Nickel silver, also known as German silver,[1] Argentann,[1] new silver,[1] nickel brass,[2] albata,[3], or alpacca,[4] is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc.[5] Nickel silver is named for its silvery appearance, but it contains no elemental silver unless plated. The name "German silver" refers to its development by 19th-century German metalworkers in imitation of the Chinese alloy known as paktong[6][7] All modern, commercially important nickel silvers (such as those standardized under ASTM B122) contain significant amounts of zinc, and are sometimes considered a subset of brass.[8]
白銅（Nickel Silver），亦作德銀（German Silver）、新銀、鎳黃銅、Argentann、albata 或alpacca（按：不曉得怎末翻，google之亦毫無所獲）等，係含有鎳且通常會加入鋅的一種三元銅合金。一般白銅以60％銅、20％鎳與20％鋅為其標準配方，白銅之所以被這樣稱呼，蓋材質呈白銀質色故，但除施加電鍍外，本身其實未含有任何銀的成份。德銀（German Silver）之名肇因於十九世紀德國金屬加工工人模仿中國雲南所產之雲白銅（按：舊唐書中稱此白銅為”鋈”音為{物}，內文中的paktong便是粵語白銅之音譯）。現代商用白銅（已有標準化如：ASTM B122）含有相當程度的鋅（Zn），有時會被認為是黃銅金屬中的一支。
Nickel silver first became popular as a base metal for silver-plated cutlery and other silverware, notably the electroplated wares called EPNS (electro-plated nickel silver). It is used in zippers, better-quality keys, costume jewellery, for making musical instruments (e.g., cymbals, saxophones), and is preferred for the track in electrically powered model railway layouts, as its oxide is conductive. It is widely used in the production of coins (e.g. Portuguese escudo and the former GDR marks, ). Its industrial and technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance.
最初，白銅係作為鍍銀餐具以及其他銀製品的基礎金屬而逐漸普及，尤其是在一種被稱作EPNS（electro-plated nickel silver）的電鍍製品上。白銅經常用於拉鍊、較佳品質的鑰匙、服飾、樂器（如：鈸、薩克斯風）、亦適合作為鐵路電動模型的軌道配線，因其氧化物仍為導體故。另一應用則為錢幣之量產（如：葡萄牙幣或前東德的馬克〔貨幣〕）。在工業或科技領域上，則包括航海用配件及其管路（因材料具有耐蝕性）、加熱線圈（因材料具有高電阻）等。
In the 19th century, particularly after 1868, Plains Indian jewelers were able to easily acquire sheets of German silver. They used them to cut, stamp, and cold hammer a wide range of accessories and horse gear. Continuing into the present, Plains metalsmiths have used German silver for pendants, pectorals, bracelets, armbands, hair plates, conchas, earrings, belt buckles, necktie slides, stickpins, dush-tuhs, and tiaras.[9]
十九世紀，特別在西元1868年以後，平原印地安人（按：原本在北美平原地區遊牧的印地安人）的寶石匠們可以輕易地獲得德銀的板片，他們將板片切割、沖壓與冷錘，製成各種配件或是馬具等等物品。直到現在，鐵匠們（指平原印地安人）仍使用德銀製作各種垂飾、胸飾、手鐲、臂章、髮片、耳飾、耳環、帶扣、領帶、領帶夾與頭冠等等。
Early in the twentieth century, German silver was used by automobile manufacturers before the advent of steel sheet metal, i.e., the famous Rolls Royce Silver Ghost of 1907. After about 1920, its use became widespread for pocketknife bolsters, due to its machinability and corrosion resistance. Prior to this point, the most common metal was iron.
二十世紀初期，當不鏽鋼板面市以前，德銀一直為汽車製造商所採用，例如1907年勞斯萊斯（Rolls Royce）著名的”Silver Ghost”系列。大約在1920年以後，由於其加工性與耐蝕性，白銅廣泛地被用來製作折疊小刀（按：如瑞士刀）的護手材料之用。在此之前，大部分製作護手的金屬為鐵（iron）。
Musical instruments, including the flute, saxophone, trumpet, and French horn, can be made of nickel silver. For example, some leading saxophone manufacturers, such as Keilwerth,[10][11] Selmer, P.Mauriat, Yanagisawa, and Yamaha, offer saxophones made of nickel silver, though these are far rarer than traditional brass bodied saxophones. It is said to produce a bright and powerful sound quality; an additional benefit is that nickel silver does not require a lacquer finish. It is the most commonly used material for woodwind keys. Most clarinets, oboes and similar wind instruments have nickel silver keys, normally silver plated. It was used in the construction of the National tricone resophonic guitar. The frets of guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and related string instruments are typically made of nickel silver.
樂器方面，包括鈸、薩克斯風、小喇叭、法國號等均可為白銅所製作。某些指標性的薩克斯風製造商（如：Keilwerth、Selmer、P.Mauriat、Yanagisawa與Yamaha）會提供以白銅製造的薩克斯風樂器，不過他們的數量遠比用黃銅製作的傳統薩克斯風來得稀有。據說這種薩克斯風可以提供清亮有力的音質，另一個優點則是白銅無須上漆。白銅最為常用的是作為木管樂器的按鍵，大部分的豎笛、雙簧管以及類似的管樂器使用白銅按鍵（一般而言，表面會再鍍銀），或被用來製作共振吉他（resophonic guitar）的主體。典型之吉他、曼陀林、五弦琴、貝斯等相關弦樂器的擋子（又稱琴柱）係由白銅所製作。
According to the Merck Manual, prolonged contact of copper alloys with acidic food or beverages (including boiling milk) can leach out the copper and cause toxicity.[12] Long term, low doses can lead to cirrhosis.
根據默克診療手冊（Merck Manual）指出，長期接觸和酸性食物、飲料（包含煮沸的牛奶）在一起的銅合金（容器），可能會導致銅的萃出，並引發毒性，長期低劑量的吸收則會造成肝硬化。
Nickel silver was first known and used in China. It became known in the west from imported wares called bai-tong or pakfong (白銅, literally "white copper"), for which 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 Jābir ibn Hayyān.[13]
目前所知，白銅起源於中國，自從這一種被稱為bai-tong或pakfong（分別中文及粵語的”白銅”音譯）的材料被輸入至西方以後，即為世人所悉知矣。其銀白金屬之質色常被利用來仿製紋銀（按：sterling silver，含有92.5％銀以及7.5％銅，打磨後的光澤甚至較純銀更為美觀）。根據Berthold Laufer先生（按：西元1874年-1934年，西方漢學家，通日、漢、藏語，曾多次造訪中國）所述，此與阿拉伯煉金術中所常用的中國銅（khar sini）是同一個東西。阿拉伯煉金術士Jābir ibn Hayyān（按：查比爾．伊本．赫揚，生卒年约721～约815），”khar sini”為此君所認可的七種金屬之一）。
In the 18th century, researchers found it was a copper-nickel-zinc alloy . In 1770 the Suhl (Germany) metalworks were able to produce a similar alloy.[14] In 1823 a German competition was held to perfect the production process: the goal was to develop an alloy that possessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger in Berlin and Ernst August Geitner in Schneeberg independently achieved this goal. The manufacturer Berndorf named the trademark brand Alpacca, which became widely known in northern Europe for nickel silver. About the same time in 1832, a form of German silver was also developed in Birmingham, England.[15]
十八世紀，研究員發現一種銅-鎳-鋅合金。1770年，蘇爾金屬（Suhl metalworks，德國）已能生產類似的合金。1823年德國堅持地優化其製程，目標係開發一能夠最為接近銀質色之合金；柏林的Henniger兄弟與施內貝格的Ernst August Geitner獨立地達成了這個目標。製造商『貝恩多夫（Berndorf）』指定其商標牌號為”Alpacca”，並廣泛地使北歐地區認識了白銅這種材料。大約1832年左右，英國伯明漢（Birmingham）地區開始將白銅這種材料稱為”德銀”。
After 1840, the development of electroplating caused nickel silver to become widely used. 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.
西元1840年後，電鍍製程的發展使得白銅的應用變得更為廣泛。這形成了一種概念，亦即作為電鍍製程中一堅固且明亮之基質。白銅也使用在非電鍍的應用上，例如廉價餐具等。
Counterfeiters have used nickel silver to produce coins and medallions purporting to be silver rounds, generally in an attempt to trick unsuspecting buyers into paying prices based on the spot price of silver. The metal has also been used to produce counterfeit Morgan dollars.
造偽幣者利用白銅製作錢幣與勳章，並聲稱其為足銀成份，試圖欺詐那些對此毫無疑慮的買家立刻付出大筆鈔票，並以銀的價格來購買這些仿冒品。此等金屬亦曾被用來仿造美國銀幣（Morgan dollars，按：是由George T. Morgan設計故稱摩根銀幣，1878～1921年間發行，成份為90％銀、10％銅；目前摩根銀幣的價差甚大，一般一美元的摩根銀幣大約要價USD50元左右，但其中的稀有品價格可就水漲船高了，例如 Ebay網站上一枚1891 NGC CERTIFIED MS65 MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR-TONED開價竟要USD7390元！）
Nickel silver fraud has included the production of replica bullion bars, marked "Nickel Silver" or "German Silver", in weights of one troy ounce. They are sold without notification that they contain no elemental silver.
使用白銅的詐欺者也會製作條塊狀的仿製品，以每塊一盎司重量並打上”白銅”或”德銀”等記號，但販售時決不告知這裡頭其實根本不含有任何銀的成份。
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