Can you melt Silver while its inside of a Graphite Mold?

[Hamilton Metallurgy]

I am wondering if I can just melt my Gold or Silver shot while its still inside of the mold so I can make Ingots with Mirror-Like Surfaces.

The way I would do it is-
1. Weigh out my shot (One Troy Ounce)
2. Place the shot into a mold for making One Troy Ounce bars
3. Place the mold into an electric furnace (TableTop RapidFire Pro-L)
4. Let the shot melt into the mold
5. After it melts, place a smooth Graphite plate onto the mold (pre-heated of course)
6. Then Take it out of the furnace and let it cool down
7. After it cools, I would slide off the Graphite plate and pop-out the bar.

If I did the process this way, would the bars have mirror like surfaces, or would the molten metal squeeze out the sides because there is a graphite plate on top of it?

The reason why I am asking, is because I watched a video where a guy did this using a vacuum induction casting machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boT0IeRdu9k

 

[Lino1406]

The vacuum and argon are essential for silver

 

[Hamilton Metallurgy]

so your saying that it wont work unless it is done under a vacuum, pumped with argon?

 

[Lou]

Eh, if you cover the mold with another piece of graphite you can, but the issue is the slow cooling outs a large contraction void/pipe. Tunnel bar systems use a pancake induction coil with the graphite susceptor and a water cooled Cu plate.

A (not so) poor Man’s version might just be to get a water cooled chill plate with the mold level and use the graphite as a resistive element between two water coolers copper electrodes.

 

[g_axelsson]

Lou, now you're giving me ideas. :twisted:

Btw, I picked up the small instrument we talked about on Sunday. Next step is to try some power.

Göran

 

[anachronism]

Lou, now you're giving me ideas. :twisted:

Göran

Only if you beat me to it. :twisted: :twisted:

And trust me. If Rick Zein reads this he'll have it knocked up in a couple of days. :lol: :lol:

 

[Lou]

Lots of amps just enough volts! As my right hand man says, “send it the bees!!”

 

[Williamjf77]

Aluminum plates work great at removing heat quickly, I use aluminum plates to quench hardened steel instead of oil quenching and you’d be surprised how quickly a mass of aluminum will rip heat away.