Pouring Quality Shot

[Profikiskery]

I have been researching the forum, found and tried the following techniques.

A few have said drill into the dish, then glaze to pour good shot. I found the holes got clogged, and no matter how hot I got the silver, the holes would not clear themselves. I drilled bigger holes and still after just a few pours....same thing.

Then I read about pouring the silver down a 2x4 into circulating water. Had a bit more success with that method, but still over half the shot was either "flaky" or "stringy". The quality was a bit improved but still found my self either re-pouring or trimming a lot the shot mechanically.

I also saw where you can pour onto large barrel shaped ice, floating in water, but still not getting the results I am looking for.

I have exhausted all the posts with little success and was wondering if anyone else can suggest, or has had success with another method.

 

[MrMylar]

LaserSteve sell the melting dish to do shots. I, personally never used one yet but I am going to try it out one day.

Let me ask you, do you put your material in the melting shot dish and heat or do you heat it in another dish then pour it in the heated shot dish? I'll have to research on that one. But overall, I would think that drilling a hole in a melting dish would work. Are you sure your hole is wide enough to allow the silver to drip out? Have you tried drilling it out to a larger size?

What are you starting with?... metal silver or powder?

 

[Harold_V]

I poured shot successfully for years. A seasoned melting dish with a 1/8" diameter hole drilled through in the center will yield shot that is acceptable. Pouring over the lip tends to yield cornflakes.

Key to success is placing a second torch on the dish, playing on the hole. Melt your metal (gold or silver) in a separate dish, then, when it is molten, pour to the second dish, the one with the hole. This dish should be placed over the container in which you have water, the colder, the better. It should also have sufficient depth to prevent molten metal from reaching the bottom. My container was stainless, about 14" deep, and held about five gallons of water.

I used to mount the dish with the hole in a ring, attached to my fume hood. The ring was one typically found in use on a chemical stand, such as for holding a funnel. A chemical stand along with a clamp was used to hold the torch which played on the dish.

Distance from the dish to the water surface was about a foot.

Harold

 

[MrMylar]

Thanks for the valuable info Harold_V. I was thinking that there must have been 2 dishes involved. Now I understand how to do it. Now I'll need a second torch.

 

[Profikiskery]

Will try that and see how I do.

I was drilling 1/8th inch holes to the side a bit (three holes), melting in the center of the dish, then pouring for shot as I tilted the dish. Let me give Harold's suggestion a try and I will see if I can be successful.

I just use Mapp Gas, as it is all that I have for now and is efficient. I do have a propane torch and will use that to play on the second dish. Seems like I might have been a bit to close to the water too.

Thank you Harold...