Help with Borax please!

[masonwebb]

Hello!

So I watched lazersteve's video on how to glaze a dish with borax before melting. When I attempted to do it, the borax mostly blew away, and what little did melt didn't create an even glaze over the edges. It just created a pool on the bottom. I am using a propane torch, I'm thinking it's not hot enough. Any insight would be appreciated!

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

What you can do is heat the dish before adding borax. You do this by dialing in your torch so that you have a small flame, working your way slowing around the edges towards the middle. Then once you have the melting dish hot, you can lightly sprinkle the borax over the inside surface area. What this does is make the borax immediately expand as it comes into contact with the hot surface of the melting dish. In this way it will "stick" to the surface, instead of being blown away buy the flame of your torch. Then as you start to get a glaze, you can make small additions while keeping to torch flame close enough to keep the melting dish hot.

Scott

 

[Harold_V]

You can avoid almost all of the problems with borax by simply buying anhydrous borax, or borax glass. In both cases, there is no moisture present, so the granules are far more compact. They not only don't blow around easily, but they yield greater coverage when melted.

They may not be easy to buy, although chemical supply houses should have both of them. I used to buy in 100 pound bags. You pay more, but you also get more, with the added bonus of easier handling.

Harold

 

[steyr223]

Hey harold and scott how are you gentlemen
To the op
I usually grab the dish with channlelocks and just tip it so
The borax will roll to every spot

I dont know if this will help but my dish is usually
Coated pretty thick ,the last 4 melts i decided not
To add any borax and it seems to still be working
Well

Point is not to much borax
Steyr223 rob

 

[goldsilverpro]

In an open dish, propane alone won't melt gold. You also need oxygen.

 

[masonwebb]

What you can do is heat the dish before adding borax. You do this by dialing in your torch so that you have a small flame, working your way slowing around the edges towards the middle. Then once you have the melting dish hot, you can lightly sprinkle the borax over the inside surface area. What this does is make the borax immediately expand as it comes into contact with the hot surface of the melting dish. In this way it will "stick" to the surface, instead of being blown away buy the flame of your torch. Then as you start to get a glaze, you can make small additions while keeping to torch flame close enough to keep the melting dish hot.

Scott

That is what I did, the borax expanded when I sprinkled it over the dish. So I should try to keep the flame away from the borax? That makes sense because after I got it to stick to the edges as soon as I put the torch towards it, it blew away. Now is the borax supposed to burn off during the melt? Because I had a lot of borax in the dish after the melt, and the gold was coated in borax.

 

[Harold_V]

That is what I did, the borax expanded when I sprinkled it over the dish. So I should try to keep the flame away from the borax?

Not if you hope to melt that which you apply. Just back off on the torch pressure and distance until it liquefies.

That makes sense because after I got it to stick to the edges as soon as I put the torch towards it, it blew away.

Did you read my comments about anhydrous borax? That is a solution to the problem.

Now is the borax supposed to burn off during the melt?

No. It should melt to a tranquil, thin covering.

Because I had a lot of borax in the dish after the melt, and the gold was coated in borax.

Exactly why you have been told to put only a thin covering of borax in the dish. Also, do NOT mix your gold with borax prior to melting, as that's a recipe for entrapping countless numbers of miniscule prills in the flux.

You should have nothing more than a lubricating coating of borax in your melting dish. If you find the surface of your gold isn't quite clean and shiny, you might enjoy success by sprinkling a few grains of borax on the surface while it's molten. That often picks up traces of oxidation and allows the metal to flow together. Be advised, it does little towards purifying the gold. If you hold the gold in a molten state, you'll notice that there's a continuous movement of oxides to the edges, generating from the center of the button. Such gold almost always benefits from a second refining.

Harold

 

[Gold]

Here's a segment of a video i shot.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2YLSZ-kj0M&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

 

[masonwebb]

Harold-

Thank you for your answers! I will use everyones tips next time I need to melt, I will look up the anhydrous borax. One thing I have learned from the forum over the past months is that nothing is ever as simple as it seems There is a lot of technique and fineness involved.

 

[ilikesilver]

Here's a segment of a video i shot.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2YLSZ-kj0M&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Hey Gold, that is a great video!! now thats the way to coat a dish. Even though im not at that point yet, it helps a lot to see it in action, then have to read about it all the time. tim