Gold Conductor Paste - Please Advise

[butcher]

One thought is possibly the lead, which makes gold brittle, you could try to use a magnesium fire clay cupel or some bone ash powders, to oxide the lead so the cupel can suck up the lead oxides.

 

[anachronism]

The pic of your white melting dish looks fine. I'd put some more in if you can get it like that, and it will likely come together. You sometimes have to move the dish to get it to go into one blob.

 

[Williamjf77]

I used the same setup to melt my first button last week and it took a while and depending on how close the torch was and how I had the kaowool, it would make the torch flare or sputter, it did melt almost 11 grams of gold though, I almost gave up because it felt like eternity but I could see the melted gold start and travel and pick up The Whole button. I would say it took at least 10 minutes maybe more

 

[g_axelsson]

I just read the MSDS, 1-5% Ag and 1-10% Pb, that explains the hardness of your gold. It shouldn't make it harder to melt, though.

You are so close, the molten balls on that clump of gold is proof of that. The gold has actually melted but solidified when it made better thermal contact with the big blob, it sucked the heat away in an instance.

Good luck!

Göran

 

[anachronism]

I just read the MSDS, 1-5% Ag and 1-10% Pb, that explains the hardness of your gold. It shouldn't make it harder to melt, though.

Göran

This exactly. If anything it would lower the melting point. As has been said- you're nearly there- keep going.

 

[NeoRock]

Thank you guys, I am as novice with this as anyone can be. After watching a few youtube videos, I came here and basically everything I've learned, is from you guys.

What was discouraging is each attempt is trying to melt such a tiny speck. So if I cannot get that to melt, what luck do I have with the bulk of it. Unless, I am completely wrong about that aspect of it. Anyhow, I will try again, realized I could I could use both torches simultaneously....

One of the images Butcher posted had a small can furnace setup, with a torch on each side. Also saw it on some videos. Perhaps it will help a bit.

Thanks again everyone. I will go at it again, fingers crossed.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

How long are you keeping the torch on what you're trying to melt? It can take anywhere from a few minutes to quite a few minutes to get gold to fully melt. You may be pulling the torch away too soon. Gold needs to reach an orange yellow color before it melts (see Furnace Temperature Colors).

Dave

 

[g_axelsson]

Melting 1 gram is not so different from melting 50 grams. You still have to heat up the melting dish and the environment around it. After that it's just a question of being persistent to put enough heat into the metal.

How about the environment you try to melt in, are you outside or in a workshop? What is the air temperature? Windy or calm? Cold air blowing around the melting dish will cool it down fast, and it's that time of the year now.

Göran

 

[butcher]

Like fishing "ya got to hold yer mouth right", or riding a bicycle "Once you learn how it is easy".

What fun is it when something that comes easy, when you have to sweat for it it will mean much more in the long run.

 

[Andyanvil]

You could melt the plastic and glass if you wish along with the powder.

I can see the furnace has fuel gas, but where is it getting the air or oxygen to burn the fuel and provide the heat needed to melt the gold?

It may work better just using the torch (with its gas/air mixing tip) and melt the gold in the dish directly without the furnace.

Thank you for your reply, much appreciated. Please excuse my ignorance as I am very much a novice. The video I was following did not have another "hole" for oxygen...but now that you say it, that makes perfect sense. Obviously, more oxygen, higher burning. Should I just make a hold on the other side of the can??

Also, you said "you could melt the plastic along with the powder".... would that not contaminate the gold with the plastic, or does it burn off completely?

And initially I did try just using the torch portion of my setup, but even trying to melt a "pomegranate seed size" amount, wouldn't happen. I had the gold in a crucible and had the torch on it for more than 5 minutes but all I (see image attached) got was a harder spec, with yellow highlights on it. I am also attaching the data sheet for the actual paste...

It looks like it may contain alumina. It said something about based on tests. It's hard to read for me but I can't imagine heat being the best method to remove alumina seeing as I melt my gold in a homemade alumina crucible. I even melted PD once in said crucible.