At present, in smelters which work under primitive methods, mixed silver, gold and copper ores are

separated from each other by using similar methods. In a few active smelters near Covered Bazaar in

Beyazid- Istanbul, it is applied with oil and the process is done by using nitric acid. In the first smelting oven, the lump is mixed with lead, and as a result of the smelting process done with a strong fan blowing, the mixed lump extracted is melted by giving strong oxygen over it on the oven called crucible smelting again together with a little amount of lead. The melted metal which is poured into water is brought into small globules. Later it is processed with nitric acid and gold is collapsed as salt. This solution is sieved through a filtering fabric and gold salt is recycled. Silver and copper within the acid in water is also recycled. Both gold salt and silver water are made into golden and silver chunk after they are dried and melted a few times. Together with heat and the power of acid, silver and gold which is 995 of scale can easily be refined.

   The scales of silver akches which we have them analyzed vary from 960+ - 20. Within this era which

covers the period from its establishment until 1650, the Ottomans used the silver within these limits as

pure silver. It also seemed that the Ottomans had the techniques which brought the scale of silver to almost 975 out of a thousand. According to our impressions, the reason why the pure silver remained within the limits mentioned above was that the expenses aroused from the fuel and smelting processes brought an additional expense under the conditions of those days. We assume that these scales were perceived as sufficient by officials. However, silver scaling 1,000 (today the top scale is 999) is quite soft and ready to wear away easily. At the present time, the accessories which are produced at the highest level of scale have a stamp of 925 scale of silver.

   The wrong and missing information about akches have been transferred directly to the present time

without having a proper and current analysis by the experts who make historical searches and basing on the extracts from articles and books of old writers and by showing source.

   The scales of akches mentioned above have been identified after very sensitive analyses have been made by using the latest technology.

   Consequently, it is seemed that the Ottoman akches are usually 950 karat of silver and even above it.

Furthermore, the akches minted by Sultan Hunter Mehmed IV, who was the last Sultan minted akches in a classical sense, were around 950. This scale should be considered as pure silver considering the conditions in that period. The minor differences should be related with the insufficiencies of the technology in those days. It was for sure that there was abuse of the officials working in the mints when there were any lower scales (for example 800) perceived. This fraud was proved with lots of archive documents.

   The scales of akches given above reveal a general idea. Yet it should not be expected that the scales of akches minted by the same Sultan with the same date and place would be exactly the same. Even worse, this is not possible. The metal extracted as a result of the smelting process or purifying process made in those days would be obviously almost but in various scales. It should be accepted that 25-35 of a scaling mistake out of a thousand would be natural. It is also surprising that the scales of those days

match with the scales of today considered the modern equipment and chemical substances and analyzing methods.

   We would like to thank to Dear Mustafa Sahin who is the oldest and the most famous kal master for sharing this valuable knowledge and had the courtesy of showing his smelter.