# My very own bright shiny gold!.... Button?



## Rreyes097 (Oct 2, 2022)

Finally! After many many hours of grueling tedious work. And more than a few Stern looks from the wife here is my shiny gold button? For it doesn't look like the traditional button. Because of my little electric furnace. Just didn't have strength to melt the gold powder. So had to utilize the small and very basic 2 MAP gas torches. So this what I ended up with. Haven't checked the purity but except for the blemish on the front probably because of the borax, the nugget looks like I got it pretty pure. I'll work on the borax and or imperfections. But does anyone have any thoughts on it's purity? Now unfortunately I must sell it to get my running and a few other car parts. Anyone know of any trust worthy gold/ silver buyers in Sacramento area, well Auburn but no one's ever heard of that so,....I am very tired and rambling so that is! ....


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## Rreyes097 (Oct 2, 2022)

Just tested purity and it tested better then 22kt!


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## Biom (Oct 2, 2022)

Happy for you looks great . The best thing to do first .is take some of it . Try to make something out of it . And give it to your wife as gift .and see what her reaction . I think she will be very happy .and some thing .that can't never forget


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## eaglekeeper (Oct 2, 2022)

What was the starting material?


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## Rreyes097 (Oct 2, 2022)

Biom said:


> Happy for you looks great . The best thing to do first .is take some of it . Try to make something out of it . And give it to your wife as gift .and see what her reaction . I think she will be very happy .and some thing .that can't never forget


I totally was going to make her a to ring or something but she's not into wearing gold. But thanks for the suggestion. I'm selling it so I can afford to buy some parts for my vehicles that each one of them needs especially my BMW convertible which needs a whole new ragtop!


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## Rreyes097 (Oct 2, 2022)

eaglekeeper said:


> What was the starting material?


Well it came mostly from 6 pounds of RAM fingers. Plus every other gold plated stuff I could find. I changed the shape. I much like this one better.


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## eaglekeeper (Oct 3, 2022)

Awesome... kinda looks like an old cut coin.


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## orvi (Oct 3, 2022)

You should get it to higher temperature. To properly melt it. You need to insulate the melting dish well with mineral wool or insulating porous refractory brick.


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## AndrewSuperD (Oct 4, 2022)

I use a MAPP gas torch and about a 3” diameter melt dish sitting on a couple fire brick from Lowes for my buttons. Once I have my gold powder in my filter paper, I’ll fold it and let it dry. I then get my melt dish good and hot (till the borax is liquified and flows). I then put the folded filter paper in the dish and let the filter naturally burn off slowly. The gold is caught in the liquid borax and I don’t lose it. I found that hitting the dry filter paper with my torch blows the gold all over the dish, and likely out of the dish. This process works great and quickly for me. But I think the torch aperture is key. I have a wider aperture torch and it takes a LONG time to melt anything. The one that I use is from Amazon. Propane Torch with Hose 3.6Ft, Mapp/Map Gas Torch Trigge... https://a.co/d/1umq7la

Call around to jewelers and bullion dealers for pricing. I’ve found they usually quote a percentage of spot based on xrf test and are higher than any pawn or “we buy gold” shops. 

And I know exactly where Auburn is. I’m off 80 on the “other” side of SAC.


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## Rreyes097 (Oct 4, 2022)

So yesterday I took my gold button, My shiny Gold button and my 106 Gram bar of silver to a place that buys gold and silver and they only had the acid testers. And tried to tell me my gold was 18 karat even though my scratch test at home said 22 or better. And that my silver bar was 92% pure so basically sterling. I just went to another place that does have the machine. And they tested both. And both came up as 99.9% pure! I'm so proud of myself or the purity I made this button and bar. But I could not have done it without all the help from this forum. The tough love.hahaha!? And the information found within this website. Thanks again to you all.


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## Rreyes097 (Oct 4, 2022)

Cool but yes 0 I just got done taking it to a shop where I was in lodi. They use a gun to test it and my silver came out 99.99% pure and my gold came out 99.99%! The dealer before that try to tell me it was 18 karat or or less and my silver was 92% pure. They're trying to rob me.


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## orvi (Oct 4, 2022)

AndrewSuperD said:


> I use a MAPP gas torch and about a 3” diameter melt dish sitting on a couple fire brick from Lowes for my buttons. Once I have my gold powder in my filter paper, I’ll fold it and let it dry. I then get my melt dish good and hot (till the borax is liquified and flows). I then put the folded filter paper in the dish and let the filter naturally burn off slowly. The gold is caught in the liquid borax and I don’t lose it. I found that hitting the dry filter paper with my torch blows the gold all over the dish, and likely out of the dish. This process works great and quickly for me. But I think the torch aperture is key. I have a wider aperture torch and it takes a LONG time to melt anything. The one that I use is from Amazon. Propane Torch with Hose 3.6Ft, Mapp/Map Gas Torch Trigge... https://a.co/d/1umq7la
> 
> Call around to jewelers and bullion dealers for pricing. I’ve found they usually quote a percentage of spot based on xrf test and are higher than any pawn or “we buy gold” shops.
> 
> And I know exactly where Auburn is. I’m off 80 on the “other” side of SAC.


Insulation is key when melting with torch. I found mineral wool superior to any regular firebricks. Put piece of mineral wool onto some brick or heat reasistant surface, place dish on top, wrap U-shaped strap of wool around the dish and cover the top also with piece of it - creating semi-furnance like shape. Blow the burner inside, making sure wind does not blow outside too much - otherwise it will steal the heat from the dish and melt slowly.
And you need a good power from the burner, I am happy with 3-4kW one, air/propane-butane type. One which mix the fuel gas and air at the very beginning, right after the handle. Otherwise burnt gasses rich in CO2 will extinguish the flame or minimally impair the power output and burning will be incomplete.
You also want to know if your burner can mix fuel/air in right ratio. With pre-made holes it is hard to regulate, but sometimes it is possible to partially cover one or two. Or drill them bigger/drill few smaller more to let more air in.


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## Shark (Oct 4, 2022)

Search for mini furnace. I am still looking but it is a very old post.

The post I was looking for has the pictures missing. I think these were originally postsed on Lazersteves old web site.

I did find this one. While I would use the soft high temp brick those hard brink will work, they just take forever to heat up..









Temporary 5 brick & Kaowool propane mini-furnace


I wanted a small furnace to concentrate and hold heat from a Bernzomatic TS8000 torch in order to melt silver powder in a 3" melting dish using propane and not MAPP gas. I looked on this forum and other sources. I didn't find exactly what I wanted with step-by-step instructions, dimensions and...




goldrefiningforum.com


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## Shark (Oct 4, 2022)

Or this one. I like this better.








Mini firebrick furnace


I had to build my own mini firebrick furnace because I busted the awesome one that LaserSteve created. Unfortunately Steve has not been producing them lately and I needed to have a working furnace. Soooooooooooo I acquired some 2300 degree firebricks. I used my drill press to carve out the...




goldrefiningforum.com


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## eaglekeeper (Oct 4, 2022)

Yea... you gotta shop around. I had a bullion dealer try the same Bull crap with refined silver. 

I cut 2 pieces of 3 inch thick Kaowool 5 x 5 inch squares, then cut a hole in the center of one piece the same size as my 3 inch crucible. Stack the one with the hole on the other, drop in my crucible and that insulates the whole outer surfaces. I can melt almost an ounce of gold with a standard MAP torch.


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## orvi (Oct 5, 2022)

Rreyes097 said:


> So yesterday I took my gold button, My shiny Gold button and my 106 Gram bar of silver to a place that buys gold and silver and they only had the acid testers. And tried to tell me my gold was 18 karat even though my scratch test at home said 22 or better. And that my silver bar was 92% pure so basically sterling. I just went to another place that does have the machine. And they tested both. And both came up as 99.9% pure! I'm so proud of myself or the purity I made this button and bar. But I could not have done it without all the help from this forum. The tough love.hahaha!? And the information found within this website. Thanks again to you all.


These fellas will always try... That is their job, to "legally" scam and lowball people. Without access to XRF it is hard to properly know if your AuAg is sufficiently pure. But you can refine that way you get sprouting with silver and vent hole with gold. This will tell you both are over 99% pure.


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