Not melting?

[DHarms]

Hey everyone! New here and to refining. I inquarted this gold with 999 silver 4:1 and should have about 34g +/- after refining. I bathed the gold in nitric solution 60/40 six times and once just nitric itself, then boiled and rinsed. When melting, it started to melt fine, then stopped, got red hot, but refused to liquify. I used 2 propane torches with direct heat, as well as attempted to melt it in a kiln, with no success. This is the gold that did melt, but what is the crumbly stuff that won't melt?

 

[eaglekeeper]

Hey everyone! New here and to refining. I inquarted this gold with 999 silver 4:1 and should have about 34g +/- after refining. I bathed the gold in nitric solution 60/40 six times and once just nitric itself, then boiled and rinsed. When melting, it started to melt fine, then stopped, got red hot, but refused to liquify. I used 2 propane torches with direct heat, as well as attempted to melt it in a kiln, with no success. This is the gold that did melt, but what is the crumbly stuff that won't melt?

What are you using as a crucible and are you insulating that crucible. Propane will just get hot enough to melt gold, so any heat lose will have an impact...especially trying to melt 34 grams.

Did you refine the gold after inquartation?

 

[adam mizer]

Keep working it, your heat is getting lost.
Insulate if needed as eaglekeeper said.
Crumbly stuff is just not hot enough.

 

[Striker33]

I found when melting in a deeper rounded ceramic dish (in my profile picture) that the heat was blowing in and out with one of the yellow MAPP torches. I tried flipping the dish upside down and melting the gold on the flat surface and it melted completely and quickly. The gold will roll around when melted, so you have to be careful it doesn’t roll off. Maybe a very shallow dish would be best, but I haven’t tried that yet.

 

[DHarms]

I am using a 3" ceramic crucible but it is not insulated. I just prepped it with borax. I did try melting in a kiln as well and even then there were crumbles left that did not melt, so I removed the gold that did melt and tried to melt the crumbles and they did not melt, even with direct heat. I will have to try to insulate the crucible like suggested, then try again.

What are you using as a crucible and are you insulating that crucible. Propane will just get hot enough to melt gold, so any heat lose will have an impact...especially trying to melt 34 grams.

Did you refine the

 

[adam mizer]

You should have rolled the melted gold over the crumbles so it would attach to all the gold.
It will pick up all the pieces rolling around.
Pick up crucible with tool, roll melted gold around.
Has to be pretty hot to do this.
Also you want that flame pretty close to get hot enough.
How far away is your torch flame?

 

[DHarms]

Just a follow-up to my melt... I used my smaller kiln and really blasted it with some intense heat and watched it melt like butter. I was just having insulating issues so thank you to those who suggested such! I included a pic of the final button. Did a specific gravity test and it come out to 19.03!

 

[Shark]

Nice!

 

[eaglekeeper]

Just a follow-up to my melt... I used my smaller kiln and really blasted it with some intense heat and watched it melt like butter. I was just having insulating issues so thank you to those who suggested such! I included a pic of the final button. Did a specific gravity test and it come out to 19.03!

Awesome... It's always nice to see home refined gold.

 

[DHarms]

Awesome... It's always nice to see home refined gold.

It's nice to have it come out as clean as it did! I tried to inquart it with copper the first time and it didn't work because of the silver chloride that bonded to the gold, so round 2 it was! Thanks for your advice... it come in handy!