Length of time to melt a gold engagement ring?

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AngelaQ

AngelaQ

Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Messages
9
I'm writing a novel and my character is needing a blacksmith (all she has handy at the moment) to melt her 3-4 oz gold engagement ring. How long would that take to melt it and have it cool enough to form a nugget to hand back to her in a piece of cloth? Thanks in advance!
 
3-4 oz is a bit of a large chunk of metal to use as a ring,most weight form 2-4 grams.
And to give you an estimate of the time it would take to melt metals into a blob would depend on the period you are setting your novel.
An early forge with just charcoal and a bellow's would find it very hard to do ,and not meany farriers would have the small type of furnace and crucibles needed.
But before travel most small town's and some villages would have had some one who would trade and work in silver and gold.
A more modern work shop from the 1920 onward would have had a gas/oxygen blow torch up until quite recently which would do the job in second.
 
justinhcase said:
3-4 oz is a bit of a large chunk of metal to use as a ring,most weight form 2-4 grams.
And to give you an estimate of the time it would take to melt metals into a blob would depend on the period you are setting your novel.
An early forge with just charcoal and a bellow's would find it very hard to do ,and not meany farriers would have the small type of furnace and crucibles needed.
But before travel most small town's and some villages would have had some one who would trade and work in silver and gold.
A more modern work shop from the 1920 onward would have had a gas/oxygen blow torch up until quite recently which would do the job in second.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the oz was a mistake, I meant grams. I panicked I'd put ounces in my novel (which would have involved recalculating the amount she'd get for it (in money)) but luckily I had it right in the manuscript.

The novel is set in 1294 England...
 
Once metal is cast, or poured into a bar, it is usually water quenched and cools very quickly. I used to pour 100 ounce gold bars and dump the molds into cold water while it was still glowing red, pull off my gloves, and put my hand in and pull it out seconds later. Never burned me once.

Just like the blacksmith in the old west movies quenching a red hot horseshoe by dunking it in water, the shoe hissed, the steam rose off the water and the shoe cooled right down.
 
4metals said:
Once metal is cast, or poured into a bar, it is usually water quenched and cools very quickly. I used to pour 100 ounce gold bars and dump the molds into cold water while it was still glowing red, pull off my gloves, and put my hand in and pull it out seconds later. Never burned me once.

Just like the blacksmith in the old west movies quenching a red hot horseshoe by dunking it in water, the shoe hissed, the steam rose off the water and the show cooled right down.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I'll definitely add that detail and visual then...
 
That was a real interesting period of time in history including for gold also.
 
To be fair, I think 2-4 grams for a ring is only a modern thing with karat alloys and casting techniques.
In the 13th century, I would guess a ring could be somewhere around 1 ounce or more. Really, 1 ounce of gold isn't all that much metal.
 
resabed01 said:
To be fair, I think 2-4 grams for a ring is only a modern thing with karat alloys and casting techniques.
In the 13th century, I would guess a ring could be somewhere around 1 ounce or more. Really, 1 ounce of gold isn't all that much metal.
Click to expand...
Would you really consider having a ring the same size as a $20 gold coin?
It would be quite a hand full even split into four ring's.
 
justinhcase said:
resabed01 said:
To be fair, I think 2-4 grams for a ring is only a modern thing with karat alloys and casting techniques.
In the 13th century, I would guess a ring could be somewhere around 1 ounce or more. Really, 1 ounce of gold isn't all that much metal.
Click to expand...
Would you really consider having a ring the same size as a $20 gold coin?
It would be quite a hand full even split into four ring's.
Click to expand...


1 ounce would not be far fetched. I have a few rings that are over half an ounce in weight, one being a high school class ring. I am currently having a ring made that will weigh just over 20 grams. This ring weighs over 1.5 ounces. http://www.ebay.com/itm/MENS-DIAMOND-RING-SOLID-14K-YELLOW-GOLD-48-GRAMS-Size-11-/161739127367?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=q6KFfYkgBm3b8ASi3rLQiT%252FzJOs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Uncommon? Maybe. But they are out there, and probably in a larger quantity than any of us would imagine.
 
In that time period gold was considered a sign and a store of of wealth and the bigger the ring or item the more your standing in society. I believe the most popular items was crosses and sword pommels.
 
resabed01 said:
To be fair, I think 2-4 grams for a ring is only a modern thing with karat alloys and casting techniques.
In the 13th century, I would guess a ring could be somewhere around 1 ounce or more. Really, 1 ounce of gold isn't all that much metal.
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that this is a time travel, so the ring is very much modern...
 
So, on the length of time, if the blacksmith had a crucible for it, and the forge was already hot... how long would that take to melt 3-4 grams of gold...
 
In medieval times, it was common for each settlement to have someone that can assay. Raw, unrefined gold and silver was used in parts of the world that had virgin metal and as trade spread, coins of the realm and points beyond was routinely assayed to assure fineness. The art of assaying was more widely used then than it is today. Wiser and weaker.
 
The art of assaying was more widely used then than it is today.
Click to expand...

Today we put our trust in electronics (XRF) and our cash in someone else's pocket. The age old fire assay is still the best and most accurate way to do it.

I forgot to mention that this is a time travel
Click to expand...

So she can get a price for her bead from a modern cash for gold guy, travel back in time for a good old fire assay, and when she see's the difference she can bring the cash for gold guy back to the medieval times and have him publicly flogged!
 
4metals said:
So she can get a price for her bead from a modern cash for gold guy, travel back in time for a good old fire assay, and when she see's the difference she can bring the cash for gold guy back to the medieval times and have him publicly flogged!
Click to expand...

Ha Ha, If only that was possible 4metals
 
Thanks everyone! Does this work then? She has no expertise in this kind of thing, so she couldn't just call it a crucible...

He stoked the fire in his forge higher, pulled out a dark gray, ceramic-looking beaker, and dropped her ring inside. With tongs held in gloved hands, he gripped the container and held it over the hottest part of the fire.
[small bit of dialogue with another character cut as it has no relation to the melting]
Ten agonizing minutes later, the blacksmith poured the molten gold into a small mold. With another pair of tongs, he fished out her diamond, and then plunged the mold into a bucket of water. Steam flashed high tshhhhh, obscuring him momentarily.
Shortly, he handed Katy a piece of wool with a lump of gold no bigger than a green pea on steroids and her diamond on top.
Click to expand...
 

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