On Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 9:37:56 PM UTC-4, wrote:

I figger before he can start experimenting with new alloys he needs to
understand the fundamentals of melting and casting small ingots. Once
he has that down pat he can start to experiment. Of prime importance
is the heat source, type of crucible material, and how to avoid
oxidation of the melt. No matter which course he decides to take he is
gonna need to do lots of reading. The links you posted will be a good
start in the reading dept.
Eric

That would depend very much on whether his research is theoretical or practical. I hope it is both.