"Ignoramus29334" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-12, Ed Huntress wrote:

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
.. .

"chaniarts" wrote in message
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RBnDFW wrote:
Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

Gold should never be melted in any kind of metallic vessel. Molten
metals are strong solvents of other metals, so the gold will be
contaminated, often rendering it useless as it loses its ductility,
depending on the alloying element.

so, if I wanted to melt a few old rings down into a cube or ingot,
what vessel or mold material can one use?

ceramics


That can be risky. What ever the choice may be, it must be resistant
to
thermal shock. Ceramics (Coors, for example) isn't. My previous post
details what works very well, and has been used for years by the jewelry
trade. I used the same system when I refined small lots.

Harold

With such a tiny amount of gold, Harold, can't he melt it in a charcoal
block? I thought I'd heard of that being done.


And, could you melt it in a graphite block? (EDM graphite)


Hey Iggy,

Don't know. If it has binders, perhaps not. If it's just graphite, it
should work quite well. You have to be careful that you don't contaminate
the gold when it's melted, so if there was even a trace of anything metallic
in the graphite, I'd say stay away. You risk destroying the alloy's
ductility, or its integrity as a given alloy.

Harold