Melting 18ct gold filings

Hi All, Could I please have some help with melting 60 grms of
clean 18ct gold filing. I can use either a smith torch ( I have
the largest tip) or a propane gas tip. I have visions of the
filings dancing a fairy dance around the studio! Many thanks
Felicity in West Oz

  I have visions of the filings dancing a fairy dance around
the studio!

G’day Felicity; try mixing your gold filings with plenty of
powdered borax with only a few drops of water to a consistency
like toothpase or thicker. Heat very gently at first, then
gradually more and more strongly and you should have subdued the
budding Nuryeve among them.

Hi Felicity in West OZ

A method I was shown a long time ago is to put the gold filings
into a square of tissue. This will allow you to fold the sides up
and then screw the sides together and down onto the gold filings.
Place this into water and let it soak in the for a short time.
After soaking place it into your crucible reading for melting.
This will hold the filings together while heating and not blow
away with the force of the flame.

Hope this will help.
Best wishes.
Major

Felicity in West Oz Hi, Take your time, spread them out on a large
piece of paper then run the magnet through the filings, make sure
the magnet is free of grease, as gold will stick to it. I mix
some fine boracic acid into the filings place it in a crucible
and pore some alcohol … none drinking, and ignite it. This can
be repeated, so as to make it crusty. Then with a low pressure
flame =85 so as not to send the filings flying, apply the heat and
melt, then increase the heat a lot use your carbon rod and mix,
then poor the gold; take your time. Some times I fold the
filings into tissue paper, =85.or as I am having a coffee, melt the
filings into small beads /3 to 4 mm/ on a charcoal block, then
melt these in the crucible.

Do not be to hasty in annealing the metal, I anneal just be for
rolling flat on remelts or anneal to when the metal goes black
and hold it for 20 or so seconds / no quenching . To date I have
not had any problems with the metal cracking. // I would be
interested how others proceed with this.// new gold I quench.

Regards from the east side of oz

Peter

I would like to slightly amend the above advice - if you mix a
few pinches of Borax powder with the filings before wrapping up
in the tissue, it will melt first and form a glaze which will
stick the filings together until they reach melting temperature.
Also don’t be too keen with the flame to start with - just a soft
flame until the danger of the filings blowing away is past.
Finally, I have heard of older jewellers dipping the borax/gold
filings in the tissue into metho, rather than water, before
melting - presumably to assist further with the process, though I
haven’t tried this myself. Hope this helps,

Alan