Inlay Question

[Shreckmeister]

I want to flatten a silver quarter to make an inlay out of it.  Anyone have any suggestions.
I don't have a press.  I was thinking about the local railroad tracks.  I do have an anvil.

[Eric Smith]

Ballnpeen it on the anvil. I just did a dime that way the other day. Took about 45 seconds. A quarter may take longer.

[Jim Kibler]

Rather than a ballpeen hammer, I would suggest using the flat face of a hammer.  One with a slightly rounded face seems to work well for me, but I'm sure isn't a requirement.

[Eric Smith]

Jim is right. I used the flat side of the ball peen hammer.

[Hungry Horse]

You are going to have to anneal it very often to prevent it cracking. Just heat it red hot, and quench it in cold water. A sterling silver spoon from the antique store would make it a lot easier to make an inlay. JMO.

                   Hungry Horse

[Robby]

Rob, I take all my silver scraps, melt them into a glob, and pound them out. I think a quarter would go pretty smooth by comparison. Anneal often and pay attention to your hammer, you can feel the silver work harden, many small hits over a few big ones works best.
Robby

[t.caster]

The railroad track method will either make it too thin, or you will never find your coin again. They sometimes stick to the wheel and get carried away. I found this out in my youth when I could ill-afford to loose a quarter

[wpalongrifle]

I have a local Jeweler buddy roll out. he also does bar stock brass from Reaves!! Anneal to soften after cutting out shape. then Engraves like butter.

[TMerkley]

Another option is to find one of those 20 ton presses that uses a hydraulic jack and put pressure on it until it is where you want it.  When I worked at a Rural King store about ten years ago, we put 3 pennies stacked and pressed them out quite a distance.  Just an idea.  It might be a little safer than the tracks but probably not as fun.   

[Acer Saccharum]

The railroad track method will either make it too thin, or you will never find your coin again. They sometimes stick to the wheel and get carried away. I found this out in my youth when I could ill-afford to loose a quarter

...or the coins squirt out like a bullet. Get stuck in your skull, have to pull it out with pliers.