QuestionQUESTION: With everything in the economy in an uproar, I had decided to look into gold. Unfortunately, with my job, I don't have the finances to actually invest the way many others have. To get around part of this, I decided to start small and melt tiny amounts of gold, no more than an ounce at a time.
I did do some leaping before looking though. I've already bought an ounce of gold leaf, a graphite crucible and mold. For heating, the best I can get anytime soon is to use my grandfathers propane torch. Is there anything else that I would need and where would it be best for me to start? I've done quite a bit of online reading, but am relatively unsure of how much to trust given my lack of practical knowledge.
I thank you in advance for your time and help.
ANSWER: Mike, this is not your answer. I will write that and send likely this evening after I get home from work. I can tell you what you need to properly melt the gold with a torch.
In the meantime, if you get a chance to use the "follow-up" to get back to me, can you tell me what you plan to do with the melted gold?
I am wondering if you are just as well off keeping it as is since it would need to be sold eventually.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
follow-up to Mike---------------------------------------
Hi, Mike. I am back.
The reason I asked why melt the gold is that to gain a return from the metal in the future it will need to be sold. This will likely mean to a refiner. In that case, melting is not needed at all. They do all that. Selling to other than a refiner they will need to check the karat quality of the metal anyway and may be suspicious of melted lumps. This is to keep in mind.
Yes, you need the crucible and an "ingot" mold of some sort. After trying the graphite crucible, you might find a more shallow ceramic clay melting dish easier to heat up and use. You can cut a pouring cut into the top of the edge if need be or bulky one with a pouring lip.
The propane torch will work only if this is both propane and oxygen. You definitely need the heat oxygen gives the propane gas to have a clean and quick melt. A welding supply house has small oxygen tanks and torches suitable to use with propane. The problem is this stuff is not inexpensive. We are talking a few hundred dollars to set up with an oxygen/propane torch unit. A good torch is the Meco Midget.
You need to use a flame with low oxygen, called a neutral flame. One roaring with oxygen will cause too much reaction on the metals and perhaps overheat the metal.
You will need a melting flux. This is simply a chemical to help the metal and the crucible or melting dish stay clean during the melting process. A typical and effective flux is boric acid or a mix of boric acid and powdered borax. Both are available from the drug store in most cases. Borax itself is used in laundry, as an old fashioned booster to cleaning.
Heat the crucible and sprinkle on the flux, keeping the flame soft enough to allow the powders to melt and not blow away. Turn the crucible as you keep the flame on it, letting the now fluid flux flow across the surface. This will make a glass-like coating when cooled and will provide the fluid coating when hot, adding life to the crucible and helping to keep the metal clean. While the metal is melting, sprinkle some flux on the metal. If the metal shows a dirty look, sprinkle a bit more. Heat the metal so it looks like a rolling shiny half ball on top, being certain it is molten through and through. When this rolling shiny top appears the metal is ready to pour. Keep the flame on the metal as you pour.
When the metal cools, knock it out of the mold and you have an ingot.
That is all there is to it! Getting the heat from the torch right is the first learning experience. Be sure to heat the melting dish or crucible to red first to lessen the time to melt the metal. Pour in the metal and heat to get the pourable melted metal.
Best wishes on your melting. Use the follow-up if you need to do that.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Eventually I plan on seeing about getting a return on the gold that I melt. But what I am working on is a hands-on learning process. I was looking at starting with gold flake, even it turns out to be worthless (though I am looking at other, better, sources of small gold quantities), and begin with melting and casting. No sense in trying to sell what I melt and cast if I end up ruining it at the beginning. Once I have that, then I advance to testing the purity and refining.
AnswerThanks for giving me an idea of your direction, Mike. Now it is a lot clearer to me. If you run into problems with the process in the future, please feel free to ask a new question and get back. See you then if need be.
God Bless and best wishes. Thomas.
