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Silver ingot project - Home made silver ingot

1864hatter		Posted : Thursday, 13 March 2014 5:56:23 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Hey folks, I have 270g of broken jewellery and coins etc. that I am intending to make into an ingot. Most of the silver is sterling with a little 50%. I am not too concerned with the purity I just want a nice shiny bar. I have access to a gas plant and have just ordered some crucibles from these guys- http://www.regal.co.nz/category.php?sub_id=121 I will post pictures of the scrap on the weekend and will do a video of the melting process etc. once I get around to that. This will be a good practice run for in the future when I will be making 270g gold bars all the time!!! Will keep you posted, should be a fun project!
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

gavin		Posted : Friday, 14 March 2014 8:47:55 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Administrators, Registered Joined: 20/02/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,326 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 736 times Was thanked: 535 time(s) in 287 post(s)		Look forward to seeing the results! :)
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NuggetHead		Posted : Friday, 14 March 2014 2:39:27 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Groups: Registered Joined: 19/10/2011(UTC) Posts: 42 Thanks: 11 times Was thanked: 19 time(s) in 11 post(s)		COOL... I too want to see the process, I too want to be doing this... I have lots of silver and brass/bronze to melt, but have no experience. The more I see the more I learn.

mickey		Posted : Friday, 14 March 2014 7:36:46 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 9/07/2013(UTC) Posts: 135 Location: waitakere Thanks: 528 times Was thanked: 180 time(s) in 79 post(s)		hi hatter, great project. i'd also be very keen to see how it's done. however, a quiet word on the silver coins though, ahem. i take it they're totally worn-out junk? on behalf of all of the 'coin-mad', please, could you post some photos of 'melt-suspect' coins, so that we'll then know what is becoming more rare. all the best, good luck and happy melting. m.
		mickey XP-DEUS Distributor (NZ) http://www.xpdeus.co.nz/
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1864hatter		Posted : Friday, 14 March 2014 7:54:41 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Hey guys, just gotta with for the crucibles to be delivered then will be into it. Mickey- Don't worry, the only coins I am melting are either extremely worn or are cut/damaged. I understand that coins may have collector value, whereas silver jewellery and the like is not worth bugger all. I will post a picture of the to-be-melted silver tomorrow. Cheers
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

1864hatter		Posted : Saturday, 15 March 2014 8:44:48 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		This is the silver booty I intend to melt 1864hatter attached the following image(s):
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

1864hatter		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 11:25:07 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		So I received the crucibles earlier this week, here they are. Will do the melt this afternoon. 1864hatter attached the following image(s):
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

Mudwiggle		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 11:36:18 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered, Moderators Joined: 22/10/2013(UTC) Posts: 742 Thanks: 182 times Was thanked: 683 time(s) in 317 post(s)		Cool, What are you going to use to cast the bar?

gogold		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 11:57:55 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 5/01/2012(UTC) Posts: 217 Location: gore Thanks: 4 times Was thanked: 56 time(s) in 45 post(s)		melt some borax in the crucible first and swirl it around. 1st time I used mine I never done that and little balls of gold melted/stuck to the crucible cant get them off without chipping it. also your moulds run the torch lean so makes that stringy back smoke and hold your mould upside down and coat the inner surface with it then lightly rub it in, this helps with any sticking and leaves the surface a lot smoother.

1864hatter		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 5:47:06 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Made a gold button today- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnlS9hyalx4 Also have a silver bar video uploading as we speak.
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

FossickFester		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 9:14:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/09/2013(UTC) Posts: 174 Location: Tasman Thanks: 63 times Was thanked: 35 time(s) in 31 post(s)		As always, good clip man, keep 'em coming...... I read about a guy who uses graphite crucibles, the gold apparently doesn't stick to it, not sure how true this is though........

NUGGY		Posted : Sunday, 23 March 2014 10:46:25 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2012(UTC) Posts: 267 Location: greymouth Thanks: 85 times Was thanked: 76 time(s) in 58 post(s)		Good stuff, watched the clip. You can buy a cast ingot mold (if you want one) from Dispatch and Garlick in Greymouth, they have a couple of different sizes.

1864hatter		Posted : Monday, 24 March 2014 6:46:13 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Cheers guys, NUGGY I will get some moulds I think. Thnks
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

1864hatter		Posted : Monday, 24 March 2014 4:36:55 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeXXhJh8dA0 this is the silver ingot
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

gogold		Posted : Monday, 24 March 2014 5:54:32 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 5/01/2012(UTC) Posts: 217 Location: gore Thanks: 4 times Was thanked: 56 time(s) in 45 post(s)		id definatly be getting a decent mould, theres some cheap graphite moulds on ebay, they can even custom make them into any shape you want. youll get a far better finish with graphite and it don't catch fire lol

jimmy bedrock		Posted : Thursday, 27 March 2014 1:46:42 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/01/2013(UTC) Posts: 339 Thanks: 242 times Was thanked: 179 time(s) in 104 post(s)		That's kol thanks for sharing. I have been wanting to melt some of my silver and gold. Hay did you weigh the gold before and after melting? how much did you lose? I want to do a 1oz bar but don't know how much I need.

1864hatter		Posted : Thursday, 27 March 2014 7:01:04 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 4/08/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,007 Location: Auckland.... Thanks: 49 times Was thanked: 566 time(s) in 269 post(s)		Originally Posted by: jimmy bedrock That's kol thanks for sharing. I have been wanting to melt some of my silver and gold. Hay did you weigh the gold before and after melting? how much did you lose? I want to do a 1oz bar but don't know how much I need. Nah mate don't know as I didn't weigh it before. There is a few tiny blobs left suck in the borax in the crucible but ill get them next time. I am aware that weight may be lost during melting but I don't know where it goes. Other than spillage or whatever.
		And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!

NUGGY		Posted : Thursday, 27 March 2014 8:40:37 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 20/07/2012(UTC) Posts: 267 Location: greymouth Thanks: 85 times Was thanked: 76 time(s) in 58 post(s)		Weight loss may be dirt and impurities that are absorbed into the borax flux. Crucibles are often a bit porous though, and may absorb a bit of metal, as Gogold said above - along with a good fix for this prob. NUGGY

jimmy bedrock		Posted : Monday, 14 April 2014 12:46:33 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/01/2013(UTC) Posts: 339 Thanks: 242 times Was thanked: 179 time(s) in 104 post(s)		I got a rainy day off work today so I have just melted 2 silver rings. I don't have a crucible ..I just melted them into blobs on a cobble stone with my butane torch. 1 of them I cleaned with steel wool. Shined up nicely :) jimmy bedrock attached the following image(s):

Metal Kiwi		Posted : Monday, 14 April 2014 12:59:15 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 19/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,210 Location: Auckland Thanks: 498 times Was thanked: 484 time(s) in 322 post(s)		Is your gas can hot enough for Gold? MK
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