially high. Resistance to environmental factors is high - it does not react with air even when heated to a temperature of +250 degrees. In relation to salts under normal conditions it exhibits an inert reaction.

Nickel silver has high corrosion resistance

Mechanical

Mechanical properties are determined by the following indicators:

• The melting temperature is 1080 degrees;
• Temperature of complete melting – 1200 degrees;
• Mechanical strength 38-45 kg\mm2;
• The deformation change begins at 10 kg/mm2;
• Elasticity about 1400 kg/mm2;
• When stretched, it retains strength at 25-45%, contraction - 30-32%.

Physical properties

The alloy has a silver-whitish color. Due to the nickel content, copper “bleaches” occurs.

• The standard density for MNTs 15-20 alloy is 8700 kg\cub.m.;
• The alloy has high electrical resistance - 0.26 Ohmxmm2\m;
• Thermal conductivity is low 0.06-0.085 cal/cm;
• When heated, it retains its shape, has an insignificant coefficient of linear expansion, and when heated to 100 degrees, the expansion is 16.6 microns.
• Melting point – 1452 degrees;

Technological characteristics

During the melting process, the red tint of the copper is absorbed by the nickel. The result is an alloy of white, white with a blue or greenish tint with a deep glossy texture.

When lead is added to the alloy, the glossy shine fades and a gray tone clearly appears. The specific gravity of the copper-nickel alloy is 7.5 grams per cubic meter. cm.

For further processing, ingots, rods, strips, pipes and wires are produced. The main processing method is cutting and pressure forming. Nickel silver can be heated and cooled, forged, and minted.

When using nickel silver as tableware, the metal is plated with silver or gold. For instruments and electrical products, the metal is polished to a mirror finish.

When covering cutlery, the layer of silver or gold plating is regulated by state standards - for forks and spoons it must be at least 24.00 microns, for knife handles 18.0 microns.

Applications of nickel silver

Nickel silver has found its main use not in jewelry, but in components for the radio engineering industry.

The alloy composition of nickel silver, purified from impurities, contains no more than 0.1% of impurities of other metals, is used as relay elements, springs and housing plates.

The absence of corrosion on the surface and the ability to achieve high polishing purity have made the alloy one of the main metals for instrument dials. Nickel silver wire is used as scale divisions on high-precision mechanical instruments.

Nickel silver is used in the radio engineering industry

The second most important place where nickel silver is in demand is the production of memorial signs, insignia, award products and coinage. For some mints, nickel silver alloy has become a strategic raw material; most coins for everyday circulation are minted from it. Metal resembling silver is also excellent for applying gilding; a number of state and public awards have this appearance.

For the jewelry industry, in addition to ingots, rolled sheets and strips, nickel silver wire is of great importance - it is the main product for the manufacture of costume jewelry and the basis for jewelry. For this purpose, the nickel silver alloy composition MNTs 15 is most often used.

Thanks to its qualities, this particular brand is popular for men's products - corporate signs, hairpins, cufflinks. Metal is also highly valued in such piece goods as fountain pens.

In Asian countries, nickel silver, like cupronickel, is actively used for the manufacture of watch cases and bracelets.

The use of the alloy for medical purposes is limited due to nickel, an active allergen, which is why it was abandoned as a basis for metal prostheses and instruments. But, since it is perfectly disinfected and does not come into contact with acids and alkalis, individual elements of medical equipment are made from nickel silver.

Food grades of nickel silver are used to produce cutlery and tableware. True, the metal itself should not come into contact with food, otherwise the food will have a peculiar metallic taste. To do this, gold or silver plating is done on the surface of the dishes.

The discovery of the alloy to the general public allowed it to be used in architecture - nickel-silver wire is used to decorate interiors, ribbon has become one of the attributes of decorating cast iron, and foil is used by restorers and artists.

In Moscow, many buildings from the first half - mid-20th century have elements of this alloy in their decoration. Many watchmakers, along with bronze, use metal as casting for mantel clock cases. Many genre subjects made of nickel silver look much more impressive than those made of bronze. That is why in Europe metal is often used to restore city clocks on town halls.

Nickel silver products and features of their care

Initially, the alloy, due to its characteristics, does not require special care or special storage conditions. But, like jewelry and silverware, you need to pay attention to this metal from time to time.

In order to preserve nickel silver products longer, it is recommended:

• Use a separate box or place for storage, protected from direct sunlight and dust;
• There is no need to bend, break, test for strength, everything can be broken if desired;
• For products made from non-silver wire, it is recommended to clean them with a natural bristle brush and undergo special cleaning in a jewelry workshop;
• It is recommended to cover awards, orders, commemorative medals and badges with a special colorless varnish to protect them from scratches;
• If darkening of the metal is detected, it is recommended to wipe it with a special napkin for caring for jewelry;
• Items that have a high degree of polish are recommended to be wiped with felt at least once a month;
• You should not constantly wear alloy jewelry, especially if it concerns water procedures, visiting a sauna, or spa salons;
• You need to treat jewelry and cutlery especially carefully and with care. They are usually cleaned 1-2 times a month.

If a product breaks, it is recommended to take it to a jewelry workshop for repair, rather than try to solder or glue the torn element yourself.

Taking these simple recommendations into account, you can be sure that jewelry, costume jewelry and tableware will delight you with their appearance for a long time.

Source: https://1nerudnyi.ru/nejzilber-01/

Mnc on a spoon - what is it, and how much do such spoons cost, their features

Many people have old cutlery at home, sometimes you can see interesting markings on them. Not everyone knows the MNC on a spoon - what it is, and how much such spoons and forks cost. Previously, such things were very common. Each letter corresponds to one of the elements of the metal alloy that was used to make the product.

Purpose of markings on spoons

Markings are made so that people know what cutlery is made of. The capital letters used to mark Soviet spoons and forks represent the names of the metals that make up the alloy. The main types of brands used by industry in the USSR are presented in the table.

MN (MELCH)	This option means cupronickel
MSC	A slightly different variety of the same metal with the addition of zinc. Another name is nickel silver
AL	This abbreviation means aluminum and its alloys
Stainless steel	The inscription stands for stainless steel

Silver products are marked with 925 and 999 purity. Antique lovers are advised to be careful when handling pre-revolutionary items. At that time, cutlery was covered with only a thin layer of precious metal.

Currently, spoons and forks with added zinc have not been produced for a long time, so this marking is no longer relevant. Previously, this metal was used to give products a characteristic shine. Today it has been established that this substance on cutlery can cause serious harm to human health.

Many Soviet citizens were sincerely convinced that such cutlery was made of silver, and purchased them with the aim of investing in the precious metal.

From the markings on the cutlery you can find out all the information about the product.

Cupronickel: alloy composition, properties, differences from silver

People living during the Soviet era often used cupronickel products (forks, spoons, plates and other cutlery and household products, etc.). This metal alloy was first developed in 1819 in France. In appearance, this metal resembles silver. It has both advantages and disadvantages.

What is cupronickel, appearance and composition of the alloy

Cupronickel is an alloy composition of nickel and copper. This material belongs to the category of non-ferrous metals. Nickel in the alloy acts as an alloying component and is used together with cobalt. As its concentration increases, the corrosion resistance and strength level of the metal increases.

Percentage composition of cupronickel:

• manganese and iron - no more than 1%;
• cobalt and nickel - from 5 to 30%;
• copper - at least 65%.

The color of the metal alloy depends on the percentage of copper in its composition and can vary from yellowish to red-yellow shades. Manganese and iron are added to make the material resistant to corrosion. Cupronickel products have a pleasant silvery sheen.

Basic properties of cupronickel

This material does not have magnetic properties. It is lighter and much stronger than silver. Physical properties of cupronickel:

• melting point - from 1150 to 1230°C (depending on the composition of the alloy);
• density - about 8900 kg/m³;
• resistivity indicator - about 420 nOhm∙m;
• degree of hardness (according to the Brinnell table) - from 65 to 70;
• specific heat capacity at a temperature of +15+25°C - 400 J/kg.

The more iron and manganese there are in cupronickel, the greater conductivity and ductility it has. However, in this case, the hardness of the metal decreases. The material has the following chemical properties:

• resistance to corrosion;
• resistance to fresh and sea water;
• resistance to weathering and gases;
• cupronickel is not soluble in salts and does not react with acids;
• the material does not undergo oxidation at temperatures up to +150°C.

Thanks to its properties, cupronickel has found wide application in various fields. Cupronickel products are soldered and polished. To increase the strength of the seams, special solders based on tin-lead or silver alloys are additionally used.

Advantages and disadvantages

Cupronickel tableware has many advantages over products made from other materials. The main ones:

• slow heating, which is extremely important for appliances used in the kitchen;
• cupronickel products have a beautiful appearance;
• the material does not suffer from corrosion;
• metal does not bend, because has high strength;
• Cupronickel has a positive effect on the human body, because contains nickel and copper ions;
• the metal has a more affordable price than silver.

In addition, this material has a significant service life and has a positive effect on the human body. It is as follows:

• Nickel ions, concentrating in the human body, stabilize the glucose balance, which is extremely important for patients with diabetes;
• these compounds stabilize blood pressure in hypertension;
• copper is required by the body for the stable course of protein metabolism processes and maintaining the functioning of the musculoskeletal system;
• this microelement has a slight antibacterial effect.

Medical experts note that regular use of spoons, forks and knives made of nickel and copper alloy can improve overall well-being, eliminate increased nervousness and aggression, and also minimize the manifestation of seasonal vitamin deficiencies.

Disadvantages of the material:

1. Cutlery, dishes and jewelry made of copper-nickel alloy quickly lose their original attractiveness. Dark marks and deposits on the surface are a natural process that is activated due to the oxidation of the material. This metal deficiency is considered the main one.
2. Things made from this alloy require regular and proper care. Due to the fact that devices made from this material darken, they must be cleaned regularly to restore their beauty.
3. Nowadays it is difficult to find things made from high-quality cupronickel, because... they are produced in small batches.
4. Some believe that devices made from this metal have already gone out of fashion. However, this “minus” can at the same time be considered an advantage if we consider a spoon or fork from the times of the USSR as an antique.

In addition, cupronickel is harmful to the body when it is heated, so products made from it are additionally treated with a protective metal coating. The inside of such dishes is gold-plated, silver-plated or tin-plated, chrome-plated or nickel-plated.

What are the types of alloys?

The name “cupronickel” refers to a whole group that includes about 65 types of metal alloys. Moreover, each cupronickel product must have its own designation. Classic labeling contains information about the constituent ingredients of the material and their percentage.

The most common types of alloys (technical):

• MH19 - contains 81% copper element (M), 19% cobalt and nickel, as well as some iron and manganese;
• MNZhMts30-1-1 - contains 68% copper element, 1% manganese (Mc), 1% iron (F) and 30% cobalt and nickel (N);
• MNZHMts10-1-1;
• MH25;
• MH16.

Several years ago, the group of cupronickel alloys also included silver-plated brass, but this classification was erroneous. Brass contains zinc and copper, while cupronickel contains nickel. Depending on its content, the following types of material are distinguished:

• nickelselber - at least 15% nickel;
• constantan - about 41%;
• Monel - about 67%.

The high cost of the nickel element makes nickel silver of the Monel type the most expensive alloy of the group.



Differences between cupronickel and silver

Some unscrupulous sellers actively use this. that cupronickel is very similar in appearance to silver. Therefore, experts recommend using the services of expert appraisers to evaluate a product before selling or buying it.

If this is not possible, you can use the following methods to distinguish cupronickel from silver:

1. Products made from a copper+nickel alloy have corresponding markings; silver products only indicate the fineness.
2. If a copper-nickel alloy is placed in water for 2-3 hours, a greenish coating appears on its surface. This is due to the presence of copper in its composition.
3. You can distinguish silver from cupronickel using a lapis pencil. If you run it over the wet surface of a cutlery or any other product made from an alloy of copper and nickel, reddish spots will appear on it. There should be no marks on the silver surface.
4. Iodine leaves dark stains on silver objects. Cupronickel does not have a similar effect when interacting with iodine. The disadvantage of this testing method is that the dark stain is difficult to wipe off.
5. A safer way is to strip the coating and drop a small amount of potassium dichromate (chrompic) onto it. A red mark will appear on the silver surface. In this case, the higher the sample number of the material, the more pronounced the color of the stain.
6. Things made of nickel and copper have a lot of similar silver items. In addition, cupronickel products are often more massive and thicker.
7. Silver conducts heat better than cupronickel. Those. Of a pair of similar things that heat up equally intensely, the silver one will heat up faster.
8. Products made of copper and nickel have a subtle copper smell. Silver items do not have this property.

In some situations, dishes made of a copper-nickel alloy are additionally coated with silver, masking the sample and marking. To verify the authenticity of such items, you need to find a worn place and drop iodine on it. Worn areas and entire areas will react differently to this substance.

Application area

For the manufacture of kitchen utensils and decorative accessories, an alloy marked MH25 is used. In addition, instruments and equipment for medical purposes (clamps, ophthalmoscopes, scalpels, tweezers, etc.) are produced on the basis of cupronickel. In spoons, knives and forks, the alloy additionally includes zinc. Material with the addition of manganese is often used in the manufacture of coins.

Coatings based on a copper-nickel alloy are often used to equip automotive parts and mechanisms that require reliable and durable protection against corrosion. Alloys are also used in units and components of marine transport. Cupronickel silver is used to produce fittings, shut-off valves and pipelines.

In electrical engineering, the alloy is used for the manufacture of thermogenerators and precision resistors. Constantan (a type of cupronickel) is used in the assembly of rheostats for heating elements of electric furnaces, extension wires and thermocouples.

Storage and cleaning of cupronickel products

Items made from this metal alloy must be kept in a dry place. Cutlery and utensils require regular cleaning and removal of residual moisture after each use, otherwise dark streaks and stains will appear on the products.

It is necessary to clean things only with soda powder and running water or a specialized preparation. If these remedies do not provide a positive effect, the surface can be treated with dry powder for cleaning teeth or crushed chalk. It must be taken into account that such processing increases the risk of scratches that spoil the appearance of the product.

It is prohibited to use preparations for cleaning gas stoves and sinks, because... they contain too large abrasive particles.

If the dark coating does not disappear, the items should be boiled in a solution of water and soda. To do this, pour 1 liter of water into an aluminum container and add 50 g of powder to it. The solution is brought to a boil, after which an object made of an alloy of nickel and copper is lowered into it. The product is boiled for about an hour, then washed with running water and wiped dry. Additionally, you can rub it with baking soda.

To maintain the attractive shine and shade of nickel and copper appliances, they should be regularly wiped with a soft cloth soaked in a mild soap solution.

In addition, a set of copper-nickel dishes or cutlery must be stored in a special case. This will protect them from oxidation, dust, mechanical stress and other negative factors. If there is no case, each plate or spoon can be wrapped in a soft cloth. At the same time, things should not be placed next to household chemicals, because they may darken and oxidize.

If there are scratches on the product, you can try to polish them using fine-grained salt, baking soda powder or fine sandpaper.



Source: https://uborka-v-dome.ru/zanimatelnyie-faktyi/melhior.html