silly question here, how do you melt silver with or without burning your house down

ok here the heck does one take silver to be melted?
Can one actually do it at home without burning your house down that is?
I read on a google search it takes 1763.474 °F to melt silver and last I knew my oven only says it will go to 550 °F. So I'm just a little off of actually melting silver down.

but seriously how or where are these kind of places at? or is the term "melt Value" relative to just metal value and it really never gets melted back down again?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Break an alloy such as sterling silver into pieces so it can fit into your crucible. Pure silver is rarely used to make anything because it is very soft. Objects made out of pure silver can collapse under their own weight. Sterling silver is much harder than pure silver. A crucible is a heat-resistant container that is used to melt metal on a furnace. Normally, a crucible for silver would be made of clay or graphite.

Step
2
Take your crucible and put it on a furnace. The furnace must be able to attain extremely high temperatures. Sterling silver melts at 893 degrees Celsius. Heat your sterling silver until it is completely melted. While it heats, get your mold ready. The mold will also be made out of clay. Molds are best for making objects like statues or solid pieces like rings or earrings. The ring or earring can be bent to the correct shape after it is cast. To melt and cast your silver object you will be using a method called the lost wax process. This is also known by its French name of cire perdue.

Step
3
Design your object on paper or on the computer. Once you have a plan, you can begin to make the mold for it. Take a lump of wax and cut it into the desired shape. Follow your plan as closely as possible.

Step
4
Once the wax looks like the object you want to make, place it inside a metal pipe. The metal pipe must be large enough to hold the original wax object and the plaster that will go around it to make the mold. Both the wax piece and the pipe go on a sprue base. This is a fireproof base with little tunnels cut into to it to allow for the wax to melt out. A similar sprue will go on top also. This should be a small cup of wax. Additional sprues will also go along the sides to act as vents. To cast the silver you will actually have to get rid of the wax.

Step
5
Let the plaster harden. Take the mold and heat it. You do not need an extremely hot furnace. You just need to melt the wax. Melt the wax and let it run out through the sprue at the bottom. When you are done you should be left with an empty mold. Now you can cast the silver. Get your molten silver in the crucible and pour it into your empty mold through the sprue hole at the top. Make sure you do this on a heat-resistant surface. Do not overfill the mold. Your silver will take quite a while to cool.

Step
6
When the silver is cool, break open your mold. The piece should look just like your wax original except for the tiny bits of silver that will be attached where the sprues were. Polish these off. The piece should be ready to use.

 

never melt a coin someone will always pay you a premium .

As far as how to salvage precious metals http://www.goldrefiningforum.com/ thees guys know it all when it comes to salvaging and refining anything gold, silver, platinum .

There are some dangerous chemicals involved study hard before you try any of this stuff its ez to hurt yourself.

Oh and always read an MSDS for any chemical you are going to use google can find them all.

Be safe :thumb:

 

As someone with a degree in metallurgy and has worked in a metals foundry, molten metal is no joke and is very dangerous, even in small quantities.

 

definitely but a home foundry can also be a lot of fun if you take the proper precautions.

you should always read all the MSDS you can get your hands on and never do anything without the proper PPE.

 

I asked my grandkids, but they didn't know these text message abbreviations either.

Getting back to the original question - If you want blobs of melted silver, the only safe way to get them (if you're not a properly equipped and trained metallurgist) is to turn your silver coins or other items over to a refiner, pay a fee, and get it back in blob form.

 

MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet
PPE = Personal Protective Equipment

 

A can of sand and MAP gas torch (plumbing supply store/Home Depot/Lowe's)

For about $30 you can turn $20 worth of coins into a $16 lump of silver.

And/or burn down the house. :hammer:

(Need photos?)

 

LOL well put

 

Got them

Not really.

Now if I can get my Grandkids interested.

 

I had to click on the picks to see which lump in the photo used to be which coin.

 

I forget which member but someone over at the Collectors Universe forums setup his own home refinery and often sells silver bars on the Buy Sell Trade forum that he made from scrap metal.

If I remember correctly even after several years of doing this he has not recovered the cost of the equipment he needed to do all of this.

 

asked my grandkids, but they didn't know these text message abbreviations either.

When are the moderators gonna close this thread with all this grandkids and text messaging propaganda.

 

This is a point I've been making for years. Coin silver is always worth some premium over melt value or the spot price for exactly this reason and because it can be transacted in small quantities, not 1000 ounce Comex eligible bars.

 

The fact that hallmarked bars from reputable companies are also worth something more than melt because of their size and assurance of weight and purity doesn't negate the fact that coins are also.

I don't disagree that bars are excellent metal investments, and probably better than bags of junk silver. I own some bars. But I also think an ASE is worth some premium over a one ounce bar regardless of who made it.

My original point was that coin silver is worth some premium over melt value because it doesn't require an assay. The standard silver bullion investment worth melt value is the 1000 ounce Comex bar which trades at spot. Anything form more convenient than that is worth some premium over spot.

 

Electric crucible melting furnaces are one of the best ways to melt silver and gold.

Here's a video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS_EejUJXJ0

I'm posting on this forum as a coin enthusiast, as that is what I am. But, perhaps this aspect of my professional life might be helpful to this thread. I wasn't planning to involve my business here very much, but these questions are quite common, I suppose. I see them on other forums that I am a part of.

Melting and casting takes education and practice. In short, I would suggest that you leave it up to an expert. I'm not sure what type of silver you want to melt, but if you plan on selling it, you'll have many added expenses... fees, time, packaging. If you send impure silver to the refiner, you will be charged $25 assay fee, and get anywhere from 75 to 95% of the metal value returned to you. If you melt it down, your total costs to do so (including equipment and sale of the finished product) will be higher than the refinery fees. If you just sell it outright (without meting), you will have time costs as well as a discount to spot final price. Normal discount to spot on impure silver is about 70 to 85% on eBay. But then you have to also add in the costs of the auction and then PayPal fees.

Unless you are looking for a new hobby, I think your best alternative is to send it off to a refiner and use the proceeds to buy bullion or other coins. Or, if you wanted a unique product, then consult with a jeweler, and they might be able to do something for you or know someone who can.