Melting flour and flakes into a nugget

[Snarkie]

First off, I must apologize for my sporadic posts. My time online is limited, due to my work, so I kind of have to cram. That aside:

How does one go about melting colors into a nugget? Last year, I tried this with some 10K jewelry and a torch, and within the period of a second or so, it evaporated.

I have a substancial amount of mini nuggets and wire that I have accumulated in AK and NC, and would like to make it into a small nugget. I don't want to vaporize it like the last time. Any suggestions?

Snark

 

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[strickman]

read this post http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,145914.0.html

 

[Snarkie]

That's a beautiful nugget, Strickman; thanks for the link. I guess my question is though, I need a safe way to melt it without it vaporizing on me. I just want to consolidate what I have.

Last time, I put the torch on it directly. Could I put it into a cast iron lead ladle, heat that from below with a torch (acting as a crucible), and let it cool?

 

[strickman]

gold shouldn't vaporize.

 

[dave wiseman]

Snarkie,the only time I used a cast iron lead ladle the gold came out with a red tinge from the iron particles,forgot to put the flux with it,ha,ha.Still sold it though.

 

[Snarkie]

gold shouldn't vaporize.

Oh, it did. It was better than any Criss Angel act I've ever seen. One second it was there, turning red, and then, Poof! it was gone.

 

[Snarkie]

Snarkie,the only time I used a cast iron lead ladle the gold came out with a red tinge from the iron particles,forgot to put the flux with it,ha,ha.Still sold it though.

At least I'm not the only one that came up with this idea then, LOL.

Is there something better to use for this?

 

[strickman]

I use a crucible, use a small acetylene oxygen setup. heat up directly ,use a little borax . never had it vaporize -done it a LOT of times.

 

[strickman]

did you melt gold foil ? like they sell tourist ? if so there is your problem . a very very very small amount of gold can be flattened , it will be super thin [look like a lot]when you heat it up the gold will drop into a small ball. like a bb except a lot smaller. when gold liquefies it looks like a ball ,literally spinning.it takes quite a bit to melt to the size of a bb. an oz. of flake will melt down smaller than you think it would. when your gold [vaporized] it was probably still there , just now it's a teeny bb.

 

[Snarkie]

I use a crucible, use a small acetylene oxygen setup. heat up directly ,use a little borax . never had it vaporize -done it a LOT of times.

Thanks. That's the difference. I had it setting on a piece of railroad track and put the torch directly on it.

 

[Snarkie]

Okay, melting my flour, flakes and mini-nuggets into a consolidated blob.

 

[snowdog20]

gold definitely doesn't vaporize

 

[DanB]

then what is gold oxide........? when you "cook / heat up" gold too hot you can vaporize it over 3000 deg it will start the vaporization process....

db

here is the process defined.......

Gold(III) oxide (Au2O3) is the most stable oxide of gold. It is a red-brown, thermally unstable solid that decomposes at 160 °C.[2] The hydrated form is weakly acidic and dissolves in concentrated alkali to form salts that are believed to contain the [Au(OH)4]− ion.[2]

Anhydrous Au2O3 can be prepared by heating amorphous hydrated gold(III) oxide with perchloric acid and an alkali metal perchlorate in a sealed quartz tube at a temperature of around 250 °C and a pressure of around 30 MPa.[3]

 

[Snarkie]

I think that is what happened to me.