# Making crucibles



## JohnW

Does anyone have instructions/materials/knowhow?.

There is an inexpensive book in amazon, that I'm buying next week, but if I can get the info here, from you fine folks, so much the better...I would think it's like pottery or ceramics class. No?

This is the book I have in my shopping cart:

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Crucibles-Vincent-R-Gingery/dp/1878087274

Thanks!.


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## Noxx

If you have some time, go to http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com There are discussions there about making your own crucible for aluminum.


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## JohnW

Thanks Noxx. I did a search and found the attached .pdf with step-by-step instructions.


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## Noxx

Your welcome


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## philddreamer

Thank you Noxx & JohnW!


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## rainmaker

Try contacting Charles Butler for detailed written instructions. I have used his instructions and process many times, he offers a low priced set of detailed instructions (I think he just covers copying and postage). 

http://www.butlerlab.com/

He also has some other info and supplies of intrest.

Have fun

Rainmaker


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## CHARLIE GREENLER

Here is a recipe for decent crucibles 2CUPS FISHTANK CARBON POWDERED + 2 CUPS POWDERED FIRE BRICK OR ASPESTOSE( PINK FUNACE INSILATION )+ 2 CUPS PLAIN OLD PLASTER OF PARIS.Mix thouroughly all in equal parts and start adding water (enough to set up the 2 cups of plaster 1 to 2 cups) then pore your molds.If you can get the powdered pink furnace aspestose it works better but powdered fire brick works good too .Real easy all equal parts.


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## butcher

{"Here is a recipe for decent crucibles 2CUPS FISHTANK CARBON POWDERED + 2 CUPS POWDERED FIRE BRICK OR ASPESTOSE( PINK FUNACE INSILATION )+ 2 CUPS PLAIN OLD PLASTER OF PARIS.Mix thouroughly all in equal parts and start adding water (enough to set up the 2 cups of plaster 1 to 2 cups) then pore your molds.If you can get the powdered pink furnace aspestose it works better but powdered fire brick works good too .Real easy all equal parts"}

Is that aspestos, or asbestos (rock)? Never heard of aspesto's is it a brand, or typ error? What type of fire brick? 

I messed with home made crucibles some and you have to be careful as some ingredients can dissolve your metals, like gypsum it will oxidize and suck up your silver, also tried to use a firebrick once cut like a crucible it also oxidized and absorbed the metals which oxidized in the melt.
I have made some out of fiber wool ceramic insulation shredded and mixed with sairset refractory, fired them in the wood stove after drying a month, they came out fairly well and do dot absorb my silver, and hold up to quit well.
This homade type may be fine for dirty melts of junk, but crucibles are fairly cheap so if I am melting anything of value I buy them.

I still would like to make some nice boneash for cuppling just for fun, it seems would be a fairly simple task, :roll: after you get past the smell of burning a pile of animal bone's. :lol:


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## captain_toker

i plan on useing some steal pipe with welded bottom for mine


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## 4metals

Captain Toker,

Unless you want a big mess on your hands, you should do a little less tokin and a lot more reading before melting gold in your steel crucible.


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## captain_toker

well if cast iron pan is working now gold melts at 1900 and steel melts at 2700 so as long i watch the temp ill be ok other wise ill need to buy something about 7 inches diamiter and about a foot tall its a sorta large smelter propane powered and attaches to a quad and i dont want to use steel (free from neighbor) i am just broke till i get the gold from the paydirt it might take paticence and more time but it should work once or twice till i get the paid for crucible . can you prove the theory wrong for me or you just dont like the name . i have used steel to melt gold nickle copper aluminum of of course lead


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## patnor1011

From what I gather gold is bit expensive to have it mixed with your crucible. Unless you plan to melt 10 pounds of it 
Molten gold will partially dissolve your crucible and what you achieve is contaminated gold and golden plated steel pipe.


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## captain_toker

i do plan to melt around 10 lbs of material that is gold and still has the sand in it . very fine gold lots down to 200 micron figure the simpleest way to remove it was a kiln the tourch gets 3500 at its max and is about 2 inches in diamiter and the kiln has a 12 inch diamiter and over a foot of depth ill post the build when i get the refractory cement might go on youtube but its portable


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## Harold_V

captain_toker said:


> well if cast iron pan is working now gold melts at 1900 and steel melts at 2700 so as long i watch the temp ill be ok


Well, cap'n, in my opinion, No, you won't, and I can't imagine _anyone_ thinking that is true. 



> other wise ill need to buy something about 7 inches diamiter and about a foot tall its a sorta large smelter propane powered and attaches to a quad and i dont want to use steel (free from neighbor) i am just broke till i get the gold from the paydirt it might take paticence and more time but it should work once or twice till i get the paid for crucible . can you prove the theory wrong for me or you just dont like the name . i have used steel to melt gold nickle copper aluminum of of course lead


Heh! You can't afford to do it right, but you'll have more than enough money to do it over? Why am I struggling with this idea?

That you don't understand the ramifications of bad choices doesn't, in any way, negate the results you achieve. Further, your claim to have melted nickel in steel is a bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say? Even melting copper in steel isn't likely to be successful, especially if you hope to preserve the chemistry of the material. Melting aluminum in steel, which occurs at roughly 900° lower than for copper, isn't a good idea, for it, too, absorbs iron and alters the properties of the aluminum. 

You were advised by someone with excellent credentials that you should do less talking and more reading. I strongly advise you stop where you are and take that advice to heart.

I'm going to put this in clear, concise English. I hope you accept it in the spirit in which it is offered. _Please note that I do not suffer fools gladly_. 

No one in their right mind melts metals in metallic vessels (there are exceptions---lead and zinc, for example)---especially not gold in iron or steel. In spite of the fact that steel melts at a temperature roughly 1,000° higher than gold, molten gold is an extremely strong solvent, which will readily absorb your iron pan or steel vessel. It may not absorb it entirely, but it will solder to the surface, contaminating the gold in the process. Steel or iron vessels are NOT acceptable for melting of gold, nor in the recovery process. Please lose that idea. If you insist on its use, please do it quietly, and refrain from commenting to others, as if it's a good idea. We try to limit misinformation on this forum. 

Harold


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## Irons

JohnW said:


> Does anyone have instructions/materials/knowhow?.
> 
> There is an inexpensive book in amazon, that I'm buying next week, but if I can get the info here, from you fine folks, so much the better...I would think it's like pottery or ceramics class. No?
> 
> This is the book I have in my shopping cart:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Making-Crucibles-Vincent-R-Gingery/dp/1878087274
> 
> Thanks!.



Here's a useful tutorial from one of our members:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3my6-nxFjM


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## captain_toker

well i have used a tourch and a pan before i did notice the soldering its not complet yet im here to learn from the people here atleats you harold exsplained why not to use steel thank you so i need to do now along with get the refractory cement is find a large crucible 6 inch dia and up to 6 and1/2 dia inch by 12 inches tall .

p.s. dont forget how the pioneers did it with nuthing just went out got the gold and used what they had till they could afford to get the parts they wanted at the post and talked to other people to find out what they are doing wrong .

Is there anybody who sells crucibles this size all i could find is ones that are about 3 inch deep and 4inch tall. smelting is very new to me but i learn fast when told what im doing wrong thank you . 

and i just use a old lode pan to melt things with direct heat (small tourch) i dont heat the pan it self .

i have alot of finite gold down to 200 micron still in the sand . i do not like chemicles so much. i can refine it later after i remove it from the substrait then do it right.


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## Harold_V

In spite of how my comments may appear, I am trying to help you. 

When you get involved in smelting, one of the things you must address is the melting or dissolving of gangue. You can't do that by zone heating---it requires that everything be brought up to heat, plus it should be allowed to soak, to insure complete dissolution. That generally requires heating to a temperature beyond the melting point of the material in question, although in the case of silica, it can be dissolved by proper fluxing. Without it going in to solution, your chance of making a respectable recovery is not good. 

Most importantly-- the values must have time to agglomerate. A thin slag is generally required. It does you no good to melt an ore, only to have the values become tiny prills that stay in suspension. That's the problem you face (amongst many others) when you deal with ores and can't achieve enough heat, or you have chosen the wrong fluxing agents. 

You must come to terms with many issues that you are glossing over. Smelting is successful ONLY when successful methods are employed. There is no one size fits all---each ore is its own example and may require considerable research in order to solve the problems that will yield a successful process. 

Harold


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