# melting in an improvised crucible?



## crazyboy (May 15, 2008)

I know virtually nothing about metallurgy or precious metal refining but I happen to have some silver powder and I want to melt it it doesn't need to be a perfect ingot or anything. Now I don't have a real melting dish crucible or oxy acetylene torch but I have a regular propane torch and a regular wood fire that I can get hot enough to melt aluminum and turn steel red hot I also have a thick short piece of galvanized pipe with end cap I know the whole thing about heating and adding borax flux then adding metal and a pinch of flux but can I melt the flux in my pipe with one end cap add silver and let it sit in the fore for an hour or two to melt it? Will it work? 


Please I didn't come to get flamed so if you have criticism please keep it constructive all help appreciated.


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## Lou (May 15, 2008)

You really need to get a clay or graphite crucible. Oxyfuel is not necessary, just convenient for small amounts of 10 oz and less of Au and Ag. With Pt and Pd, melting 10 ounces is...not an open air exercise (still, it can be done).


That said, if you have propane and charcoal, you can easily melt silver. What you really need is a proper crucible--steel and even cast iron is a no go for pretty much any metal except magnesium.


Lou


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## old thompson (Sep 23, 2014)

Just dragged this old thread up after doing a search looking to see if anybody else tried a piece of wood as a melting dish. I melted about a 1/3 gram gold with mapp in the charred divot of a piece of kiln dried pine. No flux. Looks like a clean melt, a bit of carbon on the bottom but it easily rubbed off. 

Can anyone tell me if melting gold and silver in charred wood introduces impurities?


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## FrugalRefiner (Sep 23, 2014)

Has anyone else gotten a "Malicious URL Blocked" message on this thread? I got one here, and also on this thread: OK, this one's going to be interesting......

The common element seems to be that old thompson just posted on both of them. I also got the notice when I clicked on his profile.

Old thompson, if your avatar is hosted on an outside site, there may be a problem.

Dave.


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## g_axelsson (Sep 23, 2014)

FrugalRefiner said:


> Has anyone else gotten a "Malicious URL Blocked" message on this thread? I got one here, and also on this thread: OK, this one's going to be interesting......
> 
> The common element seems to be that old thompson just posted on both of them. I also got the notice when I clicked on his profile.
> 
> ...


His avatar is hosted on "http : //midwestgunandsupply.com/images/JimenezArms/JA22_sm.jpg" but that site seems to be down and instead of sending a picture it sends a redirect to "http : //sites.securepaynet.net/redirect_0.html".
I would guess that your software is blocking any such redirect as a potential threat.

In this case it seems that midwestgunandsupply.com haven't paid their fees or gone over a limit in bandwidth. Nothing to worry about.

Göran


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## old thompson (Sep 23, 2014)

Removed avatar. Thanks.

Any comments or experience with melting in charred wood will be appreciated, thanks.


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## FrugalRefiner (Sep 23, 2014)

I've never melted PMs in wood, but I have melted lead in a piece of wood to make a cathode for a gold stripping cell. It charred the wood pretty badly at the edges, but it worked fine.

I know I have read of others melting small amounts in wood or charcoal. I can't really say whether it would introduce any contamination.

Removing the avatar did the trick. No warning this time.

Dave


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## philddreamer (Sep 23, 2014)

I tried it, years ago, when I wanted to melt my placer gold! :mrgreen: 

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=14157&p=142102&hilit=melting+in+wood#p142102

Phil


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## butcher (Sep 23, 2014)

I have melted metals in blocks of charcoal and blocks of wood with davits cut in them (which basically make charcoal during the process).

It will work but is not as good as a cheap 3 dollar melting dish.

Carbon will reduce metals like copper and other base metals.
carbon blocks or wood can work somewhat, or they can also burn through with your bead of metal falling out if not careful...
In the melting dish these base metals can be oxidized (at least somewhat) and the dishes can handle much more heat and longer, making them a much better option, they can be reused several times if properly used and cared for, when your not living in a cave.

Melting dishes are very cheap and easy to get, why mess with something inferior when you are dealing with a costly or precious metal...

Just get some cheap melting dishes and quit fooling around.


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## old thompson (Sep 27, 2014)

Hey Butcher! Did you grow any tobacco this year?  

Not fooling around at all. I am poor. With shipping it would cost me almost $10 to mail order a proper melting dish, and that's $10 more than I had to spare.

That 1/3 gram of brown powder had been sitting around too long anyways. I had the mapp, and the precipitate. I just didn't have a traditional melting dish.


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## butcher (Sep 27, 2014)

I tried to grow the seed, our season was short up here, the plants were small and never went to seed.
I have a melting dish I could send you.


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## necromancer (Jan 7, 2015)

old thompson said:


> Hey Butcher! Did you grow any tobacco this year?
> 
> Not fooling around at all. I am poor. With shipping it would cost me almost $10 to mail order a proper melting dish, and that's $10 more than I had to spare.
> 
> That 1/3 gram of brown powder had been sitting around too long anyways. I had the mapp, and the precipitate. I just didn't have a traditional melting dish.




it's a late reply but......

http://www.michaels.com/ashland-clay-saucer/M10011190.html#q=clay+pots+&start=1

you can use these, their cheap. make sure there is no hole in the centre (heat them slowly at first)

you may need to "choose size" to view the image


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jan 7, 2015)

necromancer said:


> old thompson said:
> 
> 
> > Hey Butcher! Did you grow any tobacco this year?
> ...



Those will work to a limited degree but they are likely to crack when using them. Not a good choice IMHO.


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