Silver marking with Thermark

[Russell Ludwick]

I have recently been asked to quote a job marking Argentinian Silver. I have yet to do a laser marking job with thermark, so I could use some pointers if I get the job.

First things first, The type of thermark. I was originally going to use the aerosol but after seeing the tape, I am thinking this might be the way to go.

Can anyone give me any pointers on this job or give feedback on the tape and how well it worked? It seems like if it works well, it will save the mess of the aerosol. Thanks Creekers

[Bruce Volden]

First off, if this is silver, I personally have never had luck getting a mark on this material. That is with a 35 Watt machine. If you do have success I'd be interested in knowing how it worked out. Others may chime in here soon with their input. As far as "mess" this stuff rinses off easily with water.

Bruce

[Gary Hair]

You won't be able to use the tape, it's recommended for 45 watt or higher machines. I would highly recommend the past thinned down about 10:1 and using an airbrush. You need a very thin layer of Cermark to make a mark and the airbrush is the most reliable way to do that.

Gary

[Dan Hintz]

You're going to have difficulties marking true silver with such a low-power machine, unless it's really, really thin. You could try putting it on a heating plate while in the laser...

[Bill Cunningham]

'And' Even if you do get a mark, it probably won't last.. Silver is pretty soft..

[Richard Rumancik]

It's possible that they meant to say "Argentine Silver", in which case, it is an alloy of zinc, copper, and nickel. Argentine Silver does not contain any silver, but it is possible to electroplate Argentine Silver with real silver. So the bottom line is that I don't know what it is you actually have and would have to ask for clarification.

Whether or not Cermark would work in either case would be speculation and it really would need to be tested for initial adhesion and abrasion resistance. I doubt that even Degussa would be able to give you a definite answer.

One suggestion I would give is to not leave the Cermark on for any longer than necessary. I have never had problems with stainless, but some chromes and nickel plating have given me problems with stains if the residual Cermark is not applied just before lasering and washed off immediately after.

The other thing I would suggest is to experiment to find the best ratio of Cermark to ethanol thinner. Some people on the forum thin it a lot; I don't have good success at high dilution rates.

[Andrea Weissenseel]

Just last week, I had the case where I tried to engrave a picture frame with Thermark. After engraving it looked different and when cleaning the mark came off. Customer told me it is chrome but it was silver plated.

The tape works fine on my 40W Machine - not on silver though

[Dan Hintz]

Adding to Richard's comments... if it's silver plated, you may only get one shot. If you mess up, you probably won't be able to scrub down the failed mark without going through the plating.

[Russell Ludwick]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Its probably argentine silver. I was walking out of the building and the call clarity was a little shotty. Most likely I misheard her on the phone. I might start with the aerosal since its easy to use and cheap, and see how it works. I will do a couple samples and see if I can get a good mark.

Is it worth the extra work to actually get the base stuff and thin it down, or does the aerosal work fine?

[Richard Rumancik]

If you plan to do much Thermark/Cermark in the future I'd tend to stay with the paste. You don't need an expensive airbrush. The airbrush will give you a lot more control of application thickness than the spray can. I would guess that there is more waste with the spray can. You also have to deal with the risk of nozzle plugging. But if you can get a can cheap and just want to try it before you spend money and time on setting up for airbrush, give it a try.

[Gary Hair]

Is it worth the extra work to actually get the base stuff and thin it down, or does the aerosal work fine?

It's really not much extra work if you are doing any kind of volume. If you do single items on a regular basis then an airbrush is kind of tedious to use, but I still think it's worth it for the control factors mentioned - less overspray and a thin, even coat. There is also the cost factor. I can thin a 250g container about 10:1 and mark lots and lots of items. Two spray cans cost about the same as a 250g jar and I'm pretty sure you won't get the same coverage that you will with the paste.

Gary

[Joe De Medeiros]

It's possible that they meant to say "Argentine Silver", in which case, it is an alloy of zinc, copper, and nickel. Argentine Silver does not contain any silver, but it is possible to electroplate Argentine Silver with real silver. So the bottom line is that I don't know what it is you actually have and would have to ask for clarification.

Argentium Silver is a 925 silver alloy (92.5% silver,7.5% germanium), that is resistant to fire scale, I have a 40 watt and have not been able to get a mark to stick.

[Russell Ludwick]

After doing some research, i have found that Argentine silver is not actually silver at all but that has many of the same properties. Argentium silver is the silver of the 21st century used in high end jewelry. I believe my customer is a high end Jewelery maker, so I think that's what she wants me to mark.

Thanks Joe for the info. I have only a 30W laser, I hope I can get a mark on it, or I wont be able to do the job.

If anyone has any experience or can share any tips for marking this material, I am all ears.