# couldn't find a ceramic crucible - graphite crucible and flux?!



## saadat68 (Oct 6, 2016)

Hi
I couldn't find a ceramic crucible in my country ( just there are dishes no cup )
So I bought a graphite crucible but I read in forum that can not use borax in graphite crucible
Now what I can do ? Can I melt cemented silver without flux/borax ?

I have another question. I want attach iron wire to my crucible and put it in furnace. after melting bringing out crucible with wire and a pincer. It is easier for me. Can I do it ? :shock:


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## butcher (Oct 7, 2016)

You can melt cemented silver without flux, I would use a melting dish (use some borax to prepare the melting dish) and a good torch. Depending on the torch used--heat loss can be important, loss of heat can occur if the dish is sitting on a big heat sink that will absorb the heat from the dish, you may need to insulate the dish from the heat sink to prevent heat loss.

Tongs, pliers can be used to move hot crucibles or melting dishes. Melting dish tongs or holders can also be used to hold and pour melting dishes.

Melting dishes are normally used with torches when just melting small volumes of metals (they can be used in some furnaces), crucibles work best in furnaces.

Fluxing is normally done on more impure metals (used to oxide or reduce metals in the melt) to perform a desired reaction, and result from the melt (much like a chemical reaction).


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## saadat68 (Oct 7, 2016)

butcher said:


> You can melt cemented silver without flux, I would use a melting dish (use some borax to prepare the melting dish) and a good torch. Depending on the torch used--heat loss can be important, loss of heat can occur if the dish is sitting on a big heat sink that will absorb the heat from the dish, you may need to insulate the dish from the heat sink to prevent heat loss.
> 
> Tongs, pliers can be used to move hot crucibles or melting dishes. Melting dish tongs or holders can also be used to hold and pour melting dishes.
> 
> ...



Thanks
So I don't use borax/flux  because I must put a cup crucible in my furnace 

And about second question:
Yes I want make a crucible holder with peice of iron and iron wires like this:
https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1rpj4JXXXXXXZXFXXq6xXFXXXu/221598360/HTB1rpj4JXXXXXXZXFXXq6xXFXXXu.jpg

I am worry that the heat make wires floppy or melt it. What do you think ?


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## g_axelsson (Oct 7, 2016)

If you put any iron inside the furnace it will oxidize fast and break. It can also contaminate the metals you are trying to melt.

Bad idea!

Use tongs or specially made holder to pick up the crucibles from the furnace.

Göran


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## Shark (Oct 7, 2016)

g_axelsson said:


> If you put any iron inside the furnace it will oxidize fast and break. It can also contaminate the metals you are trying to melt.
> 
> Bad idea!
> 
> ...



I recently have been working with furnaces in different configurations, and all of them would melt wire. The kind of steel used in the wire didn't seem to matter. A pair of pliers, even the cheap ones are much better than using any kind of wire. If you have a furnace capable of melting PM's, you have a furnace capable of making a pair of tongs or a holder to handle a crucible. You could just forge you a crude pair of tongs and save the headache caused by the wire melting or breaking and contaminating your silver.


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