Smelting silver at home is not as easy as it seems. The ultimate goal requires not only the availability of special skills and materials, but also certain knowledge in this area. Liquid metal is very hot and can cause burns if not handled carefully. With this in mind, the smelting of the precious substance should be carried out in special rooms or outdoor areas.
Physical plan parameters
When melting silver at home, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the metal in question quickly oxidizes through interaction with hydrogen sulfide in the air. As a result, a dark coating appears on the surface.
Cutlery made from this material is no exception. When choosing a sample for melting, the following features should be considered:
- melting point is 961.9 degrees, boiling point is 2162 °C;
- Silver's ability to reflect light and malleability when forged make it an excellent base for making jewelryjewelry;
- due to its high thermal conductivity, the material is used in various areas of the technical industry, including the creation of special microcircuits and clips;
- Silver is 10 times denser than water.
When trying to melt silver at home, you must remember that the processing temperature directly depends on the sample of the metal. It is this characteristic that allows you to determine the content of the pure base as a percentage.
Interesting facts
In order to melt silver at home, you need to know that this metal in alloy No. 925 contains 92.5% pure silver and 7.55 various impurities. In this case, the operating temperature will be about +889 degrees Celsius.
If the base is less than 90%, then melting is possible at a temperature of +770 degrees. In industrial and technical industries, the following silver samples are most often used: 960, 925, 916, 875, 800, 750. The marking 999 is extremely rare, because such silver is too soft.
Smelting silver with your own hands
Initially, you need to prepare the form, tools and related components. The melting tank can be bought ready-made or made from a refractory and non-combustible material. Ideally, you will need the following items:
- metal plate;
- spoon;
- sheet asbestos;
- burner;
- borax;
- tweezers with tongs;
- quartz sand and gypsumshape.
Smelting silver at home with a gas burner provides for the location of all materials at hand so as not to be distracted in the process by searching for them. Eyes must be protected with special goggles, hands with gloves. If you decide to make the form yourself, gypsum and quartz sand are used for these purposes. The model is made of beeswax, where the molten workpiece will overflow.
Stages of work
Quartz sand is mixed with gypsum, after which the composition is placed in the prepared mold. When the material cools, a small depression is made with the fingers, where liquid silver will pour directly. After the final solidification of the form, it is thoroughly heated. This is necessary in order to give the template the desired configuration. In addition, you need to turn on the ventilation or open the window, because in the process a sharp and unpleasant aroma appears.
After the smell disappears, work on melting silver with a burner is carried out in stages:
- A sheet of asbestos is cut into four rectangular pieces. The first element should be slightly larger than the spoon, the second should match its size, and two more should be smaller. The resulting parts are arranged in a spoon so that the largest sheet is at the bottom, and the smaller ones are on top.
- The prepared crucible is treated with borax to prevent oxygen from entering the mixture. There are ten parts of metal to one part of borax. The composition is melted over the burner until the additive turns into a dark green color with a thick consistency.
- After the main procedure, the silver alloy is placed in a crucible and calcined over a burner until it becomes completely liquid, falling by gravity to the bottom of the mold.
- A fully completed operation is considered if, in fact, there is a pure brilliance of finished silver. In the case of the appearance of a cloudy shade, the procedure is repeated again.
Melting silver at home in the microwave
You can process the metal in question in other ways. For example, melt it with a blowtorch. This will require a crucible with the charge, which is placed in a fireclay tube with a large diameter and appropriate wall thickness.
Microwave is a viable option for remelting silver. As an additional element, a stand made of asbestos or other refractory material is used. Often, for these manipulations, factory-made or home-made melting furnaces are used. These units are best used in the garage or in the country, since manipulation is associated with fire and unpleasant odors.
Recommendations
If it is necessary to give silver a specific shape, the molten mass should be quickly and carefully poured into a pre-prepared ingus. After the appearance of signs of crystallization, silver is thrown into hot water along with the mold. You need to do this manipulation with tongs, since the metal is still very hot. In fluid space, form must separate from content. If it doesn't, the leftovers are removed.on their own.
It is worth noting that scrap silver may contain particles of other metals. Before the process of melting silver at home, you need to check this and remove them with a magnet. This operation significantly reduces the working period, while improving the quality of the finished product. In addition, uniform heating of the metal is guaranteed with the expected transition to a liquid state.
Result
Smelting silver on your own is not as difficult as it seems. In the presence of asbestos elements, a conventional burner (microwave oven) and a spoon, there will be no particular problems. Since the process is accompanied by high temperature and an unpleasant odor, it is advisable to conduct melting away from mass gatherings of people.
