success at last!

[Anonymous]

okay i have dropped all my silver out of my nitric solution using copper bars. i have filtered it and rinsed with hot distilled water until my silver powder was clean.

i am now drying my silver powder (air drying)

once it is dry i would like to melt it before begining my electrolosis experiments.

what is the best way to melt this powder.. i dont have the proper equipment im sure, but i do have a mapps gas torch and some pyrex containers... is there anything i can use to achieve this with stuff from around the house?

 

[Harold_V]

is there anything i can use to achieve this with stuff from around the house?

How much would you like to melt at one time?

Pure silver melts @ 1761° F as I recall. It should be taken beyond that temperature if you intend to pour it to any given form.

Silver can be torch melted, but be advised that pure silver has an affinity for oxygen. While it doesn't combine with it, it absorbs nine times it's own volume, then expels it as it solidifies. Ingots that are cast with silver that has not been protected against oxygen absorption often display spikes of silver from their surface, the result of the last bits of oxygen being expelled as the silver solidifies. The addition of a small amount of copper inhibits the action. Floating charcoal on the surface of the molten silver prevents the absorption of oxygen.

If you'd state your purpose, you might get some good input. Mean time, if you have a conventional household, it is highly unlikely you'll have any means to melt silver, using common household items. Your silver should be melted in a melting dish or crucible--neither of which should be metallic in nature. You likely understand that molten metals are strong solvents of other metals.

Harold