I have been melting down my silver for a couple of years and was doing a load of melts last week, everything was going well until I tried to do my wire ingots. I have never had any issue before but this time just when I went to pour the silver, the molten silver spluttered so had to stop and tidy up. This has happened every time since, when I’ve been pouring my wire ingots.
I use Mapp gas or my Aquaflame so the silver is definitely molten, it’s not a new mould and i put 3 in 1 oil down the ingot to coat it.
Does anyone had any suggestions as to why this has happened?
Maybe your flame has changed into an oxidizing flame.
Silver and Pd will dissolve massive amounts of Oxygen if it is available to them during the melt.
This will be ejected when it starts to solidify.
Try to give it carbon rich flames especially during the pouring phase.
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A couple of things could be the issue here. If the metal is sputtering in the mold I would suggest that the problem is either the oil or moisture in the mold. I always oil and preheat my crucible before pouring. I take my time. Iron takes a long time to heat up. I heat the mold all over until the oil has stopped smoking and the mold is as hot as I get a cast iron frying pan before searing food in it.
When it’s hot enough I then heat the metals while positioning the crucible in such a way that the flame of the torch shoots heat onto the crucible to keep it hot while melting the metal. If the metal is sputtering in the crucible you are probably getting it too hot and burning alloys or your crucible is dirty. Also note that I have the mold tipped towards the left to make it easier to aim into the crucible
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I have read, and noticed, that torching cast iron can cause condensation or sweating. Maybe give your ingot mold a bake in an oven for a bit to ensure its beyond dry, then let it cool down a bit, and re-oil or re-carbon it?
Good luck. Sorry dont have a direct answer.
