# First Kilo Bar!



## Gsracer (May 10, 2021)

So i just wanted to post this, you guys and this forum has been an immense source of information and help. I started here on January 1st a complete newbie brought here by Sreetips videos that popped onto my youtube feed. I had been collecting bullion lightly for a few years. I read the forum endlessly and said to myself you know i could do that.

From my first post practicing melting sterling bars to my silver refining thread, i sure feel i have come a long way. Between what Ive got in progress and what i have done I have just about 20 kilos of silver refined. With another 20 or so to go. I've ran my cell 24/7 and at times 2 cells. I really got hooked. There have been some ups and downs along the way, and of course a learning curve, new problems, problems with no merit, and thankfully ive been able to recover everything, and when i have had issues ive been able to search here and get a solution!

I finally got around to pouring some of the crystal i have been accumulating and poured my first Kilo Bar.

Its not perfect, there was some outgassing as the torch head i was using was fairly small, but im extremely happy with it. Im going to get a larger torch head and continue on! Also i over shot the kilo by 20 grams, the actual pour was 19.4 grams over. I used good technique and good equipment so for the next ill try to only over shoot by 1% as its better to be slightly over then under.

Thanks again everyone for all the help!

iPhone and small 10 oz bar for reference


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## Gsracer (May 10, 2021)

I went for the second bar today. I purchased a larger propane torch.

Im laying a nice reducing flame over the mold, which is hot but not too hot. I was able to get a pour without the outgassing this time.

However im getting what seems to be soot from the mold or the crucible that comes over with the pour and leaves an unsightly surface on part of the bar.

The carbon soot comes off easy enough soaked in a 200ml water 10 ml sulfuric bath for a few minutes. However the surface below the soot is not as nice as the rest. 

Is there anyway i can mitigate this carbon/graphite/soot. I am not using any flux at all for these pours.








They are multiplying






Beautiful blue crystallization on cooling


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## Gsracer (May 10, 2021)

Also i found the sweet spot for weight, i ran 1% over at 1010 grams to start.

Ended up with 1006.2 in the bar, thats close enough for me.

I just would love to resolve the carbon/soot/graphite issue.


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## jmdlcar (May 10, 2021)

For me both bar looks nice, just keep up the hard and good work.


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## mls26cwru (May 11, 2021)

those bars are gorgeous!


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## nickvc (May 11, 2021)

If you really want kilo bars simply drill the bars you have and remove the excess and remelt, the other choice for future melts is to shot the crystal first and then you can melt kilo bars easily.


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## Gsracer (May 11, 2021)

Thanks for the comments guys!

Nick im not to concerned with hitting a kilo exactly, as i know a melt and pour will never hit the mark, outside of controlled industrial settings.

Mainly i just want the top to look nice all the way through, the carbon thats either coming off the crucible or the mold as i cant be to sure where its coming from. Im sure there is a way to mitigate that issue i just cant find anything in the search here or google.

Thanks again for the feedback everyone!


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## Gsracer (May 25, 2021)

Here’s where I sit. Still have a lot of kilos of crystal yet to pour. I continue to struggle with the graphite contamination on the surface. It of course comes right off in a dilute sulfuric bath. However I have determined it is coming from the crucible and not the mold. 

Are there any options for a crucible that doesn’t shed so much graphite? I don’t have this problem with melt dishes. But hard to get a kilo in a melt dish.


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## nickvc (May 25, 2021)

Try using morganite clay graphite crucibles I used them for many years and never had problems with contamination, we used graphite crucibles for the continuous casting machines and if I remember correctly they were expensive because of the quality we needed and we never had problems with contamination.


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## Hartbar (Jun 11, 2021)

Well done gsracer,
Great looking bars.
How do you poor kilo bars from a torch?
What kind of torch do you use?


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## Gsracer (Jun 11, 2021)

Thank you Sir!

I dont use a torch, i use a propane furnace for all my bars.

Side note i got some brand new salamander crucibles this week, A1 for the smaller and a4 for the kilo. I will be pouring some soon.


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## Abdoulapapatte (Jan 25, 2022)

first question I see that you melt a lot of silverware at how much do you buy the kg of alloy? in which country, I would like to compare a little, you buy or, flea market, garage sale? 



Personally I melt silver after electrolysis like you in 999, I use a graphite ingot mould, graphite does not contaminate anything.

here if you talk about contamination of your engraved face, it's just your flame that you use to heat your ingot mould, I'm sure you have to let it light while you pour your ingot into the ingot mould over it.

or you have to preheat your ingot mould at the flame outlet of your forge.

Look at me, I melt with a Devil forge, I use a crucible type

silicon carburetor - graphite
I get by for 15 euros more or less and quiet pendant for a long time.

I melt the silver 999/1000 in always the same crucible and especially, I do not put anything else in it and not even borax, on the other hand I heat my graphite ingot before a little before casting the ingot.



Here are the results according to the desire to do things well 
a) to make beauty, I transform in ingot to go to sell has a repurchase or a big refiner (photosn°2)

b) here yes I care about the beauty (photos n°3)


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