Written by Cooksongold. Related Guides. Silversmithing What is Recycled Gold? Silversmithing Silver jewellery making — Everything you need to know. Silversmithing How to Silver Plate Jewellery. First Name. Share this post. There may be other ways to melt silver or gold. However, melting it with borax is easier, especially when you have the right tools.
To do this process, you need to gather all the necessary tools like safety gear, gas torch pressure, or blowtorch. Mix the borax and soda, pour it into the crucible while the silver is torched. An organic chemist from Sacramento, CA, Justine has always been fascinated with evolution, organisms, and chemical reactions that take place.
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Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Gather the Supplies You Need 1. Wear Safety Gear 1. Use a Furnace if you have one 1. Use a Blowtorch 1. Add the Mixture to the Crucible 1. Let the Silver Melt 1. Pour the Molten Silver 1. Gather the Supplies You Need First things first — gather all the supplies you need to melt silver using borax.
Wear Safety Gear Since you will be exposed to a few harmful materials in melting silver with borax as the flux, you need to protect yourself. The silver must be allowed to melt until the metal layer begins to show. After it starts boiling, the heat can be stopped and a graphite stir rod used to get rid of the slag from the molten substance. Slag consists of impurities that have melted along with the silver.
It is important to get rid of it before proceeding. The person doing the job must then don heat resistant gloves. They will then use tongs to hold the crucible and pour the molten silver into a mold or cast.
This must be done carefully if the silver is to be turned into the desired shape and form that you want. The molten silver must be allowed to sit in the cast so that it can set. This can take a couple of minutes. The person working through this process will know best when the silver has set. After the metal has settled in the mold, it must be taken out with tongs and submerged in a bowl of water until it cools down and hardens. This is essential to getting the metal in the desired form.
The answer is that you can melt down your own silver items. The steps described above can all be done at home. If you have a high-energy furnace at home or a blow torch, and if you have the other supplies and safety gear needed to melt down metal, then nothing stops you from doing this on your own.
You can also melt your own silver if you are a welder or work in some other trade-in which high-energy tools are used. If you have all the basics, all you will probably need to purchase are the right molds and casts and the borax compound.
However, you want to ensure that you get the right result. If your intention is to recycle your silver into items that you can sell or wear, and you are unfamiliar with the type of equipment and procedures used to melt metal, then you should let a professional carry out the job.
If you are committed to doing your part to reduce carbon emissions, you may want to know some basic facts concerning the environmental impact of recycling silver. The first thing you should know is that the process saves a large amount of energy and adds up to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. By recycling your old silver, you consume fewer raw materials.
It may seem like a small thing, but it will have a big impact. A huge amount of energy is sued to extract metal ore. It should come right out.
Quench your silver. After you've dumped your silver out of the mold, you'll need to quench your silver. Quenching is the process in which silver is cooled and hardened by being submerged in water. This is the final stage of smelting silver. Take your tongs and pick up the silver bar or item. As you submerge it, the water around the silver will boil and will produce steam. Leave the silver submerged for several moments -- until the boiling and steam have subsided. Remove your silver from the water and enjoy!
Can I just melt the silver directly in the mold, rather than pouring it out of the crucible into the mold? It is not recommended because the mold might not fit the amount of silver that you are melting and you could have some spill out. Not Helpful 6 Helpful Yes, they will typically help you reach higher temps quicker. Not Helpful 3 Helpful If I melt my jewelry and there are non-silver items in the mix, would these separate out during the process?
Also, is there a device that I can use to test the purity of the silver? Not Helpful 10 Helpful This happens very often. Chances are, your home furnace or blow torch won't be able to reach temps high enough to damage the alloy. Not Helpful 13 Helpful Plaster or ceramics are really good materials to use for mold. Ceramics especially are relatively easy to work with and are easy to work with and are durable. Not Helpful 11 Helpful Melt borax in it, assuming it's ceramic. Graphite crucibles don't need to be seasoned.
What if the electric furnace crucible is too long? My silver starts to harden before I can pour it into the molds. The likely reason is that it isn't being heated to a high enough temperature. Any metal being cast must be raised a good bit above the melting point so that it remains liquid for the time it takes to pour it into the mold, since the mold will cool the metal as it is being filled.
I want to melt my pure silver and gold without flux or borax. Is melting with borax or flux absolutely necessary?
Fluxes for silver is an absolute must; if you don't use it, the silver will cling to the impurities. The flux is extremely important for the pouring process. It is possible that your molten silver was contaminated with chemicals or there are still impurities in it. Remelting it at a higher temp might be able to solve this problem.
Pawn shops, online websites, or people in your community will certainly be interested in buying your silver. Not Helpful 14 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Melting silver requires proper training, materials, and safety considerations. You will be working with molten metals and extremely hot materials, which can pose a danger to you and those around the work area. So please do not do this if you are unsure. Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. As with all metals silver can cause 3rd degree burns near instantly avoid splashing it and take care while it cools.
Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References 2. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: August 20, Categories: Metal Casting. Article Summary X If you want to melt silver, put on goggles, a face shield, and a fire-resistant apron and gloves. Italiano: Fondere l'Argento.
Deutsch: Silber schmelzen. Bahasa Indonesia: Melelehkan Perak. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times.
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