Composition of Allentown Cheekpiece Star

[QuanLoi]

Being of limited funds, my accessibility to silver is somewhat restricted.  Was the cheekpiece on a Northhampton rifle sometimes made of brass?  What's the opinion regarding the use of German silver?... (I know it's not period correct).

Thanks in advance

[JDK]

Go to any coin shop and ask for the cheapest silver dollar or half that they have.....any circulated, beat up, worn out silver coin that has no collector value.  They should sell it to you at the current market rate by weight.

Take it to a full service jeweler...one that does their own work.  They have rollers that they can roll it out with to whatever thickness you want.

You will be much happier than one made from brass or German silver.  Enjoy, J.D.

[tallbear]

I've thinned many silver quarters out for inlays by annealing them and pounding them thinner on my anvil.

Mitch

[Hungry Horse]

 You should check into early silver coins from foreign countries that have the backs of them turned smooth. they are called love tokens, they were designed to be engraved as a souvenir, and usually sell for their metal weight. Often silver foreign coins, have less collectors value here, than domestic ones. A good example is Australian Florins, many were brought back by G.I.'s after WWII, and end up in coin shops, or junk stores.
 I own a late period longrifle with both sterling, and German silver inlays. So, mixed materials is not out of the question.


                     Hungry Horse

[Hungry Horse]

 If you decide to hammer a coin out, remember that silver work hardens very quickly and must be annealed after only a few hammer blows.

                    Hungry Horse

[tallbear]

Actually nickle silver is out of the question for any longrifle patterned before 1830-40.

Mitch

[QuanLoi]

What about the use of brass for the cheekpiece inlay?  Also, I have a silver half dollar... Flattened out and elongated by a jeweler, does a half dollar present enough mass to cover the area needed to produce a star inlay typical of an Allentown rifle?

Again, thanks in advance...

[tallbear]

There are some originals that had stars made from brass.Your half dollar should easily make the star.The choice is yours.Just stay away from the German or nickle silver

Mitch

[Mark Elliott]

The cost of junk silver is the same as the cost of sheet sterling.  It is all sold by weight based on the previous London close.    Just order a piece of sterling sheet the size and thickness you need.   Hoover and Strong will cut sheet to whatever size you want.  I am assuming Rio Grande will also.  A silver star in .030" is probably about 1/2 oz.   That would be about $16.   As to other materials,  there are Moravian (Christian Springs) guns that used brass stars.

[draken]

Years ago, needing a thin piece of silver for a non-gunmaking project I layed a Canadian Quarter on the RR tracks and let a train run over it.  I don't know what the silver content Of Canadian quarters was at that time but the project didn't require period correctness.   

Hope I haven't offended any of our Canadian members, it's just that US quarters are mostly copper.

[RAT]

Old silver coins aren't always sold by weight alone. Our local coin dealer sells above weight to add an additional profit. It depends on who you get when you walk in the store. Sometimes I've gotten a good (as in fair) price... sometimes not. If the owner is there he charges substantially over the cost of the silver by weight.

[JDK]

.......If the owner is there he charges substantially over the cost of the silver by weight.

If that's the case with your store's owner than I wouldn't be frequenting that store.

Enjoy, J.D.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

That doesn't bother this Canuck one bit, Draken.  Good use of a coin of the realm.