Silver has been used for centuries to make trinkets, jewelery and coins.
Mexico is known for being the biggest silver-producing country, followed by Poland, Bolivia, Peru, Australia, and Turkey. Just as gold is processed, silver is refined in a similar way. But silver is normally found in clustors or 'ribbons' running through beds of rocks. So how is silver refined or purified?
How Is Silver Refined
The first step to refining silver is via extraction. Silver or is mined out of bedrock, and then purified via a system that is known as smelting. Once smelted, Silver ore is shaped into molten metal and is poured or cast into a mold to produce cast bars.
Refining silver bars begins with heating the metal beyond the melting point of 1763 degrees Fahrenheit. The metal is then poured into a ceramic crucible. Next, hot molten silver is then poured into custom-made molds, which allow the metal to cool in the open air. If each bar cools at a different rate, it causes variations in the shape and structure of the finished silver cast bar. When the silver pieces cool down, the information such as design, the logo, purity, and weight can be stamped into the cast bars.
Pressing precious metals like silver into bars using machinery is quite common, especially when manufacturing bullion. Pouring metal ore is an ancient practice that dates back centuries. Modern-day bullion producers still manufacture precious metal bars using machinery.
The Modern Methods Manufacturers Use
Today, a majority of bullion manufacturers purify silver metal into bars through two processes. Electrolysis is accepted as the most common method of refining silver. When the metal is first cast into bars, manufacturers use anodes in an electrolyte that consists of chloride and hydrochloric acid. Then an electric current passes through the silver mineral, where 99.99% pure metal is put into the cathode. This silver deposit is washed, dried, melted, and poured into cast bars.
Another method of refining silver is known as the “Miller Process,” or implementing pyrometallurgical chlorination. Pyrometallurgical chlorination is when chlorine gas form is pushed into molten bullion. The silver chemical properties react with the chlorine to form chlorides, which evaporate or rise to the surface to form a stony waste matter otherwise called slag. When a purple fume of chloride begins to appear, it signifies that the silver has reached around 99.7 percent purity.
Conclusion
Cast silver bars are a very popular product for investors looking to buy silver bars online. Cast bars are almost always available in larger sizes, usually ranging from 10 ounces up to 100 ounces. Because the method of manufacturing the bars is less expensive than minted bars, these bars are often more affordable for investors. SuisseGold.eu sells cast silver bars to investors for secure VAT-free storage or for worldwide delivery.
