I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

Just asking.

Steve

On 2010-03-13, Steve B wrote:
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

It would not be the business that I would want to enter, or advise my
dad to enter, but it would seem that an O/A torch, a few high temp
bricks, and some proper crucibles should work out.

I see WE BUY GOLD signs everywhere. You will not suffer from a lack of
competition.

Secondly, I am not questioning your knowledge of gold buying or gold
scams, but hypothetically, if your expertise happens to have some weak
spots and the bad guys learn about it, it could become expensive
quickly.

i

Steve B wrote:
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.


Just sneak back into that little old lady's house and put the stuff
back, Steve.

My knee-jerk reaction to anyone who wants to melt a bunch of stuff down
for scrap -- make sure that there really isn't any value in it as it is.
Extreme examples of this would be Inca funeral masks or Fabergé eggs
or such, where it's worth $$$$$ as an artifact, but only it's weight in
gold as, well, gold.

But if you've already pounded it down to rough ingots so the cops can't
tell where it came from originally, then melting it down is the way to go.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com

On Mar 12, 6:54*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. *How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? *Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? *To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? *Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

Just asking.

Steve

You usually sell the scrap as is to a company that buys jewelry scrap
from jewelers.
Such as:
http://www.riogrande.com/landingpage.aspx?n=scrap
Your real problem is the cops will be all over you. Many states and
cities require receipts, ID checks and stuff to make sure your
customers actually own the future scrap. Probably permits and such
also.
Karl

wrote in message
...
On Mar 12, 6:54 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in
a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

Just asking.

Steve

You usually sell the scrap as is to a company that buys jewelry scrap
from jewelers.
Such as:
http://www.riogrande.com/landingpage.aspx?n=scrap
Your real problem is the cops will be all over you. Many states and
cities require receipts, ID checks and stuff to make sure your
customers actually own the future scrap. Probably permits and such
also.
Karl

How about the tv guys who make it look like you put it in an envelope and
receive a check? That is interstate, too.

Steve

Good questions, Steve. Let's hope Harold Vardos chimes in here. Harold used to be in the precious
metals reclaimation business.

Bob Swinney
"Steve B" wrote in message ...
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

Just asking.

Steve

Steve B wrote:
I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.
I've used Oxy-MAPP (really propylene, MAPP is
trademarked) to melt gold, and it works quite
well. I've been salvaging electronic scrap.
There is quite a business in this, but I have a
bunch of old electronic gear I've accumulated over
the years, some of it with a fairly thick gold
plating. The chemicals needed are pretty
dangerous though, for separating the gold from all
the base metals. However, the scrap is
essentially free, and the plating is 24 kt, if you
can get it off without dissolving much of the base
metal.

Jon

Robert Swinney wrote:
Good questions, Steve. Let's hope Harold Vardos chimes in here. Harold used to be in the precious
metals reclaimation business.
Harold and some other great guys have a web site
for this at
http://www.finishing.com

At least I'm pretty sure this is the right one,
they have redone it a couple times since they
started it. I got a lot of help when I was first
trying some of this stuff out. I reclaimed a good
ounce of pretty pure gold off some circuit board
edge fingers.

A couple of the guys there figured out an
incredibly simple process for stripping gold
plating off component pins. They use reverse
electroplating in sulfuric drain cleaner. I
haven't tried this process yet, but it looks like
a winner.

Jon

Jon Elson wrote:
Robert Swinney wrote:
Good questions, Steve. Let's hope Harold Vardos chimes in here.
Harold used to be in the precious metals reclaimation business.
Harold and some other great guys have a web site for this at
http://www.finishing.com

OOps, wrong site, this is the one :
http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/index.php

You have to join to see the forum, but it is
really WORTH it!!!

Jon

On Mar 13, 6:29*am, "Steve B" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Mar 12, 6:54 pm, "Steve B" wrote:

I wanted to start buying gold jewelry for cash. How would I melt it down?
What would be my most cost efficient way of selling these pieces? Leave
them whole with the karat markings on them and sort the pieces? To who?
Melt them down and sell the block, and if melting, what would a guy use in
a
rough shop atmosphere with just an OA torch? Or would a kiln be cost
effective.

Just asking.

Steve

You usually sell the scrap as is to a company that buys jewelry scrap
from jewelers.
Such as:http://www.riogrande.com/landingpage.aspx?n=scrap
Your real problem is the cops will be all over you. Many states and
cities require receipts, ID checks and stuff to make sure your
customers actually own the future scrap. Probably permits and such
also.
Karl

How about the tv guys who make it look like you put it in an envelope and
receive a check? *That is interstate, too.

Steve

I suspect they make you sign a form claiming it's your's to meet the
laws.
Karl