Nickel silver
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mention of khar sini; capitalization
'''Nickel silver''' is a metal [[alloy]] of [[copper]] with [[nickel]] and often but not always [[zinc]]. It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental [[silver]] unless plated. Other common names for this alloy are '''German silver''', '''paktong''', '''new silver''' and '''alpacca''' (or '''alpaca''').
==Composition==
Many alloys fall within the general term of "nickel silver". All contain [[copper]] and [[nickel]], while some formulations may additionally include [[zinc]], [[antimony]], [[tin]], [[lead]] or [[cadmium]]. A representative industrial formulation, Alloy No. 752, is 65% copper, 18% nickel, and 17% zinc. In metallurgical science, such alloys would be more properly termed '''nickel [[brass]]'''. The white alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel used in coins, such as the [[Nickel (United States coin)|United States nickel]], is better known as copper-nickel, cupro-nickel or [[cupronickel]].
Some nickel silver alloys, especially those containing high proportions of zinc, are stainless ([[corrosion]]-resistant).
Nickel silver alloys are commonly named by listing their percentages of copper and nickel, thus "nickel silver 55-18" would contain 55% copper, 18% nickel, and 27% other elements, most probably entirely zinc. A two-element alloy may be named for its nickel content alone, thus NS-12 is 88% copper and 12% nickel.
==Uses==
Nickel silver first became popular as a base metal for silver plated [[cutlery]] and other [[silverware]], notably the [[electroplating|electroplate]]d wares called [[EPNS]] (electro-plated nickel silver).
It is used in [[zippers]], better-quality keys, costume [[jewellery]], for making musical instruments (e.g., [[cymbal]]s), and is preferred for the track in electrically powered [[model railway]] layouts as its [[oxide]] is conductive. Also, after about 1920, its use became widespread for pocketknife [[Kitchen_knife|bolster]]s, due to its machinability and corrosion resistance. Prior to this point, most common was [[iron]].
It is widely used in the production of [[coin]]s (e.g. [[GDR]] [[East German mark|marks]], [[Portuguese escudo]]).
Its industrial and technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance.
It was used in the construction of the Arly tricone [[resophonic guitar]]. It is also used to produce the tubes (called staples) onto which [[oboe]] [[Reed (instrument)|reeds]] are tied. Guitar frets are made from it, as well on mandolin, banjo, bass, etc.
Musical instruments, including the [[flute]], [[saxophone]], and [[French horn]] can be made of nickel silver. For example, some leading saxophone manufacturers such as Keilwerth, [[Selmer]], [[P.Mauriat]], [[Yanagisawa]], and [[Yamaha]] offer saxophones made of nickel silver which possess a bright and powerful sound quality; an additional benefit is that nickel silver does not require a lacquer finish. For that reason also, it is the most commonly used woodwind keys material - most clarinets, oboes and similar wind instruments have nickel silver keys.
===Toxicity===
According to the Merck Manual 17th edition p56, prolonged contact of copper alloys with acidic food or beverages (including boiling milk) can leach out the copper and cause toxicity. Long term, low doses can lead to [[cirrhosis]]. It should be of interest that cadmium is known to cause renal failure.
==History==
Nickel silver is first known in [[China]], and was known in the west from imported wares called ''paktong'' or ''pakfong'' ([[wiktionary:白|白]][[wiktionary:銅|銅]], literally "white copper") where the silvery metal colour was used to imitate [[sterling silver]]. According to [[Berthold Laufer]], it was identical with ''khar sini'', one of the seven metals recognized by [[Geber]].<ref>Holmyard, E. J. (1957). ''Alchemy,'' p. 80. New York: Dover.</ref> It was discovered to be a copper-nickel-zinc alloy in the 18th century. In [[1770]] the [[Suhl]] (Germany) metalworks were able to produce a similar alloy and in [[1823]] a competition was initiated to perfect the production process by creating an alloy that possessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger in [[Berlin]] and A. Geitner in [[Schneeberg, Saxony|Schneeberg]] independently achieved this goal. '''Alpacca''' became a widely known name in northern Europe for nickel silver after it was used as a trademark brand by the manufacturer Berndorf.
A form of German silver was also invented in Birmingham, England in [[1832]].
Nickel silver became widely used after 1840 with the development of electroplating, as it formed an ideal strong and bright substrate for the plating process. It was also used unplated in applications such as cheaper grades of [[cutlery]].
==See also==
* [[Cupronickel]]
* [[Britannia metal]]
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
* [http://www.npi.gov.au/database/substance-info/profiles/27.html National Pollutant Inventory - Copper and compounds fact sheet]
* [http://pages.zoom.co.uk/leveridge/nickel1.html Nickel Silver, German Silver and related alloys]
[[Category:Nickel alloys|Silver]]
[[Category:Copper alloys]]
[[Category:Silver]]
[[bn:জার্মান রূপা]]
[[bg:Алпака]]
[[cs:Alpaka (slitina)]]
[[da:Nysølv]]
[[de:Neusilber]]
[[es:Alpaca (aleación)]]
[[eo:Alpakao]]
[[fa:ورشو (آلیاژ)]]
[[fr:Maillechort]]
[[gl:Alpaca (aliaxe)]]
[[ko:양은]]
[[it:Alpacca]]
[[nl:Alpaca (legering)]]
[[ja:洋白]]
[[no:Nysølv]]
[[pl:Nowe srebro]]
[[pt:Alpaca (liga metálica)]]
[[ru:Нейзильбер]]
[[scn:Arpacca]]
[[fi:Alpakka (uushopea)]]
[[sv:Nysilver]]
[[vi:May so]]
[[uk:Нейзильбер]]