Accomplished nothing so far

[Shark]

Maybe this will help. Pay close attention to Lazersteve’s comments.

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/mini-firebrick-furnace.7387/#post-67143

 

[Edwin Price]

You gents know a lot more about melting and recovery of gold than me. I spent most of my career trying to ensure zirconium cladding on nuclear fuel rods never got to the melting point. The main equation was Q = m(delta h). Obviously that formula was used for fluid flow in the nucleate boiling range. Is that equation applicable to melting gold as well? I know that insulation was critically important to efficiency on not only primary systems of both naval and commercial reactors, but on the secondary side as well. I have struggled greatly with getting complete gold melting with my TS8000 torch and Map Pro gas. I have subsequently added additional insulation in the form of borax glazed crucible on a 2nd larger crucible on a fire brick on cement surrounded by fibrous insulation material. Now with the covered Gusswein crucible, whenever it arrives, I should have about the best insulated set up available. Wish me luck. So far I have only achieved recovering a few very small pieces of gold. But it’s fun and not intended to be an income source. I just want to refine a collect the gold. ty

 

[Darkthirty]

Sreetips among others do not use Oxygen as far as I have seen.

Well, if sreetips doesn't use it, why should anyone else? To get the maximum BTUs out of any fuel source requires adequate O2. 21% doesn't always do it. Acetylene supposedly will burn in 100% concentration, why use O2 also?

 

[Shark]

Well, if sreetips doesn't use it, why should anyone else? To get the maximum BTUs out of any fuel source requires adequate O2. 21% doesn't always do it. Acetylene supposedly will burn in 100% concentration, why use O2 also?

I’m not sure what you’re asking/saying but a B Torch burns acetylene only and gets hot enough to melt gold. BarrenRealms (RIP) used one for a long time and even had a video at one time melting gold with one. My first discussion with him on a one to one basis was about torch's and how to melt gold.

 

[Darkthirty]

I’m not sure what you’re asking/saying but a B Torch burns acetylene only and gets hot enough to melt gold. BarrenRealms (RIP) used one for a long time and even had a video at one time melting gold with one. My first discussion with him on a one to one basis was about torch's and how to melt gold.

Interesting. It doesn't have venturi ports for ambient oxygen? only torch work I've done is cutting or anneal/tempering

 

[FrugalRefiner]

Well, if sreetips doesn't use it, why should anyone else? To get the maximum BTUs out of any fuel source requires adequate O2. 21% doesn't always do it. Acetylene supposedly will burn in 100% concentration, why use O2 also?

If you add oxygen to any fuel, it will burn more vigorously and at a higher temperature. Propane in air burns at 1,980° C. Propane and oxygen burns at 2,820° C. Acetylene in air burns at 2,400° C. With oxygen it's 3,100° C.

Dave

 

[anachronism]

If you add oxygen to any fuel, it will burn more vigorously and at a higher temperature. Propane in air burns at 1,980° C. Propane and oxygen burns at 2,820° C. Acetylene in air burns at 2,400° C. With oxygen it's 3,100° C.

Dave

Exactly this. Smack on the money. Why do things the hard way if there's a simpler way? Financially it's actually better too as you lose the cost of the rig (even a small one) when balanced against the excess gas costs of other ways of doing it if you're doing it fairly regularly.

Investment in good equipment pays dividends over time. There's an old Brit saying that applies here. Buy once cry once.

 

[4metals]

Buy once cry once.

Then there's buy crap......cry a lot!

 

[kurtak]

I have struggled greatly with getting complete gold melting with my TS8000 torch and Map Pro gas.

I have melted many - Many - MANY troy ounces of gold using the TS8000 torch (for pouring 1 ozt bars)

I have subsequently added additional insulation in the form of borax glazed crucible on a 2nd larger crucible on a fire brick on cement surrounded by fibrous insulation material.

You don't need all of that

IMO - what works MUCH better then "insulating" around the melting dish (to retain heat "around" the melting dish) is to simple heat the dish from the bottom of the dish

I do that by using a single burner camp stove like this -------

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bas...p.ds&msclkid=731e43b0499b1aead3172584836b1881

What I do --- instead of using the stove/burner with those small tanks - I instead clamp the burner in my vice (this way I don't accidently tip it over) - I then attach the burner to a 20 pound (5 gallon) propane tank with a hose - I then set a piece of expanded metal screen on top of the burner & then set my melting dish on top of the expanded metal screen

By doing it this way not only am I heating the dish from the top with the torch (to bring it all up to melt temp) but the dish is also being heated from the bottom of the dish by the camp stove burner

Heating the dish from the bottom - instead of trying to "retain" heat with insulation will not only insure good melt results but will also speed the melting up - especially if you are doing multiple melts/pours

Here isa pic of a single burner camp stove clamped in my vise except that I am using it to incinerate something instead using it for melting as described above

Kurt

 

[Edwin Price]

Hmmm… that certainly looks an inexpensive and efficient method for melting metals. Thank you!

 

[goldshark]

Hmmm… that certainly looks an inexpensive and efficient method for melting metals. Thank you!

Please note; the above set up is for incineration, not melting metals. It is just how he heats the bottom.

 

[Edwin Price]

Hoping this one turns out to be a decent gold drop with Ferrous Sulphate. We’ll see in a day or so. There’s definitely black material on the bottom of the beaker.