Was: Skills and Discipline
In order to make ingots for the rolling mill you need an ingot
mold and a crucible.
Well, no. I make ingots every couple of days, and I use my ingot molds once a year.
Hi John, I’m curious, how do you make your ingots?
Best, Alicia
In order to make ingots for the rolling mill you need an ingot mold and a crucible.
Well, it depends on the alloy your’re using.
I find that if you use tin/bronze or precious high copper precious
metal alloys that the Delft clay system works brilliantly.
I tried to make some tin/bronze ingots using a steel ingot mould,
and it was a royal pain. I heated the ingot moulds as well. When
rolling straight from the mould I was getting cracking and it didn’t
roll well.
I used the Delft clay and made some ingots and some sheets easily,
and they roll exceptionally well straight from the sand. Also, as the
sand can make fine castings, I can get the sheet closer to the final
thickness, which means that I don’t have to work the metal as much.
The only complaint is from the other students that complain about the
odour (not from me lol)… I’m old and my sense of smell is not what
it used to be 
Today I’ve tempered a few crucibles in the oven (the wife was out),
and I will coat them in borax Wednesday. I have some gold, silver and
copper ready to be formed into sheets for Mokume Gane (geez that
stuff is satisfying to make).
Regards Charles A.