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Poured My Own Gold Bars


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Thanks Jen for putting that up. I didn't know how to.As you said "I hope he didn't mind"

wombat :wink:

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These two gold bars were made with one of the mini kilns that are advertised in the ICMJ. First the gold was crushed out of a couple specie rocks and then panned out. I purchased a couple different fluxes because I wanted to get them as pure as possible without sending them to a refiner. I smelted them a couple times and the 5 ounce bar was tough to pour, but if you heat up the graphite mold (leave it on top of the kiln kind of like a lid) you can get it to work.

A couple different things I learned. Melt the crushed material into smaller bars and then use bolt cutters to cut up the bars into smaller pieces. You can then weigh the cut up pieces to get the exact weight you are looking for and melt them into a specific weight bar. After smelting, there can be some impurities on the surface of the gold (sometimes a red coating for me) and putting the gold into some muriatic acid (pool acid) cleans off the coating. The smelting flux can really get it pure though. It takes a few times to get it right, but once you figure it out, the results are really nice.

I used to melt my dredging fines in a cupel with mapp gas and would go through a couple cans of gas in no time. These new mini kilns can use regular propane and after probably 10+ melts, both my original propane cans used with the furnace are not empty yet.

I have taken the bars into my kids 4th grade class to teach prospecting for California history and the 5 ounce bar is a hit with the them. Especially when I tell them what is is worth!

Gold Bars 1.JPG

Gold Bars 2.JPG

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I used Butane-Gas-Blow-torch (Cheap Chinese fit on Butane can) on a boiler fire brick (Scooped out), the melt sizes was the limit for the heat.

This is how I melted my specimen (Over 3.5 Kilos)

Picture050_zps141c76b2.jpg

Unfortunate is only turned into 17 Oz it exceeded my scales so the rest is next to my watch.

17-OzVicSpecimens.jpg

 

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THere is one I did that weighed 2.1 ounces. I used a potato for it. I took a teaspoon and made a nice round hole in the center then put in some borax and then the gold and a touch more borax. I melted using oxy-acetylene. the gets to hot real fast. You haveto watch it.

IMG_1284.JPG

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Photo of mine purchased many years back for about $600AU, it is a MF3000 240volt made in China. Goes very well although would like if it could get a wee hotter.

IMG_0048 (2).JPG

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I use a potato with a hole scooped out and a acetylene torch and Borateem,  takes only a couple of minutes.. Been doing it for years, works great and potatoes are cheap.

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3 hours ago, Hobo said:

I use a potato with a hole scooped out and a acetylene torch and Borateem,  takes only a couple of minutes.. Been doing it for years, works great and potatoes are cheap.

I did this with Amalgamate, ate the spud and have been as mad as Hatter ever since. :wacko:

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Some time back when we had some smelting and melting to do we used the GPK Company in Arizona. We couldn't find anyone in Australia at the time.This is a two person company (Patrick Moulton and Caren Seabeneck). Patrick makes a range of propane kilns from the mini up to the KK12 (12 inch diameter). Also microwave kilns.We used the KK8. We were complete novices at the time and the pre-sale and after-sale support we received from GPK was outstanding.

We have no connection with this company, just very happy customers; couldn't recommend them highly enough.

If you are interested check them out here:

http://www.gpkcompany.com/

Col

 

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