Crucible for Melting Gold, Best Graphite Crucible for Sale - SuperbMelt

Chapter 1:

What Material Can be Used in the Crucible for Gold Smelting

1.1, Development History of Gold Melting Crucible Material

From clay to brass and steel to graphite, the ferrous and non-ferrous metal smelting industry has enjoyed unique growth phases. To bring it home, let’s look at the two primary materials used in creating crucibles and how they have fared/faring with the continuous advancement in technology.

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1.1.1, Graphite Crucible

The use of graphite in the creation of gold crucibles started in early . Steel’s susceptibility to corrosion was becoming a significant problem. An alloy with a less corrosive nature was needed. A glance at the options available undoubtedly earned graphite the top spot.

Graphite melting crucibles comes first in our list not just because it’s the most used, but because its dimensional stability is comparable to no other. Graphite is an alloy suitable for designing and creating stove polish, pencils, lubricants, paints, crucibles, foundry facings, etc.

Graphite naturally exists in a less corrosive nature in comparison with other alloys. The melting crucible provides a smooth finish. It’s cost-effective and easy to maintain. Note that graphite is not as strong as steel. Graphite melting crucible’s ductility and wear resistance are subject to the heat applied. If you want your gold melting graphite crucible to last long, you must regulate the temperature you expose it to daily.

When using gold graphite crucibles, you don’t need to worry about efficiency/durability during the pouring or solidification phase—its stability helps guarantee continual smelting. You can keep the gold smelting furnace running all day long rest assured a smooth surface finish is guaranteed.

Note that while graphite crucibles are regarded as the most viable gold melting crucibles available, its can only withstand pressure lower than degree Celsius. Exposing a graphite crucible to temperature beyond degree Celsius can decompose the graphite to metal pollution.

1.1.2, Quartz Crucible

Quartz crucibles are end products of silicon and oxygen. Quartz is amongst the most prevalent mineral that can be found on the earth’s crust. The mineral is known for its presence in Russia, South Africa, Mexico, United States, etc. Unlike all other gold crucible making materials, quart has enjoyed a reputable presence in religion, tradition, and technology.

Quartz is a fine material for making crucibles. It ranks seven on Moh’s hardness scale. Fine-tuning quartz to suit your mining and bench jewelling needs would leave you with a glass-like crucible. These transparent crucibles are resistant to HF acid, possess excellent insulating behavior, and are environmentally friendly.

Using quartz gold melting crucibles to cater to your melting and smelting needs offers you a smooth and efficient finish. Unlike graphite crucibles, quartz crucibles are viable options for smelting metals beyond degrees Celsius.

Many jewellers and miners regard graphite crucibles as a more profound option due to its remarkable dimensional stability, low corrosion susceptibility and cost-effective nature—though foundry owners and metal melting companies hardly share the same viewpoint. Quartz is a more durable option for mass melting because it can melt beyond the -degree Celsius benchmark graphite crucibles are known for.

Note that the price of quartz crucibles are higher than that of graphite.

1.2, Why Choose Graphite Crucible for Gold Melting

Guarantee Quality of Product

Everyone wants the best. Even with the lowest of budgets, we somehow manage to source out the best for everything we buy.

You want a crucible that can withstand the heat attached to smelting silver and still provide a smooth surface finish. You want a smelting crucible that can serve the diverse needs of your business. You want a crucible you can bank on to do the job.

Among the many crucibles smelting materials available, graphite is the most exceptional in quality in its finish product. It brings unpredictable ease of experience to the gold smelting process and still provides a finish your customers would love you for.

Suitable for All Metal Smelting Requirements

No miner or bench jeweler would fancy purchasing a new crucible for every smelting task. Operating with a crucible flexible enough to tackle dynamic smelting needs is the ideal in every ferrous and non-ferrous metal melting industry.

Crucible making materials such as copper, platinum, quartz, or porcelain are great choices but are quite picky. Their inability to operate with the same dimensional accuracy as graphite leaves them at a questionable spot.

Environmentally Friendly

How we treat the environment determines how our children would live in it. Building our smelting and melting operations around not eco-friendly materials unavoidably means more health problems and higher mortality rates.

Using gold melting graphite crucibles, you enjoy an eco-friendly smelting process optimized to give you the best possible finish.

Graphite Crucibles Help Save Cost

Cost is the defining factor in most business ventures. The price determines the class of people that patronizes a product and, sometimes, the product’s durability. Gold melting graphite crucibles are inexpensive. Its ability to self-lubricate earned it an edge amongst most other crucible making materials—it also helps you save cost on lubricants.

While companies might have to operate with a sizable budget if they want to rely on graphite crucibles for their daily operations, bench jewelers can enjoy the smooth and efficient smelting process graphite crucibles provide at a minimal cost.

Long-Lasting

Yeah, crucibles are inexpensive, but that doesn’t mean anyone would want to buy a pair every week. If you are into the gold smelting business and want something that can hold during dynamic or complex smelting operations, provide top-notch finish and last for a good deal of time—gold melting graphite crucibles should be a prioritized option.

1.3, The Role of Crucible in the Process of Gold Melting

Since we are clear in why graphite crucible is the best crucible for melting gold, its high time we talked about its role in the gold melting process and how it is used.

Graphite crucibles hold gold nuggets, jewelry, or any ferrous or non-ferrous metals in their molten state during the melting or smelting process. While graphite’s high tolerance for heat makes it’s a durable and highly efficient gold melting crucible, its reliability isn’t most times dependent on such renowned capabilities.

Certain factors determine the role graphite crucibles play in a gold melting operation.

1.3.1, The Temperature Change Rate the Crucible will Experience

If we are on the same page that graphite crucibles are the best for melting gold, then its high time we considered how temperature change affects your crucible in the gold smelting process.

How many kilos of gold are you planning to melt, and what sort of smelting furnace are you making use of? How long do you think your smelting operation would take? With an accurate answer, you can decipher the probable effect a smelting operation would have on your crucible and how to maneuver your way around.

The kilos of gold you want to melt determines the size of the graphite crucible you would need while the melting furnace helps point you to a specific category. The time the smelting operation would take gives you an edge as to how to regulate graphite melting crucible’s temperature during smelting operations.

1.3.2, How the Crucible is Charged

You can charge your gold melting crucible in different ways. Most bench jewelers use propane touch while foundries and metal casting industries rely on smelting furnace. Crucibles only remain essential in a gold smelting process for its ability to withstand high temperatures.

Graphite crucibles help eliminate surface finish issues. If you are not using a gold melting graphite crucible, you might run into problems during your gold smelting or melting process.

1.3.3, The Fluxes of Additions Used

The presence of impurities in metals dates as far as man’s first encounter with the raw materials. When smelting gold, some fluxes must be added to the metal before being placed in a furnace or added to the molten magma during the melting process.

Gold melting crucibles doesn’t just hold metals in their molten state; it also helps separate impurities. A crucible can help you differentiate between impurities and metals in smelting operations where a mixture of sodium carbonate and borax or other fluxes are used. Gold melting crucibles leave room for impurities to settle at the top of the molten magma while giving way for the actual metal to go under.

Chapter 2:

How to Choose a Graphite Crucible for Gold Melting

Graphite crucibles come in different shapes and sizes. With hundreds of companies offering different types of crucibles for sale, its best you know the kind of crucible that suits your gold melting needs before exploring the market for available options.
To help you better understand the processes involved in choosing a gold melting crucible, let’s look at the three primary factors that can influence your crucible choosing process.

2.1, The Type of Gold Melting Furnace

Like we stated earlier, the only reason graphite crucibles remain essential in the gold melting process is because it can withstand high temperatures and still provide a smooth and exceptional finish. A crucible that flutters under high temperature hinders efficiency in a gold smelting.

Wait a minute! Does that mean I can settle for any graphite gold melting crucible rest assured I would obtain the desired finish? Nope… you now know why graphite crucibles are regarded as the top choice, but that’s not all there is.

The type of gold melting furnace you are using determines the kind of crucible you would need. If you are using a hydraulic tilting melting furnace, you would need a graphite crucible while if you are using a hydraulic tilting melting furnace, you would require a quartz crucible.

Gold melting furnaces vary based on size and durability; the same applies to crucibles. So, first things first, check out the type of furnace you are making use of—if none is available, it’s best you explore our collection.

Crucibles for Different Furnaces

• Propane Touch

Propane touch serves as a renowned gold melting furnace for bench jewellers and hobbyist. The melting process Is not as environmentally friendly as that of an induction furnace but its durability is widely appreciated. When using propane touch to cater to your gold melting needs, its best you make use of graphite crucibles.

Propane touch are suitable for melting metals in small quantity, and the most cost-effective crucible making material you would find in the market for such operation is graphite.

• Resistance Furnace

While the usage of resistance furnace in foundries and laboratories has greatly diminished, a lot of jewellery casting companies still rely on its reliability when catering to their day to day melting task. Resistance furnace can be regulated to suit dynamic melting task.

If you are looking to melt metals in small quantity via a resistance furnace, its best you use gold melting graphite crucibles—otherwise, quartz crucibles are more durable options.

• Induction Furnace

Induction furnace demystified most of the myths attached to metal smelting. It made the gold melting process simple, cost efficient and time saving. And unlike most other gold melting furnaces available, it comes in different range and size.

Graphite gold melting crucibles are durable options for melting metals in a mini desktop melting furnace or manual tilting melting furnace—It helps save cost and provides a subtle finish. When using a hydraulic tilting melting furnace or vacuum induction melting furnace to melt large quantity of gold, its best you opt for a quartz crucible—it can withstand the high temperature required.

2.2, The Capacity and Dimension of the Furnace

Every foundry crucible supplier might provide you with crucibles of different ranges and sizes, but not all can provide customized gold melting graphite crucibles for multiple furnace types. To be on the safe side, make sure you are banking with a graphite crucible supplier providing customized graphite crucibles.

With a customized crucible supplier handy, it’s time to determine the graphite crucible capacity and dimension needed. The furnace’s material, capacity, and dimension tell the type of gold melting crucible you should make use of. When smelting large quantities of silver, its best you use silicon carbide graphite crucible, because the price is lower than pure graphite crucible.

Using a graphite crucible to smelt platinum in a motor tilting melting furnace is impossible because the temperature required would most time go above degrees—you have to rely on quartz. Note that the price of quartz crucible is relatively high, and it is generally used for small batches of platinum and palladium smelting.

To ease the stress attributed to understanding how to choose a gold melting crucible, place a call through to our support representative. With minimal info on the type of gold melting furnace you are making use of, our support representative would offer a wide selection of gold melting crucibles designed to meet your smelting needs.

2.3, The Melting and/or Holding Temperature You Maintain

If you have successfully navigated your way around the type of gold melting furnace you are using and the furnace’s capacity and dimension, it’s time to consider the melting and holding temperature you operate with on a regular.

Are you running a foundry or a bench jeweler who sometimes uses propane touch to meet dynamic melting needs? It’s time to consider how you operate. Crucibles serve as a melting and holding equipment. You can use it to smelt gold and still use it to hold the molten magma until an ingot is formed.

To fast track the process of choosing an efficient gold melting crucible for all your smelting needs, consider the following questions;

• How many kilos of gold do I melt a day?
• How many hours do I spend melting gold?
• Will my melting tasks require a temperature above degree Celsius?
• Do I want a gold melting crucible that maintains the same temperature, or would like to explore crucibles that can withstand more intense pressure?
• What sort of metal do I want to melt and which crucible melting material is regarded as a viable option?

With probable answers to the above-listed questions, you can determine the crucible design your foundry requires.

Chapter 3:

How SuperbMelt produces High-Quality Crucibles

Since we are arguably on the same page that graphite crucibles should be a prioritized pick, let’s look at some of the reasons our gold melting crucibles acquired a renowned reputation in the global market.

We provide machines and equipment optimized to suit the dynamic needs of jewelers, miners, foundry owners, and companies dealing in the smelting and melting of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

Gold melting graphite crucibles are amongst our most prioritized merchandise. Ranging from customized crucibles used in smelting furnaces to crucibles for melting brass, gold, and silver, we provide it all. Let’s look at the primary factors that help us keep up with the dynamic customer expectation and needs our gold melting crucibles are designed to offer.

3.1, Control Raw Materials

The type of raw material used during production determines the efficiency you will get from the finished product.

What sort of graphite crucible making recipe is your preferred crucible supplier making use of? If you have no idea, its best you pick up the and start asking questions. Inside info on the type of raw material that goes into creating your gold melting crucible is paramount. This info doesn’t just help you avoid corrosion issues but also helps authenticate the type of surface finish to expect.

At SuperbMelt, our gold melting graphite crucibles are made from superior grade graphite material known for the 5 to 10-minute melting time it possesses—depending on the type of smelting furnace you are using. Our graphite crucibles can withstand furnace pressure of up to degrees Celsius for long hours.

Our gold melting crucibles are optimized to serve large and small businesses. Our graphite crucible reaches its maximum melting temperature within a short time frame: that’s, you can melt a ton of gold at maximum temperature without having to worry about corrosion or breakage.

3.2, Possess Levels that can Meet Different Standards

With different grades of graphite providing different qualities to the crucibles, the type of graphite your preferred gold melting crucible supplier operates with matters.

The smelting needs of foundry owners differ from that of a bench jeweller. A bench jeweller can make use of a graphite crucible made of low grade graphite and not attract as much loss as a metal casting company making use of the same. To be on a safe edge, its best you operate with a graphite crucible supplier providing crucibles made of high grade graphite that can meet dynamic melting needs.
SuperbMelt doesn’t just proffer solutions of superior quality but also ensures that every solution offered is in line with consumers’ needs.

Our gold melting graphite crucibles are designed with high grade graphite to suit dynamic melting needs. All our gold melting crucibles possess a strong resistance to alkaline and acid solutions with a small coefficient expansion. In simple terms, encountering burn-out issues or high exposure to heat when using our graphite crucible is impossible.

Many laboratories and jewelry mining companies dread using gold melting graphite crucibles for long hours, scared it might start adding impurities to well-refined metals—yeah, graphite crucibles not well-designed do at some point start adding impurities to gold and other metals during a melting process.

Mingte supply professional and honest service.

SuperbMelt possesses a collection of gold melting graphite crucibles designed to meet different standards. While we provide crucibles of varying range and size, all our crucibles are optimized to provide the highest quality solutions to various industries. Our design process revolves around creating the best quality regardless of size, budget, or industry.

3.3, Precision CNC Machining

A subtle, smooth, and efficient finish is the ideal expectation in every metal smelting business. Opting for gold melting crucibles that doesn’t provide a smooth finish hinders opportunities in the global market. We made graphite our preferred crucible making material because they possess the ability to provide a smooth finish regardless of the temperature you expose them to.

Gold melting graphite crucibles exist naturally with the ability to eliminate rough edges when serving as a melting or smelting material. Though, the raw materials—graphite grade and quality—that go into the creative process and the type of material used to create the gold melting crucible can hinder efficiency.

While we use only high-grade graphite, we also rely on the efficiency of CNC machining to obtain a credible finish. The inner wall of our crucibles is machined till the smoothest surface finish possible is obtained. Note that without a smooth inner wall, the molten magma acquired after casting might not bring the fluidity required for a fine cast.

SuperbMelt relies on precision machining to provide the desired output to consumers. Using 3d CAD designs in line with your melting needs and furnace type, we machine high-grade natural graphite into a suitable shape.

3.4, Testing

Amongst all the steps involved in the crucible making process, the testing phase is the most important. Many gold melting crucible suppliers underestimate the rare opportunities the testing phase opens up due to the stressful process.

But without testing, it’s impossible to ascertain the credibility of a newly designed crucible. No crucibles for melting gold come out of SuperbMelt’s factory without being tested for efficiency, durability, and sustainability.

Some of the test we carryout include:

• Quality Test: all the crucibles contained in SuperbMelt’s store are made of high quality graphite. Though that does not in any way disrupt our quality test phase. All our crucibles are tested for impurities and graphite grade quality before being shipped out for sales.
• Durability Test; how long can our crucible last? What’s the estimated wait time attached to our gold melting crucibles? What’s the maximum melting point? We don’t wait for customer feedback to obtain this information. We carry our durability test as soon as our gold melting crucibles machining process is complete.
• Temperature Test: to ensure that our graphite crucibles can withstand the heating and cooling temperature its optimised to offer, we carry out pressure test before putting it out for sale.

Chapter 4:

What are the Advantages of Using SuperbMelt Crucibles

We have talked about the dominance of graphite crucibles in the industry, the development history of silver melting crucible materials, the processes involved in choosing a gold melting crucible, and our crucible creation process.

If you have read along thus far, you might be able to decipher one or two attributes as to why SuperbMelt crucibles are highly appreciated in numerous industries. If you have, that’s nice; we hope you are already exploring our collection. If you haven’t, don’t worry, we didn’t leave the advantages we offer to chance. Here are a few benefits you enjoy when banking with SuperbMelt.

1. We are the factory

SuperbMelt is not a third-party influencer or consultant leading you to the wholesalers or retailers; we are the manufacturers. We design, structure, and machine gold melting crucibles into shape.

When we say we provide high quality, we are not saying it compared to other foundry crucible suppliers; we say it with reference to industry standard. SuperbMelt possesses a sales network that connects refiners, laboratories, foundries, and metal smelting companies across 30 different countries.

Our client base leaves little to no room for us to provide machines or equipment of low quality. In simple terms, SuperbMelt is amongst the few gold melting crucible suppliers regulating industrial trends. We are not just the factory catering to today’s dynamic crucible needs; we are also the factory behind the designs and innovations of the future.

2. We Can Produce Graphite Products with Different Densities

SuperbMelt deals on only graphite crucibles. This is not because you can’t obtain a smooth surface finish from steel, porcelain, or quartz if the right lubricant is added, but because gold melting graphite crucible’s reliability is not just in the surface finish but also in its ability to retain the same cast quality when machined in varied densities.

We provide graphite melting crucibles for the induction furnace. These crucibles possess densities suitable for casting metals and other alloys. Our furnace crucibles are highly resistant to corrosion, require minimal energy, and are pollution-free. When using our induction furnace melting crucibles, you can rest assured you will obtain a molten magma free of impurities.

Our crucible for melting gold comes in different sizes. Its high density for thermal conductivity makes it a superior pick amongst other imported crucibles. SuperbMelt gold melting crucible is made of natural graphite and can be used for melting non-ferrous metals such as silver, aluminum, copper, zinc, etc.

The density of our crucible for smelting silver is the same as that of gold. The graphite crucible can withstand a temperature as high as degrees Celsius. Our silver melting crucibles are shock resistant, acid and alkaline resistant and can last for very long even with frequent usage. Our silver melting crucible can be used to melt ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

3. Graphite Crucibles are Shipped Extremely Fast

Have you ever had to wait for weeks to get a product you have already paid for shipped to you? It’s frustrating, right?

Nobody likes banking with a company known for time-wasting. We are living in a fast-paced world, so regarding fast pace delivery as an ideal option when settling for a gold melting crucible supplier should be regarded as the norm.

We have been able to successfully streamline an extremely fast delivery process due to the large number of gold melting crucibles our factory manufactures daily. Superb Melt produces over 10,000 graphite crucibles every day.

Apart from our high output, fast delivery puts a priceless smile on customers’ faces. And since we work tirelessly to provide reliable solutions to see our consumers put on such a smile, you can purchase a gold melting graphite crucible from our store rest assured your goods would be shipped to you within the shortest possible time.

4. ISO CE SGS Approved

Government certification is an essential aspect of our day to day business operations. We operate in over 30 different countries; without the right certificate, we won’t be able to proffer sustainable solutions to bench jewelers looking to explore our gold melting crucibles.

SuperbMelt is an ISO CE SGS approved company. This certification authenticates the fact that our graphite crucibles are of high quality. We also operate as an AAA credit audited enterprise.

5. Strong Service Team With 24 Hours Support

Our communication models determine how often we relate with our customers. SuperbMelt is not a company that fancies leaving customers’ contributions and desires out of the manufacturing process.

To streamline efficient communication between our customers and us, we operate with a 24 hours service team. This team caters to the day to day sales, marketing, and communication endeavors between SuperbMelt and its customers.

With our round the clock team, you can authenticate orders, checkout buying specifications, track product, request refund, explore our gold melting graphite crucible collection, obtain customized solutions and learn more about our warranty policies anytime, anywhere.

New guy here. Wanting to build a foundry using a 33 gallon drum. Prefer using a combo of kaowool, rigidizer, and ITC100. Seems like the most fuel and time efficient setup. After reading numerous websites of guys building foundries, I cannot find anyone addressing the method used to raise the crucible off the floor or what they use for a floor on a foundry with kaowool lining. I've read that you need the crucible off the floor for even heating. I've read that the crucible should not be directly in the flame. If both of those is true, something must be used to raise the crucible off the floor. The other issue is that a kaowool floor doesn't seem sturdy enough to me to support the weight of the crucible and content. I've seen guys cast a table to rest the crucible, but I would think that this would compress the kaowool leading ineffective insulation.

So what's the best solution? Do you cast a solid bottom and use the kaowool only for the sides? Can insulating bricks be used on top of the kaowool bottom with a cast stand to raise the crucible?

Buying the fewest materials is preferable to save money and I don't want to start buying stuff until I have a pretty good idea of what I need.

Thanks for any help.

Yah, crucible block, or plinth.  Refractory tends to be fairly brittle, use caution.  Molten flux can eat firebrick.  And you need to have a coating over your kaowool, or you will be breathing friable bits of kaowool with every breath, nasty, nasty, nasty silicosis.

I second the seek experienced aid, unless you have a fair amount already.  I learned casting the stup...hard way, and I would recommend to anyone as something not to do. Got the funny looking scars to prove it, and glad that's all I have.  That's a very, very large home foundry.  How are you set for burners?  You might strongly consider lump charcoal, it's a lot faster, and a bit less frustrating, especially in something like a 33 gal foundry.  I would strongly suggest considering playing with much smaller melts until you get some experience under your belt.

One might know how to drive a car, but if they came in asking how to change tires, oil, or air filters, I might be suspicious, especially if the car would explode if you took a turn too fast.  Casting is really really fun, until your crucible or your mold explodes in your face or you get zinc poisoning.  It doesn't happen often, but once is enough to cause a really bad day.  We see a lot of people come in asking construction questions after watching incredibly dangerous and foolish methods from youtube.  Where ya at? Might be able to find someone experienced in your area for you, if ya like.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the info. I live in Indianapolis. I found a local supply house since my last post. They provided the castable refractory, a free remnant of ceramic fiber, and some setup advice. The ceramic fiber remnant was 1" x 24" x 10'. Hardly a remnant to me, but it was to them. I bought some rigidizer online along with ITC100 directly from ITC. Buying direct from ITC was cheaper than the usual online options.

My foundry consists of two cut down steel drums with a 14" diameter. I thought it was 33 gallons, but it was more like 20-25 gallons. One drum was used for the body and the other for the top. The reason I used two drums was so that the I could use the stronger top and bottom rings at the opening and avoid any raw edges. The floor is 3" of castable with the suggested hole in the middle. I also cast a plinth using a 4" PVC union as a mold and included a path for molten metal to find the hole in the floor. The walls and lid are a double layer of the 1" rigidized ceramic fiber. Both fiber and castable are top-coated with ITC-100. The lid is hinged with an angled 3' handle to allow opening without getting too close. Heat is provided by homemade propane torch similar to the examples found online with my own personal touch. The heat chamber is approximately 12" tall x 9 1/2" diameter. The foundry is mounted on a welded angle iron frame and raised high enough to place a steel bucket underneath to contain spills.

The one tip I would pass along to anyone using ceramic fiber on the walls is to cut it at an angle rather than a square cut so that the two edges of your vertical seam overlap. Having the edges overlap prevents any potential air gaps along with a more stable base for coatings that will reduce the risk of cracks at the seam.

I have fired it up and melted about 50# of aluminum so far. The good news is that it will start melting within 15 minutes from startup! I have not attempted to cast anything other than ingots while I learn. One of my melts included a radiator and ac condenser, which made for an interesting experience. It turns out that the dross included magnesium and my foundry was hot enough to catch the magnesium on fire. It didn't appear to be burning when I spooned it off the top of the crucible. However, after sitting in a steel pan for a couple of minutes I started to notice a bright light developing. It got as bright as a mig welder. I used a steel spoon to try to smother it in the aluminum oxide. Unfortunately, I only had half a spoon when I pulled it out. It was hot enough to melt the spoon. I brought it under control with some sand.

Another tip for pouring ingots: My first pour was into a brand new dollar store steel bread pan. The aluminum stuck to the pan! I spent 30 minutes with pliers ripping the steel off the ingot. Before my next attempt, I used a propane torch to burn off whatever coating was on the pan. I then carbon coated the pan with my acetylene torch sans oxygen. The ingot slid right out on the next pour. Not sure if one or both steps were necessary, but that is what worked for me.

Pictures will be posted once I am satisfied it is done and safe.

Some questions did arise during my test runs:

1. There is about a 12"-18" flame coming out the top of the foundry when the torch seems to be at its peak. Is this normal?

2. The torch will flame out if I go to maximum immediately after lighting. In order to get to maximum, I have to do it slowly and not close the lid too soon. It seems that the heat inside the chamber helps the torch function better. Could this along with Q1 be a sign that the flame is oxygen starved?

3. I already accumulated about 5-8# of dross, which contains a significant amount of aluminum. I'd like to reclaim it, if possible. Is a mixture of NaCl & KCl the best way to separate the aluminum from the dross? Is there a rule of thumb on how much to use and when to add it? I am using a steel crucible for aluminum melting, if that matters.

Good evening,

That's a  considerable amount of aluminum.  Not sure what you're using for a crucible, but general rule is preheat everything, furnace, mold, stock, etc before using.  Cuts down on those nasty steam explosions.  And yes, despite the stupid youtube videos, they absolutely do happen.  Also, aluminum is kind of funny.  With the pure stuff, sometimes the slag goes to the bottom and sticks to the crucible. And it eats some crucibles, much shorter life in a steel crucible for one.  Not to mention you get inclusions from the iron scale.  I usually used to use either crushed shell as flux, or charcoal, and charcoal was easier tell the truth...especially after I put some CaCl in a forge to see what would happen.  Turns out a forge gets to limelight temps just fine.  First time I ever got a welding burn forging.  Reducing atmosphere and lids are nice for cutting down on slag too. 

I dunno, one to six ratio seems kind of high for slag, I never was able to recover a lot, but usually didn't end up with that much either. Are you fluxing?

Flame - easiest is post video or at least pics.  Sounds like you're having "dragon breath", but hard to say without seeing it.  Could be burner set up, mix, too much pressure, or not running with a proper venturi. Important to adjust everything with the burners installed.  With them out of the furnace, completely different back pressure.  Venturi or too much pressure would be first guess. 

Might look up Sculpture Trails, in Indiana, not sure how close, and I know the Indianapolis Art Center has iron pours sometimes, might be able to point you towards other casters.

Oh yes, and for ingots, angle iron troughs, or sand cast will be a lot less frustrating than muffin tins.  Sand cast is what I prefer, but honestly, I switched to forging 10 years ago and have done very little casting since.  Favorite now is to inlay pewter into a handle.

NS:

I have not used flux. I'm using a spoon to stir it a bit to bring up anything stuck to the bottom followed by skimming the top. The ingots look good to me, but I am sure there are impurities. My thought was to get something that could be refined further in a future melt when I am ready to make something. It's not fuel efficient to melt the same metal twice, but this is part of my learning process to break things into smaller steps to see the results of each step. Fluxing and degassing have been left for future investigation.

It seems like there are a lot of flux options. I need to find a list of fluxes with uses explained. Perhaps a different flux would be used for recycling a radiator versus a cylinder head. More research is needed.

My perception of the flame is unburned gasses are exiting the furnace due to a lack of oxygen. The gasses burn once it exits. Since the furnace is getting plenty hot, I have to conclude that I could use less fuel. There is probably a formula to calculate the ideal pressure based on the size of the orifice and the size of the venturi. Pressure adjustments don't help. Lower pressure makes the flame unstable. Would a smaller orifice at same pressure be worth testing? Or, a bigger orifice at lower pressure? The draw of air would seem to depend on gas velocity, so I would think a smaller orifice at the same pressure would increase fuel to air ratio.

7 hours ago, Nobody Special said:

Might look up Sculpture Trails, in Indiana, not sure how close, and I know the Indianapolis Art Center has iron pours sometimes, might be able to point you towards other casters.

I live 1 mile from the IAC, so I will definitely check it out. Funny how a resource so close can be overlooked.

On 9/26/ at 11:19 PM, Nobody Special said:

...Molten flux can eat firebrick.  And you need to have a coating over your kaowool, or you will be breathing friable bits of kaowool with every breath, nasty, nasty, nasty silicosis.

I second the seek experienced aid....

 ...until your crucible or your mold explodes in your face or you get zinc poisoning. 

...  Where ya at? Might be able to find someone experienced in your area for you, if ya like.

Nobody Special: 1st and foremost, you're most definitely Special, cause i know i am  and together, as an entirety, we are 1. Thus proving you are Special :-)

 Ok now, just wanted to see if that offer extended to others as well about seeing of someone may be local? Id love to network with someone close that has experience, etc.

Ive been self teaching everything there's to know about minerals, ores, vms, chemistry, classify, concentrate, chain mill..sluice..and blue bowl diy builds, smelting builds, roasting builds, fume hood builds, flue gas condensate, nox, sio4, sulphides, oxides, smelt, cone mold, welding, slag, dross, matte, button, electrum, cupelle,  Flux recipes, assay calculations, crucibles, refractory material, plinths...

Like wholey moley! Humbled and thankful  but right now im ready to prepare the charge. And once that gas is ignited, id love to know now that this way or that way is much easier and perhaps no near death or dismemberment chain of events happen, and the tiny little tricks that get shared at this point is   >=   the thousands of hours of a very inefficient self educated attempt to learn just the very small scale portion of this process. It is the catalyst to finance my entrepreneurial empire. Ive sacrificed, endured timeframes only very few are still alive who know the that. And ive been humbled never to allow any of this to ever be used in excess for a greed stricken motive. I have been lead to the water, it was up to me to learn how to drink it and not get sick. 

I surely cant afford to repay the universe by creating my own demise based on ignorance, or the demise of innocent, indirect affected neighbors. 

Any kind of knowledgeable resource would be a Godsent at this point. Pa...eastern central. Sch co. Pville shhh.

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