james122964 said:
So if I melt I was thinking that I would need flux to keep the powder from blowing away.
If your torch is blowing away the powder, you're using the wrong technique. if it blows the gold away, it damned well will blow the flux away, too, particularly if you're not using anhydrous or glass borax.
All you need is a flux covered dish, assuming you're torch melting. This is a critical test of your gold quality, so don't short circuit this process. If your gold will melt directly, without the addition of borax, and the dish remains clear of color aside from picking up a purple or pink cast, the gold will be of excellent quality. If you masquerade the lot by covering with borax, it may show all the signs of pure gold, but not be. It's very important that your gold be exposed to oxygen when it is melted. That way, if there is anything included besides gold, it will oxidize, with some of it being picked up by the flux. That's why you look for color shift of the flux coating of the dish.
If I remelt after this without flux and it does not dull what would I call it? 24K? Fine?
Dull is only one of the characteristics you should look for. It should remain shiny, but may well develop a very coarse crystal structure on the surface. That happens only when the gold is quite pure. If it does not, but develops a frosty surface instead, there is no doubt, the quality is not good. Also, look for the color to be a bright gold color. It takes very little to shift the color away from that of pure gold. If you see them side by side, it's very apparent.
Assuming the gold melts without discoloration, and remains shiny, and the flux does not assume a dark color, green or brown, and it pulls a pipe upon solidification, you can safely assume your gold is of fine quality-----but don't put a number on it. Simply represent it as fine gold, or if you prefer, 24 K gold. That way, if it is assayed and found to be of lower quality than might be expected, you haven't mislead the buyer. 24 K gold implies it is not alloyed, but that does not imply that it does not contain traces of other elements.
I want to be honest I only have 2.78 ounces and don't want to have to send somewhere to get a certification.
I salute your desire to be honest with potential buyers. Nothing will kill your ability to market gold faster than telling a few lies.
If you've read any of my ravings in the past, one of the topics I have discussed endlessly is establishing a connection with consumers of gold. There is no better way to do that than to get connected with a benchman that manufactures jewelry. If you can gain his/her trust, you not only will have an outlet for your gold at spot price (or more), but you also encourage them to use you as their refiner. Once you get established and recognized, marketing gold is no longer an issue----it will generally be in demand at a rate greater than your ability to produce.
You can run a low key refining service, running under the radar, with excellent results. That worked for me for years.
Harold
