Help! 10ct gold fused to flux?! Homemade wedding ring mishap

[Stark22]

Hi,

I'm getting married next week (hence my panic), and we planned to sand cast our own wedding rings.

I conveniently work for a furnace company, who let me use a furnace to melt the gold, and the first ring turned out perfectly.

10g of10ct gold in a 1100*C furnace with a dash of borax powder.

I had to order more gold for the second ring, and this time, somehow, it looks like the gold has fused with the borax...(or something?!) and I can't separate it. It turned into black glassy mass that filled and set in my crucible.
I've had my blowtorch on it this evening and I can see the gold glinting, but it just won't pour, and I'm frightened to add more borax.

I have until Friday to separate it as that's when I have access to the furnace.

Please help! I'm desperate!

[JewelleryByMandy]

Oh no! I hope you get it done in time. 🤞


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[SICraftDesigns]

I had this happen to me a little while ago and I managed to chip the borax off of the gold using a small pick and a hammer to chip away at it. The glassy material is very brittle and it was hard going at first but once you've introduced a few chips and cracks in it its fairly easy going. I was just cleaning it up prior to rolling it into wire so it didn't really bother me if the gold was marked in the process however if you would like to avoid this maybe try boiling it in water as borax is water soluble? Alternatively you could maybe try pickle to see if that works?

[china]

I would try the boiling water let soak for a bit, when using industrial silver solder one way to remove the flux is hot water and wire brush, the flux is essentially the same stuff

[Dennis]

As I see it, you heat the metal (covered in borax) until the metal is liquid and then apply your torch to keep it hot for pouring.

The borax glaze is normal.

It looks as though the metal for the second ring is slightly heavier and your torch no longer has the capacity to heat it enough. Four possible remedies:

Get a hotter torch. Or

Abandon this and return it crucible and all for scrap. Then start again using the same weight and method as the first successful pour, using a new crucible. Or

Give up and make the second ring from wire. Or

Give up and buy a ready made from Cookson. Dennis.

[Stark22]

I was using a 1100*C furnace.
I have tried heating it with a 1600*C torch since and no luck.
The first ring was 12g, the second 10g.

[enigma]

Stick it back in the furnace as it is, add a pinch of borax before you pour and pour it into the casting.
As long as there is only gold and borax in there it should pour ok.

[handmadeblanks]

I was using a 1100*C furnace.
I have tried heating it with a 1600*C torch since and no luck.
The first ring was 12g, the second 10g.

What kind of torch are you using? The heat transfer rate is an important factor when trying to melt metal. The flame temperature of your torch might be 1600°C at it's hottest part but it needs to be able to transfer that heat to the metal. My guess is your torch just isn't strong enough to melt the quantity of metal you are using.

Think of the following analogy. A candle flame is hot enough to boil a teaspoon of water but it doesn't have enough energy to boil a kettle full of water.

I agree with enigma, stick it back in the furnace at 1100°C and it will more than likely melt and pour without a problem.

[Dennis]

Yes, temperature is not the same as heat, so while we are talking analogies, here is mine:

Think of a party sparkler. The sparks are white, signalling that their temperature is about 1000ºC. Yet when they fall on your hand, you can hardly feel them because being tiny they contain so little heat.

Anyone else? Dennis.

[Stark22]

I did this (furnace and flux) and managed to recover some of the gold, but not all of it...maybe a third at best.
I have a feeling some may be lost, but thank you for your suggestion. I made a back-up ring out of silver, so we'll use that for the day, and I'll consult a local jeweller after the wedding.

[JewelleryByMandy]

Whens the wedding?


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[Stark22]

Thursday 19th April.

[CJ57]

Thursday 19th April.

Hope you have a Happy day, the ring is just a symbol I suppose and you'll get it eventually and it'll be just as speacial