Is this crucible usable?

[gorfman6154]

Copperkid_18, there are all kinds of ways to get scrap, and remember there is more than just computers, here are just a few thoughts off the top of my head

yard sales
Thrift stores
Nifty nickle newspapers
Junk yards/Scrap yards
Scrap haulers
Computer repair shops
Transfer stations/ city or county dumps
Photo shops and photographers for fixer or film
Dentists, doctors, clinics, vets, for x-ray film
Apartment complexes, scrap from evictions and move outs
Print shops for litho film
Government auctions, city, county, state and federal
auto repair shops for catalytic converters and oxygen sensors
buying scrap or broken gold jewelry
Jewelry stores and watch repair shops for silver button batteries and jewelers wastes
Silver plated and Gold plated household goods, try and get them for free or really cheap

It will take some effort on your part, but the stuff is out there, you just have to find it.

This should get you started. Print up some business cards, and fliers, start handing them out to everyone. Start making contacts with all your local businesses, family and friends. everybody is always upgrading or throwing out computers. Eventually you will get that call.

In the meantime, read, study and learn all you can about recycling, recovery and refining.

Best of luck, Gary

 

[Chumbawamba]

What Gary said, and I would add public storage auctions for tenants that didn't pay their bill. Some people make a living out of it.

I love hanging out in thrift stores when I have some spare time. There's always cool stuff to be found there. For the independent stores (not Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.) you can probably work out a deal with them to take their worthless electronics off their hands. The Goodwills and SA's here in California have e-scrap programs already, having gotten savvy about e-scrao several years back, so they take care of their own stuff. But in other states it might be different, and the independent thrift stores will usually not have a convenient way to discard their scrap computers and such.

As others have noted, don't overlook cans & bottles if your state has a redemption program. I was able to buy two ounces of gold across two years by saving up the proceeds from my can & bottle recycling. I would try to collect at least 20 containers a day (equals $1 in California redemption value, $30/month) but soon found myself sometimes doing triple that. I would put the money in my son's piggy bank and then on his b-day I would open it up and take the money down to the gold dealer. So in this way I did what the alchemists of the middle centuries were never able to do: I turned based metals into precious metals!

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

 

[Higashi]

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

Yeap, building a business is supposed to be tough, that's how it is. Take it easy, one at a time, will get you going strong and steady a long time.


and now back to the topic... :lol: can i at least for the time being just melt gold on ceramic fibre blanket?
will refine it later. just want to get it into a small form factor so to make it easier to work with in chemicals.

saw a video on youtube, someone did just that before dumping the molten gold into a bucket full of water.

 

[dtectr]

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

Yeap, building a business is supposed to be tough, that's how it is. Take it easy, one at a time, will get you going strong and steady a long time.


and now back to the topic... :lol: can i at least for the time being just melt gold on ceramic fibre blanket?
will refine it later. just want to get it into a small form factor so to make it easier to work with in chemicals.

saw a video on youtube, someone did just that before dumping the molten gold into a bucket full of water.

How much are you wanting to pour at one time? if small buttons, some on this forum have advocated drilling proper size holes in good quality charcoal briquettes. the charcoal also produces a reducing atmoshere which tends to protect your metal from excess oxidation during the melt & pour.

Charcoal blocks have been used for years by jewelry crafstmen as long as the button didn't need to be "pretty"; if it was to be reworked, forged, drawn or etc. A proper sized bowl is ground into the surface & smoothed, with a groove to pour from - the residual carbon acts as a mold release, so if you want to make "shot", you simply melt & pour into water. be aware that this is a "one time only" kind of thing - it must be ground out again before it can be reused. This could at least buy you time until you are able to find a suitable crucible.

just one point of view from my experiences.

jordan

 

[Higashi]

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

Yeap, building a business is supposed to be tough, that's how it is. Take it easy, one at a time, will get you going strong and steady a long time.


and now back to the topic... :lol: can i at least for the time being just melt gold on ceramic fibre blanket?
will refine it later. just want to get it into a small form factor so to make it easier to work with in chemicals.

saw a video on youtube, someone did just that before dumping the molten gold into a bucket full of water.

How much are you wanting to pour at one time? if small buttons, some on this forum have advocated drilling proper size holes in good quality charcoal briquettes. the charcoal also produces a reducing atmoshere which tends to protect your metal from excess oxidation during the melt & pour.

Charcoal blocks have been used for years by jewelry crafstmen as long as the button didn't need to be "pretty"; if it was to be reworked, forged, drawn or etc. A proper sized bowl is ground into the surface & smoothed, with a groove to pour from - the residual carbon acts as a mold release, so if you want to make "shot", you simply melt & pour into water. be aware that this is a "one time only" kind of thing - it must be ground out again before it can be reused. This could at least buy you time until you are able to find a suitable crucible.

just one point of view from my experiences.

jordan

It's okay Jordan, found a company that sells Morganite's Salamander Super & Starrbide crucible close to home.

Would the Salamander Super works fine with Gold?

Here's what the manufacturer says :

SALAMANDER SUPER

DESCRIPTION
SALAMANDER SUPER is a high quality ceramic bonded clay graphite crucible range manufactured by plastic forming techniques.

APPLICATIONS
SALAMANDER SUPER crucibles are used to provide consistent performance in fuel-fired furnaces and medium / high frequency induction furnaces.
The smaller sizes are typically used to melt precious metals, while larger sizes can be used for some ferrous alloys such as grey iron as well as to melt non-ferrous alloys.

Yes? no? maybe?... I'm incinerating my PM source, and for some reason have to melt all the metal into big chunks, and later remelt them and make flakes to be worked with acids. So i think use of flux is unavoidable. Will it stand the corrosion from the use of flux?

I'm thinking of getting A2, A3 or A4 size. Too big? Will build a simple furnace using steel shell (about the size of 16kg LPG tank) and 2" or 3" of kaowool lining and no ceramic rigidizer and no ITC-100. I will use propane+butane burner, burning 4-6 kg per hour of LPG, with around 4m3/minute of forced air. Do you think it will provide enough heat to raise the temperature to Au melting point? Did some reading but i feel kinda lost, too much to read in too short of a time.

 

[dtectr]

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

Yeap, building a business is supposed to be tough, that's how it is. Take it easy, one at a time, will get you going strong and steady a long time.


and now back to the topic... :lol: can i at least for the time being just melt gold on ceramic fibre blanket?
will refine it later. just want to get it into a small form factor so to make it easier to work with in chemicals.

saw a video on youtube, someone did just that before dumping the molten gold into a bucket full of water.

How much are you wanting to pour at one time? if small buttons, some on this forum have advocated drilling proper size holes in good quality charcoal briquettes. the charcoal also produces a reducing atmoshere which tends to protect your metal from excess oxidation during the melt & pour.

Charcoal blocks have been used for years by jewelry crafstmen as long as the button didn't need to be "pretty"; if it was to be reworked, forged, drawn or etc. A proper sized bowl is ground into the surface & smoothed, with a groove to pour from - the residual carbon acts as a mold release, so if you want to make "shot", you simply melt & pour into water. be aware that this is a "one time only" kind of thing - it must be ground out again before it can be reused. This could at least buy you time until you are able to find a suitable crucible.

just one point of view from my experiences.

jordan

It's okay Jordan, found a company that sells Morganite's Salamander Super & Starrbide crucible close to home.

Would the Salamander Super works fine with Gold?

Here's what the manufacturer says :

SALAMANDER SUPER

DESCRIPTION
SALAMANDER SUPER is a high quality ceramic bonded clay graphite crucible range manufactured by plastic forming techniques.

APPLICATIONS
SALAMANDER SUPER crucibles are used to provide consistent performance in fuel-fired furnaces and medium / high frequency induction furnaces.
The smaller sizes are typically used to melt precious metals, while larger sizes can be used for some ferrous alloys such as grey iron as well as to melt non-ferrous alloys.

Yes? no? maybe?... I'm incinerating my PM source, and for some reason have to melt all the metal into big chunks, and later remelt them and make flakes to be worked with acids. So i think use of flux is unavoidable. Will it stand the corrosion from the use of flux?

I'm thinking of getting A2, A3 or A4 size. Too big? Will build a simple furnace using steel shell (about the size of 16kg LPG tank) and 2" or 3" of kaowool lining and no ceramic rigidizer and no ITC-100. I will use propane+butane burner, burning 4-6 kg of LPG, with around 4m3/minute of forced air. Do you think it will provide enough heat to raise the temperature to Au melting point? Did some reading but i feel kinda lost, too much to read in too short of a time.

Wow!, my friend! WAY past my level of expertise. i hope that some of the "heavy's" weigh in (pun COMPLETELY intended), with experience on the scale you are referring to. With your diligent research, though, i predict that you will be successful once you find what you need!
best of luck
jordan

 

[Higashi]

Keep at it. It takes time to build a business, which is what you're doing. And that you're starting so young gives you a tremendous advantage. Don't fret, you're doing just fine. Just keep working hard and it will pay off.

Yeap, building a business is supposed to be tough, that's how it is. Take it easy, one at a time, will get you going strong and steady a long time.


and now back to the topic... :lol: can i at least for the time being just melt gold on ceramic fibre blanket?
will refine it later. just want to get it into a small form factor so to make it easier to work with in chemicals.

saw a video on youtube, someone did just that before dumping the molten gold into a bucket full of water.

How much are you wanting to pour at one time? if small buttons, some on this forum have advocated drilling proper size holes in good quality charcoal briquettes. the charcoal also produces a reducing atmoshere which tends to protect your metal from excess oxidation during the melt & pour.

Charcoal blocks have been used for years by jewelry crafstmen as long as the button didn't need to be "pretty"; if it was to be reworked, forged, drawn or etc. A proper sized bowl is ground into the surface & smoothed, with a groove to pour from - the residual carbon acts as a mold release, so if you want to make "shot", you simply melt & pour into water. be aware that this is a "one time only" kind of thing - it must be ground out again before it can be reused. This could at least buy you time until you are able to find a suitable crucible.

just one point of view from my experiences.

jordan

It's okay Jordan, found a company that sells Morganite's Salamander Super & Starrbide crucible close to home.

Would the Salamander Super works fine with Gold?

Here's what the manufacturer says :

SALAMANDER SUPER

DESCRIPTION
SALAMANDER SUPER is a high quality ceramic bonded clay graphite crucible range manufactured by plastic forming techniques.

APPLICATIONS
SALAMANDER SUPER crucibles are used to provide consistent performance in fuel-fired furnaces and medium / high frequency induction furnaces.
The smaller sizes are typically used to melt precious metals, while larger sizes can be used for some ferrous alloys such as grey iron as well as to melt non-ferrous alloys.

Yes? no? maybe?... I'm incinerating my PM source, and for some reason have to melt all the metal into big chunks, and later remelt them and make flakes to be worked with acids. So i think use of flux is unavoidable. Will it stand the corrosion from the use of flux?

I'm thinking of getting A2, A3 or A4 size. Too big? Will build a simple furnace using steel shell (about the size of 16kg LPG tank) and 2" or 3" of kaowool lining and no ceramic rigidizer and no ITC-100. I will use propane+butane burner, burning 4-6 kg of LPG, with around 4m3/minute of forced air. Do you think it will provide enough heat to raise the temperature to Au melting point? Did some reading but i feel kinda lost, too much to read in too short of a time.

Wow!, my friend! WAY past my level of expertise. i hope that some of the "heavy's" weigh in (pun COMPLETELY intended), with experience on the scale you are referring to. With your diligent research, though, i predict that you will be successful once you find what you need!
best of luck
jordan

emmm... i'm afraid i don't completely get what you're trying to say, english is not my first language. i'm a totlal noob too...

i know the manufacturer already mention that the small size salamander is oftenly used for PM, but i don't trust everything said by people selling stuffs. like, there could be some exceptions or do's & dont's regarding the use of the item that they dont tell.

just as a note to myself and other people who build their own burner equipped with forced air turbine, did some maths today, stoichiometrically for every kg/hr of propane/butane you need 0.24 m3/minute of air (assuming oxygen content in air is 20.95%). One might want to add 15%-20% excess air to compensate for non-ideal combustion. 4m3/minute for 6kg/hr of LPG is too much. Should be between 1.5-2.0 m3/minute.

1kg of propane/butane release approximately 50 Mega Joule of heat.

1kg of gold needs 134,209 Joule to reach 1064.8 Celcius from 24.8 Celcius, ideally. (specific heat 129 Jouile per Kg per Kelvin).

please correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[dtectr]

what I am trying to say is, your level of expertise & knowledge of physics involved is far beyond mine; therefore, those who have much more expertise in these areas from the forum ("heavies" short for "heavyweights", in other words, these people's knowledge & experience gives their words the weight of great authority) should "weigh in", (a term from professional fighting,; when a fighter "weighs in", he is placed in a specific weight class & he puts his name among the pool of potential fighters in a specific fighting event).

the joke kind of loses something in the tanslation.

i'm sure one of these "heavies" will "weigh in" on this topic & share their considerable experience & knowledge with you.

good luck.