Melting silver

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Steelmar08

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Today I did my first silver melt. After I poured the silver into the mold, I had a black color on top of the bar. Did I do something wrong? Should I re-melt and do this again? I know I had seen something that said you need to add borax, but I didn’t do that during this melt.
 
Hi Stellmar08, welcome to to the forum. What was your source material for the melt? Was it pure silver or maybe it contained impurities?
 
And process — how did you melt the silber?
I've heard you can melt silber in a microwave oven, did you try that?
If not, what kinda furnace did you use?
Photos? Let's see some pictures!!
 
Steelmar08 said:
Today I did my first silver melt. After I poured the silver into the mold, I had a black color on top of the bar. Did I do something wrong? Should I re-melt and do this again? I know I had seen something that said you need to add borax, but I didn’t do that during this melt.
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Silver Dave explained this as well and how he worked through it via trial and error. That black is oxidation. What you have to do is keep a flame on the silver as it pours into the mold to keep it from oxidizing.

It could also be some Sulfur in your pour. Silver Sulfide forms quite readily and is jet black.
 
This is a short video and you can see he kinda leaves his torch over the pour. But if you have a decent amount of Black I'm thinking there was a Sulphide contaminant.

 
It looks like yes, if you don't have a pure starting material adding a bit of borax is almost required.

jeweltrendpro.com

Do You Need Borax to Melt Sterling Silver?

Expert guide on borax use in sterling silver melting—when it's essential, when it's optional, and safer alternatives for fine jewelry makers.
jeweltrendpro.com jeweltrendpro.com

That also says that CuO is Black as well. So if you started with sterling or anything with some copper you probably have CuO on top.
 
Lotta good stuff on this guy's channel.

Pouring, Cleaning and Stamping Silver Bars at Home! Some Tips Hints &Tricks for Hand Poured Silver!

Mar 14, 2021 #silver #gold #handpouredsilver
Backyard Bullion demonstrates the process of crafting and finishing hand-poured silver bars, including techniques for managing weight accuracy and removing graphite pollution. The video highlights tips for achieving a high-quality finish through careful molding, cleaning, and precise stamping methods.


17:30
 
Bottom Feeder said:
Gotta agree with you there. What did you do with your old microwave when you replaced it?
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Replaced it? It still works. The one I have is from 1990. Bought it at Kmart for about $50. Still works great.

Wtf would I replace it with? One that does the same job, but at twice the price?
 
Joe King said:
... The one I have is from 1990. Bought it ... for about $50. ...

Wtf would I replace it with? One that does the same job, but at twice the price?
Click to expand...

I really admire your optimism that you would find a comparable microwave today - 36 years later - at only twice the price.
 
pmbug said:
I really admire your optimism that you would find a comparable microwave today - 36 years later - at only twice the price.
Click to expand...
Well, ok. Maybe not today, but I did think about getting a new one about 6 years ago and that's what a similar one was then.

I'll look later and see what a similar one runs today.
 
Ran across a house with one of the older microwaves I'd ever seen, similar to the one my grandmother had in her home. But It was STILL here in 2026.
Bwh didn't get a very good photo of it.
 
Yea, one like that has little inside that could fail.

The electronics in newer ones are the most likely part to fail.

Has anyone reading ever had a microwave breakdown due to the magnetron itself having failed?
I never have, nor have I ever known of anyone else's failing.

Most people I've known either replaced theirs simply because they wanted a newer one, or a bigger one.

The magnetrons in those things will prolly stay operable 'til the Sun goes into it's red giant phase. Lol
 
I had a microwave breakdown when an alcoholic tenant baked cookies on a metal sheet in one of my condos.
 
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