# First fine gold shot



## MGH (Jun 6, 2020)

Here are the results of my first time making gold shot. Of course it's not as spherical and uniform as a professional would do, but seems it'll do the job.

This lot was from a local jeweler who specifically requested the gold returned as shot so he can re-alloy at will.

Technique used: 18 inch tall stainless steel pot, full of water and about half full with pieces of ice. Made one large chuck of ice by freezing water in a plastic container (about 20 ounce size). Poured from the melting dish onto one side of the large chuck of ice. Collected shot in a Corningware dish at the bottom. Seems all the gold had solidified before reaching the bottom. Total gold amount, 2.38 ozt.

Thanks again to all who have shared their experiences here!


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## jarlowski1 (Jun 6, 2020)

Looks great :G


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## FrugalRefiner (Jun 6, 2020)

That's some beautiful gold! It reminds me of the picture Harold used to post.

While I haven't tried it, I've read of a technique (can't remember whether it was here or somewhere else) using a long board that would be placed into your bucket of ice water. It would be long enough to stick out the top when it is placed in on a diagonal. The board should be wet on the part that extends out of the water, The gold is then poured onto the damp board above the level of the water. As the droplets run down the board, they become rounded.

I'd love to know if that works for you the next time you pour shot.

Dave


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## snail (Jun 6, 2020)

I have no personal experience, but remember reading that pouring over the rim of a dish gives “cornflakes” better for dissolving, and pouring through holes gives shot.
They had 3 Small holes drilled near the rim of the dish. When they tipped the dish the gold dropped through the holes as small droplets.
Hope this helps.


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## Jmk88 (Jun 7, 2020)

That looks stunning. One of the best I’ve seen here for ages. Wow.


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## nickvc (Jun 7, 2020)

For what your customer needs that will do very nicely, well done.
As Dave has alluded you can roll the pour over a piece of submerged wood pointing down into your container to make it more uniform but in most cases that really is just cosmetic and not required by the customer, they just want good pieces of fine gold to re alloy and what you produced fits that bill perfectly 8) 
If you want to produce the small round shot you need to have a pre drilled crucible suspended over the shot bucket with a flame heating it to keep the gold your are pouring molten as it drips from the crucible and the height of the drop and size of the holes determines the size and shape, a lot of effort and extra equipment unless you are producing hundreds of ounces at a time.


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## MGH (Jun 7, 2020)

snail said:


> I have no personal experience, but remember reading that pouring over the rim of a dish gives “cornflakes” better for dissolving, and pouring through holes gives shot.
> They had 3 Small holes drilled near the rim of the dish. When they tipped the dish the gold dropped through the holes as small droplets.
> Hope this helps.


True. I tried this recently with some silver as a test run. It didn't work well for me. I believe it's for the same reason as has been mentioned elsewhere, you need enough mass behind the holes to push the metal through effectively. It's difficult to make this work with small amounts.



FrugalRefiner said:


> That's some beautiful gold! It reminds me of the picture Harold used to post.


Thanks, Dave. That's a high compliment . While not on the level of Harold's bowl, It was a nice sight to lift the Corningware out from under the ice with even this small amount gleaming in there.

Dave and Nick,
I've read about the board technique, and considered it too. Just simply decided to try this one. The customer sent me back with another similar lot, so perhaps I'll try the board techinque next time.

Thanks again, all!


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## FrugalRefiner (Jun 7, 2020)

MGH said:


> I've read about the board technique, and considered it too. Just simply decided to try this one. The customer sent me back with another similar lot, so perhaps I'll try the board techinque next time.



I'll look forward to the picture.

Dave


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## nickvc (Jun 7, 2020)

MGH don’t fret if the customer is happy who cares, I wouldn’t go to far to make the grains better, try the wood or even stainless submerged but the truth is your customer wants something that’s easy to work with which you supplied... job done 8)


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## MGH (Jun 12, 2020)

Following up:
This is the second batch. Total of 2.13 ozt. Here I used a wood board angled through a bucket of water into a corningware dish. This is _maybe_ a little more rounded and uniform than pouring onto and through some ice, but not much difference. I assume there would be little or no practical difference, or even preference, for a jeweler doing castings.

Thanks again, all.


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## FrugalRefiner (Jun 12, 2020)

Thanks for sharing that! The new batch looks very similar to the first, and I agree that a jeweler creating their new allows from your refined gold should have equal results from either batch.

Both batches look great!

Dave


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## Jmk88 (Jun 13, 2020)

Love this so much


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## markscomp (Jun 13, 2020)




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