# Induction melter anyone?



## autumnwillow (Dec 10, 2018)

Does anybody own one?

I was thinking of getting a 1000w - 2500w zvs induction board and set it up myself.

I know it can melt gold fast, but can I smelt with it? Or will it heat up too much causing the coils to melt?
Maybe if I have a very large tank for the water coolant it will work?

Or are these stuff useless for gold refining?


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## snoman701 (Dec 10, 2018)

2.5 kw is small, I have 7.5 kw and I don't think i'd try melting anything with smaller.


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## Lou (Dec 10, 2018)

The load, circuit and coil design are what really matter most--not raw power. A well-designed melter will really perform with the right feedstock.

There is a science to the coils--I've had coils wound that perform much better than others. 

I'd say 400 oz of pure gold and 550 of silver is a practical limit in my 15 kW VIP furnace. Platinum is about 2 kilograms.


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## snoman701 (Dec 10, 2018)

Yeah, an efficient circuit with a phase lock loop thAt adjusts frequency to match the greatest power draw will melt great. The resonant frequency of the melt changes as the temperature changes...most of the low end induction units aren't set up to adjust frequency. So the coil has to be matched to the workpiece, in the case, the conductive crucible.






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