sending BTC to my paper wallet

[pinksheep]

Finally, got the paper wallets made & now am ready to send BTC to them. Just wanted to ask how long does it usually take before the transactions to them are confirmed?

Secondly, I have 2 BTC in one wallet but want to send each BTC to a separate paper wallet. If I send one, will the other one automatically go to a change address? I'm not that certain about how change addresses work.

Thanks again.

[RodeoX]

Finally, got the paper wallets made & now am ready to send BTC to them. Just wanted to ask how long does it usually take before the transactions to them are confirmed?

Secondly, I have 2 BTC in one wallet but want to send each BTC to a separate paper wallet. If I send one, will the other one automatically go to a change address? I'm not that certain about how change addresses work.

Thanks again.

I assume you that before you created your paper wallet you created some receiving addresses. In that case just send BTC to the receiving address and you should have your first confirmation within 10 mins. You can check to see if the coins have transacted by searching at one of these sites:
https://blockexplorer.com/
http://blockchain.info/
If you see your transaction there, you have completed your transaction and sent BTC to your cold wallet. 

[pinksheep]

Can anyone answer my question about the change addresses?

[Rannasha]

Can anyone answer my question about the change addresses?

A wallet is a collection of addresses and their associated private keys. If you send coins, your wallet-software will use a new address in the wallet as change-address. This change-address is typically hidden from from the user, but the wallet-software keeps track of it. As long as you use regular wallet software to send transactions, you don't need to worry about how change works. The only thing to take into account is when you import the private key of your paper wallet at some point and spend part of the coins associated with it. The remainder of those coins do not go back to the paper wallet, but instead to a new change-address.

If you craft your transactions manually (which a typical user never has to do), you need to be more careful of course.

[cp1]

Can anyone answer my question about the change addresses?

You need to tell us how you're sending the coins first.

[softron]

Can anyone answer my question about the change addresses?

which wallet are u using to send

[Lamber]

Yes, how are you sending them ?

[softron]

Really Hope ur not sending btc to a brainwallet.
Better to send small amount first, and try accessing those bitcoin.

[TookDk]

Really Hope ur not sending btc to a brainwallet.
Better to send small amount first, and try accessing those bitcoin.

Agreed - First time using paper-wallets, make some test with small amounts to find good method for redeeming the funds.
I think I made at least 4 different paper wallets (with 1 mBTC each) and tried redeeming the funds with different methods -  before I felt comfortable enough making "my real paper wallet" and loading it will higher amount of funds.

[pinksheep]

I'm sending them from my Multibit wallet. If there's 2BTC in one address, can i send a small portion of this to my paper wallet to check that it's working OK & the remainder will stay there, it won't go to a change address? Am I right in thinking that change addresses are only something I will encounter when bringing the BTC out of cold storage, not when I'm putting them in?

[softron]

No if u send a small amount, the rest of your balance goes to the change address so u have to worry about it. Some wallets send your change to the same address u sent from. Some allow u choose a change addy, bitcoinqt will create a new change addy and sometimes hide it if u dont set it yourself.
I dont use multibit,  possibly it will send change to sendfrom address.

[cp1]

You want it to go to a change address anyway, you shouldn't reuse addresses.

[pinksheep]

not sure that I trust my knowledge of change wallets enough to do this. I'd prefer just to send all the BTC I have in each wallet at once; is there anything that could go wrong if I do this?

[TookDk]

not sure that I trust my knowledge of change wallets enough to do this. I'd prefer just to send all the BTC I have in each wallet at once; is there anything that could go wrong if I do this?

Sir, you really need to setup a wallet for testing, where you can experiment with transferring funds back-and-forward, transfer to paperwallet, import private keys. ect.

This is very important to gain experience of what you can do and what you can't do - so you can be secure and comfortable in what you are doing.
The time and money (the few tx-fee) is well spend, I promise you.

Imagine that you 5 years from now dig out your paperwallet from your safe and want to redeem the funds, and it won't work because you made a newbee-mistake, that would really suck.

[cp1]

not sure that I trust my knowledge of change wallets enough to do this. I'd prefer just to send all the BTC I have in each wallet at once; is there anything that could go wrong if I do this?

You'd have to only purchase items that cost all of the money you have, it's kind of silly.  You have to learn about change addresses if you want to use bitcoin.

[pinksheep]

well, if Bitcoin increases in value as I'm sure we all hope it will, I have a figure in mind that I will sell it, so I intend to sell them all at once. Therefore, they might as well all be in 1 paper wallet. But I am now going to set up a separate wallet with a miniscule amount in it to practice with.

[TookDk]

well, if Bitcoin increases in value as I'm sure we all hope it will, I have a figure in mind that I will sell it, so I intend to sell them all at once. Therefore, they might as well all be in 1 paper wallet. But I am now going to set up a separate wallet with a miniscule amount in it to practice with.

That is a great decision!

The methods I have experimented with to redeem funds from paper wallets are:

Mt. Gox - worked great, but is now dead.
Blockchain-wallet - worked great, you can even scan a private key as QR code.
mycelium (andriod) - worked great, you can even scan a private key as QR code.
Bitcoin-QT - worked great (my favorite).

Good luck Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

[softron]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=208808.0
according to that thread multibit sends change to the second addy in the wallet and if there isnt a second, it sends back to your addy.
Sir what this means is that ur very safe to send small amounts

[softron]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=208808.0
according to that thread multibit sends change to the second addy in the wallet and if there isnt a second, it sends back to your addy.
Sir what this means is that ur very safe to send small amounts

[softron]

Pls do not send all ur bitcoins to a brainwallet u will lose it in less than 10secs