Pouring silver sheet ingot

-making silver sheet ingots the cheap way using a sheet ingot mold made from square steel tubing
-the C clamp is improvised, it's basically a screw-nut brazed onto a steel bar which can be anything from a rebar (or reinforcing bar) to a long and thick nail
-the white crystals i pour onto the molten silver is borax (i bought it at a pharmacy but i guess it can also be purchased at a jeweller or via the internet)
-i cannot get the silver hot enough with the propane torch, thus it is freezing up very quick when it touches the mold, even if the mold is preheated. the trick i applied was to smoke the mold interior with a candle. the fine soot particles insulate well enough to ensure a successful pour
-small surface imperfections due to flux carried into the mold by the molten silver stream
-the crucible is made of simple clay, it is reinforced by wire. i actually planned to cover a tea-strainer with clay, i think it would have worked great.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• ingot
• sheet
• rolling
• mill
• bezel
• flux
• mold
• melting
• torch
• sterling
• coin
• borax
• buthane
• propane
• jewelry
• jewellery

[LegioXFretensis]

How did you go about removing the borax glass afterward? I'm having problems with the tiny gobs of it in crevices to small for hammering or chipping out.

[fedaikn]

@LegioXFretensis removing borax from silver is something that silversmiths do all the time. it is called pickling and for that purpose they dip the object into a pickling bath. a simple pickling solution is a 10-30% sulphuric acid solution, but jewellers use a sulhphate salt or something else, they buy it from a supplier.

[corpralj3]

@fedaikn Can I ask what type of torch you are using in this video? Thanks.

[fedaikn]

@corpralj3

it's a CFH butane torch, the type used for soldering copper tubing. it can be also be used for brazing. it works with 190g gas cartridges

google up the word lötlampe, you'll see it in the results

[paolopogi00]

I wanna touch it..

[spacebrdcst]

Dude you missed:D

[azsolymosi]

@TheReaperofthefallen: You need some very strong acids and expensive equipment, and it's nearly impossible. the amount of silver in solder is not worth the effort unless you have a dump truck full.

[azsolymosi]

@panzuman You need some very strong acids and expensive equipment, and it's nearly impossible. the amount of silver in solder is not worth the effort unless you have a dump truck full.

[azsolymosi]

Heat the mold before the pour. Use a soup spoon of borax per troy ounce of metal. I use a propane torch because it burns very hot and clean. HERE'S YOUR TRICK!!! After heating the mold, just before you pour, squirt 3-in-one oil into the mold. Make sure you have just enough seal along the bottom to keep most of the oil in during the pour. I've been in the jewelry industry for 25 years and this is how I do it. It's worth the money to get a good crucible. Try it and see how well it works for you.

[TheReaperofthefallen]

where do you get your silver... and is it possable to seperate lead from silver sawter?

[clubdore]

I hade the same prob! Gona try it tomoro.. ty