Help with Smelting gold and silver at home.

[otrkid70]

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[cw0909]

when i use to do it i used a kit similar to this, now i stock it up and
send it to Precious metals buyers, smelters, refiners of gold, platinum, silver scrap metals, dental gold scrap, platinum thermocouple wire, crucibles, silver scrap. Gold refiners, platinum scrap buyers, recyclers karat gold jewelry. Sell gold, platinum and sil

kits
Gold Smelting Equipment - Gold Rush Trading Post
had one like similar to this sold about 2yr ago
Kwik Kiln Hybrid Melting Kit - Gold Rush Trading Post

 

[gunsil]

Smelting refers to extracting metal from ore, not melting existing metal into bars. Yes, any propane or MAP gas torch will melt silver or gold. It is actually fairly useless to melt your scrap gold or silver into bars since nobody will pay you for home made bars. Sterling which has soldered parts will not assay .925 after melting it, 14K with soldered parts will not assay out to a real 14K after melting, and metals with solder in them are not suitable for re-casting into jewelry objects since the solder metals can cause pitting in the final product. You will get more money for marked scrap than you will get for home made bars. I mean would you buy home made bars from somebody just because they said the bars were sterling or 14K? I am sure there are videos on making bars on youtube, but I think it is a waste of time and money to do so. Jewelry supply houses sell bar molds and crucibles and anything else you need. Jewelers sometimes melt pure unsoldered scrap into small bars then run them through a rolling mill to make fresh sheet or wire, but it is a very labor intensive process and it is usually cheaper for a jeweler to just trade his pure scrap back to his supplier.

 

[galenrog]

If you want to cast your own crosses, rings, and other items, you will either have to start with .999 gold and make your own gold alloy, or you will have to obtain gold of KNOWN purity and alloy. Contaminants such as solder, spring pins from clasps, and other non-gold items frequently found in gold jewelry and other items will make casting difficult if not impossible. If you want to make your own bars, please learn to first recover gold, then refine. Simply melting old jewelry makes a mess that is hard to deal with in many ways.

 

[Nitric]

I bought a riveter forge with the same Idea,.......Started reading, never touched the forge and gave it to my dad.

There is a lot of information on the net and books on the subject. There are ways to purify with heat. I have little experience with it. It does look a little harder than just using a torch. Most refining is done with acids.

Either way, Have fun, learn the safety part of it too. Melting some metals will give you one crazy headache at the least. if not careful.

When experimenting with sand casting.(and that gets into a whole other science.) A friend used babbit as a metal to practice with instead of wasting silver. I don't remember why he chose that. So, I can't say if it's safe or not. I do know he has scars from moisture(?) in the sand that blew the metal back at him.

 

[Argentium]

As a part time jeweler /silversmith myself for many years (25 or so ) I can tell you the earlier responses were right on - I certainly
don't discourage you from learning about these processes - just be aware that there is precision involved in refining metals to a
known Karat w/ gold or purity for silver . If you are also intending to fabricate jewelry by starting with an ingot - in
addition to an ingot mold , you'll benefit greatly from a rolling mill - these can be a bit pricey for a decent one . I got a
small one for $400. over 10 years ago. I would encourage you to look at any relevant youtube videos - there will be some
helpful ones up there - Riogrande.com is a great jewelers supply - get familiar with the tools and equipment you'll need -
If you call them they'll send you (free) a Massive full color tool and supply catalog that absolutely Rocks ! Most important
know the safety parameters before you start refining or melting anything !

 

[Nitric]

To be specific i want to melt down gold and silver then TRY to refine it as much as possible then make a bar. I will then try my crafting skills with a Dremmel making my Cross and other creations. If i mess it up i just melt it an repeat! I't's a win win situation and it's going to be fun Woot!

Go for it! the worst that can happen is..... you'll learn stuff along the way. Oh and your going to need a lot of gold! Another option.....If you want to skip a few steps and go straight to carving(?)...some refiners will take your scrap and trade you for bars or rounds, with a fee of course...... Or use to, not sure if they still do that.

 

[Nitric]

Hmmm that's an option ....But NO FUN LOL I have plenty of Scrap for melting. I swear every single tag sale i see i head straight for the Jewelry and buy it all then go through it. Found a few good pieces at the Goodwill too but far and few between.

It takes a lot more than what you would think, It took more than I ever thought. Your jewelry is different k. and a lot of it can be and is hollow. By the time you pull the pure gold out, you end up with a little button. Not trying to discourage you, I've been down the same road, learned a lot, forgot a lot, and I don't regret it. I'm still learning......

 

[hvacker]

A bit ago I did contract work for a jewelry manufacture and I found the lost wax process fascinating. They also cast small sculptures. A ton of heat though.
If I were to want to make silver/gold objects I would want to do lost wax as it was just that interesting.
I have made aluminum casting in sand and that was interesting also but a tad rough for jewelry.

 

[Argentium]

otrkid70 , Please understand - With the exception of High Karat Gold (22 or 24 K ) and pure Silver .999 - you certainly can not
melt down repeatedly without compromising the integrity of the metal . Just slow down and spend some time researching the
meaning of (need for ) refining precious metals . Please slow way down - and spend some time learning .

 

[galenrog]

I am going to suggest that if you really want to refine gold and silver to make your own jewelry that one of the sites that you should frequent is goldrefiningforum.com. In particular, a section referred to as "the library", and the section on safety. For the most part, the members there are helpful. The longtime members will insist that you use the search function and do some research before asking questions.

Also, please be wary of YouTube. Many videos lack any safety considerations. Many more posters there put out material that is severely lacking in any real information, or are actually wrong in their processes. YouTube can kill.

The most informative book I have encountered for refining precious metals is "Refining Precious Metal Wastes" by C M Hoke. First published in 1940, it is an easy read compared to many, and most of the techniques are still standard today.

When you get ready to cast your own alloys, there are several jewelry making forums that can be helpful. As long as you stay clear of the beading sections, you should be fine.

 

[CMan1]

Delftclay
Delftclay - De Delftse Gietmethode @ Delftclay.nl
Videos under Demo

 

[RustyGold]

I have a kiln, Kerr centrifugal casting machine, rolling mill and casting/melting tools available for sale at giveaway prices if you're interested.
Retired jeweler/goldsmith/lost wax caster.
Pm me if interested!

 

[JackalopeZL1]

I often pondered the idea of melting non-rare gold coins to make nuggets. Gold in nugget form can sell for some really good prices. Way above spot. Was thinking about melting 3' above a 5 gallon bucket full of water, I imagine when the molten gold hits the water it could make some interesting nugget formations.

 

[gunsil]

Thanks for the responses. I'm not melting for resale. I'm melting for the experience of crafting. I eventually want to make a solid gold cross. I know their is a way to refine it to make the metal content more pure. I think it will be a great little hobby.

OK now I see you are calling solid gold pure gold, and you wish to make your scrap gold more pure or higher in karat. This will take you way more monetary investment and time than it would ever be worth, and you will be playing around with very dangerous chemicals which can easily kill or harm you or family members. This is why even professional jewelers do not bother with refining their own metals. I am a jeweler/metalsmith with many thousands of dollars in lapidary and metal working equipment. I still send metal out to professionals to have it refined should I need it done. Refining gold just isn't a hobbyist endeavor. I suggest you have your metal professionally refined and invest in casting equipment and learn how to use it to make your crosses, I assure you you will spend plenty and need lessons just to do that part of your desired project. Making things is fun and certainly making metal objects can be a very rewarding hobby, but refining metal isn't a practical idea.

 

[gunsil]

Yes otr, you can easily melt and re-cast 14K gold into other objects and the objects will still be 14K gold as long as the items melted do not have soldered joints. Most class rings and wedding rings are made by solder free processes. Hand made jewelry, all chains, and most earrings will have soldered joints. The problem with the solder is that it can and will often cause pitting and imperfections if one attempts to cast new objects from such soldered pieces. Also, the solder is less than 14K so your finished pieces will not assay out to a full 14K. It would be a shame to go to all the work of spending the money for the necessary equipment and learning how to use it, making a wax model, melting your scrap, and ending up with a finished casting with pits and imperfections in it. This is why when you sell scrap that it does not command the same price as new metal. When scrap is sent to a refiner they need to refine it back to 24K and then make a new alloy in the desired karat for their customers. Most gold coins are 22K and are perfect for melting and casting high karat objects, but usually their numismatic value is higher than their gold content value. Many people ask me to make jewelry from old pieces they have, but the work and expense to do so makes it financially impractical. So if you have a lot of cast or stamped out rings you will be good to go, otherwise send your scrap to a refiner and get clean metal in the karat you wish back from them. If you do so just ask for "casting grain" in return, it is usually cheaper than bars and way cheaper than wire or sheet. Good luck with your endeavor, like I said making things is fun, and making things from precious metals is particularly rewarding, and it is a hobby that you can actually have pay you back for your investment in time and equipment over time.
You should contact Rusty Gold and see what he wants for his used equipment, he has everything you need, and this type of equipment is virtually built to last forever. You will not need the rolling mill to make cast items.