A Great Inexpensive Torch for Melting Sterling Silver and Gold
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- Опубліковано 4 кві 2018
- www.diycastings.com Since I sell sand casting tools people ask me my opinion on inexpensive torches to melt high temp metals and my research has pointed in the direction of the Benzomatic TS4000. I also am using sterling silver in this video and not FINE silver which doesn't work well at all. www.diycastings.com/
Hi Craig! I don’t agree with one of your commenters sentiments, he said you burn through these tanks fast melting silver and gold, I disagree with him because I use this torch for mine, the silver will melt with an ounce within about 3 minutes every time for me.. the trick is to make sure the crucible is hot too, and I use gentle swirling motions, once the silver starts to liquify, swirling it around seems to melt it quick
Some people just don’t really know what they are talking about but sounds like you have actual experience similar to my own. Thanks for your comment.
I put my molds on the grill outside at 400 degrees and make sure you use borax to season the molds first this will make the coins look good I then pour the silver in the molds with a cookie sheet underneath it so Incase you spill and you might at the first go of it then I just shut the grill off and wait a hour and pop them out
I use very thin sheets of silver and melts very fast probably 6 mins for an ounce I get about 8 ounces a can of mapp
Used extra bricks in my backyard for the station, had a little crucible and like a 100g graphite mold and mapgas torch and got two nice 27g bars from some of the coins that i had. The pouring is the hardest part because it cools so fast and have to follow it with the torch.
Great tip with the fire brick - thank you!
Thanks so much for the video been wondering about these torches lately
I appreciate your video also I am ordering one of those crucible holders from DIY ASAP. I have been debating if I wanna go oxy acetylene or just do Mapp gas with a bernzomatic. I think this video just showed me the answer.
Hey Craig I noticed you were holding the torch a bit too close to the metal, the tip of the flame is actually the hottest part of the flame. You mention the cost of fuel vs cost of silver and I figured I would leave a quick tip, you can save money on fuel by utilizing the hottest part of the flame - in turn saving only a little bit time/fuel. Thanks for the video man, I greatly appreciate the insight.
Thanks! I think it just looks that way. I've been a jeweler for 38 years and know what distance to hold a torch but will try and be more conscious of this next time I do it.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 I respect your experience and dedication. I myself am a welder of 11 years and I may come off as blunt or forward but I only wish you the best. Great video, I hope you find more time in the day to post more content like such.
@@TX_b flames have 2 points
Hottest part is tip of the 2nd point not the very tip
How do i know this well science lol
@@TX_b how do you not know if the very tip is absolutely not the hardest part of the flame whatsoever and your welder of 11 years.,. Only in some very very limited cases with very very direct path flames torches designed for extreme precision would the very tip be the hottest point...,
Can you leave the silver button right inside the crucible and wait for it to harden instead of pouring it or will it stick or ruin the crucible?
You could also get an adapter hose to use it with a 20 or 40 pound tank to save money on gas
Great video thank you
Hi- where do you get the firebrick with the hot in it? What kind of crucible did you use? Thanks!
Firebricks like the one in the video are sold at almost every hardware store. If its a brick thats high in silica like the one seen in the video you could cut a hole with a general purpose hole cutting saw or probably even a butter knife. The ceramic ones are much more common and unfortunately harder to cut as they are more brittle.
Thank you for this video
Sorry- I meant where did you get the firebrick with the hole in it, and what kind of crucible did you use? Thanks!
I actually make them but have temporarily stopped selling them until the tariffs on steel are fixed because they now cost me twice as much and not an affordable product to sell. Thanks!
Great tip about the hose.. is that a bernzOmatic hose.. or just a generic hose.?
It says it on the side...
Well... I have exact same torch from LOWES... It melted silver fine... But when pouring in graphite mold..silver kept "muffin topping" and pulling away from edges of mold.
Put in 18 grams...for a 1 gram mold.
Got a big muffin lump. Only good for remelting.
Did you also heat the mold before pouring?
If not, I’d get a second torch (a cheaper propane one will be fine) and have that heating the mold while you are melting the silver. The hot mold will allow for the silver to cool evenly after you pour, which should help with the edges and “muffin topping” effect.
Actually Craig depending on your bench set up you don’t necessarily need the hose to use this torch as if you have an elevated bench / surface then it’s possible to use the torch without attaching the hose. Infact by attaching the hose you’re actually losing heat, which is why it’s taking longer to melt the silver than what it should be.
I watched a class of twelve sitting around a table while doing a sand casting class and as the bottles became more and more empty (no hoses, just the top attached to the bottle) the flames started to sputter as the bottles tipped forward. This led me to add the hose which solved this issue on all torches so not sure what your experience is but this was mine.
Craig Dabler ah in that case you’d be best clamping the torch to the bench. That solves the spluttering issue as well & ensures that the maximum heat is generated
@@willowl1239 This makes no sense. This isn't for copper tubing soldering, it has to tip the flame down into the crucible to work so attaching to the bench is not possible.
“Shrug” it’s worked for me.
@@willowl1239 Read the directions which are supplied with the torch. They say that the bottle should remain upright, something not possible when heating metal in a crucible but whatever works best for you!
where did you buy the fire brick/block with the case for the crucible?
Thanks
Sorry I missed this. I make them and sell here at www.diycastings.com
Hello, I've got a different torch that attaches directly to a cartridge (which is 600ml of propane-butane mix), and yes it melts silver in small quantities, however, if I put a little bit more, like a solid piece of 40g (about 1.5 oz.) of 925 silver it just won't melt. I've been trying to melt it for almost an hour and nothing. It turns the silver into one solid glowing piece. Can anyone help? I don't want to saw it into smaller pieces since I feel like it's just a waste of material.
Your torch must not be how enough or have the correct tip for heating that much metal. It should only take a few minutes.
I read that you need the hose because tipping cartridge upside down changes internal pressure and flame less hot
roughly what percent of the tank did that just use up?
Since this video they came out with the TS8000 which supposedly is 600* F hotter and with that torch and one yellow Map gas bottle I've gotten 28 pours using 1.5 ounces of sterling silver. I'd guess the torch in the video would take a bit longer since it isn't as hot so there would be less pours.
Hi. Why do you say this torch does not work will with fine silver? For me, it has worked beautifully, and I have melted up to 3 ounces at once....
At least a dozen people have contacted me complaining that they can not get it to melt Fine silver and I even found it a bit slow so good for you, happy it works, but I still have to stick with it not working well since you are the only one with a positive experience. What's your elevation where you live?
I meant to say 2 ounces now that I am re-reading this. The elevation here is 150'. I only have poured smaller things with it obviously, like small bars , rounds, and these little heart shapes I make as gifts. I also do it with the crucible within the cavity of a cinder block....not sure if that has any effect (kind of acts as a furnace and I put my mold on top to keep it very hot as it heats the block up substantially). Using the torch for ripples in your silver after melting it in a furnace is also a good option for this mapp torch.
I don't know for sure but there have been discussions regarding elevation and how well things melt which is why I asked. I'm at about 2500 which is quite a bit higher than you so it would interesting to test this. I use propane and oxygen with a Hoke torch and prefer sterling silver over fine for casting but always try and help others by testing products that don't cost an arm and a leg which is what lead me to testing this system.
Sweet - I recently picked up this exact setup so glad to see it will work efficiently in my old sterling jewelry I plant to make a few small bars from.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 Hi Craig
As a jeweler, I always keep a bottle as a spare, in the event I accidentally run out of acetylene and oxygen mix, the bottle of app will work fine, however, it requires a little longer time to melt 10k and silver. Moreover, you need borax to solder or melt the metal quicker.
I try it on gold and it somewhat melts but just barely. Not enough to pour. Any hints?
1) Gold melts at around 200* F higher and since I haven't tried it and this video is based on silver I really don't have an answer for you. 2) what torch tip are you using? If using the same torch then maybe get a better torch with oxygen and propane.
What would be the biggest amount of silver you could melt with one of those torches?
I tried it with about 2 ounces and it did fine but haven't tried it with more than that so I don't know and don't have really any reason to try anymore. Probably would do 3 fine but just a guess.
Each gas can refill you can buy for 11.97 at home depot tho. Cheers!
I’m trying to melt a silver spoon marked 15DWT with my Mapp torch
It gets red hot but doesn’t melt
The torch specs says it goes up to 1900 C
What am I doing wrong
@@emiljen2 put some borax
Hi Craig, I want to start pouring my own .999 bars, what advice can you give me? Butane vs propane? Do you prefer another type of fuel? No more than 10 oz pours
10 ounces is a lot of metal, especially a pure metal so I'd skip the torch and get an Electro Melt or set up some sort of foundry kiln. Try to find a foundry site to ask these questions and good luck.
Thanks for the video! How can I get that firebrick box you have your crucible in?
I actually make and sell this at www.diycastings.com or on Etsy at www.diycastings2.com. Thanks!
I tried the same rig and my silver kinda turned to rocky encrustations in the crucible. Do you know where i went wrong?
Not sure. Was the silver scrap or new? How much metal? Was the crucible seasoned correctly? Too many variables and not enough info.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 It was cut up jewelry. I admit the crucible was not done correctly. I tried but it didn't seem to take. I got little areas of glassy finish but it didn't go correctly. I thought i heated it up well enough but the borax didn't bond. Was that it? Is the crucible's finish that key?
@@stevenedwards4470 The entire surface of the crucible must be coated with a glaze or metal will stick to the uncoated areas and not flow into the other metal. It may also break off some of the crucible surface and mix in with the metal causing it to 1) not fully become molten and 2) not bond together. If some crucible did mesh with the metal it may need refining to remove.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 I might have to get a pre glazed crucible. I don't really see what i did wrong with it. I watched plenty of glazing videos. It was discouraging. So far I've only set money on fire 😆
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 Thank you for the response
Good.where can we buy it?
Most hardware stores like Home Depot.
What about 2 penny weights in gold? Do I need an oxygen map gas torch? Trying to learn how to start making gold grills and starting with no experience and limited funds thanks for your time and video
If there are 20 dwt in an ounce 2 dwt is not much metal for casting and will require extra metal for the sprue and button so just to do a small casting you will need at least 1/2 ounce. What karat? Gold melts at a higher temperature than silver so I am not entirely sure whether this will work efficiently or not since I have not tried it.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 thanks for the reply. 10k yellow gold. I understand its not alot was hoping ot would just shape what I need and have less to cut off of the sprue
@@grillzbytroy8870 when cooling the metal needs a source to draw from so it doesn’t draw from itself causing porosity or dips in the surface.
So, about how long does one of these bottles of gas last you?
My last bottle got 28 melts using 1 1/2 ounces of sterling silver.
Can you melt copper with this?
not very well. Copper needs a strong oxidizing flame and this is more neutral.
Hello there sir,
A ZERO-skilled feller here.
I have a small lot of 1 oz bars of silver.( about 4)
That i want to melt and cast into mold ingot for wire making cor the first time ever.
Will this work good for 4 oz?
Also...what the heck is the diff. Between propane and butane?
Does it matter?
One ounce at a time should work fine. Map is hotter than butane or propane so I'd stick with Map.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 thank you kind sir... i now will buy the crucible and flux and tongs and a map gas torch to melt oz by oz....
Oh and the mold i guess.
Thank you for 👏👋🤝👍
You guys should use acetylene it’s hotter than map
Nope
Doesn't propane melt faster and cleaner than mapp? By m3lting faster the
economics work out also.
map is hotter and heats faster according to Google.
Craig Dabler what about a butane torch??
Craig Dabler great video by the way!
Works fine without the hose. The hose breaks.
If that works for you that's great . Ive been using the same hose since the video, almost daily and it hasn't broken. Plus, it is much easier on the arm especially for those who can't hold something that large in their hands.
Since this video Ive upgraded the handle to the TS8000 which is way better.
the tip of the flame is hotter than the body of the flame
back awway the flame
This! It’s the reason why some people having issues with the torch.
Both of you are wrong. It's the tip of the bright blue inner flame that's the hottest, not literally the tip of the whole flame. So he's doing it right.
@@LeeyoShuffle
Leeyo DS is correct BTW, he is doing it right
I was wondering should you wear a mask so you don't breathe Borax
Better yet, use ventilation and a respirator.
Not only does it not work inclined but it works for less than 4 minutes. Total horse sht. I just ordered an electric furnace. The pros and cons add up almost equally. When you're melting, the last thing you want happening is you run out of heat.
I have used the same Map gas torch and bottle for 15 pours of 1.5 ounces sterling silver. What in the world are you trying to melt?
YOU WILL BURN THROUGH THESE $15 TANKS EVERYTIME YOU TRY TO MELT 2+ OZ OF SILVER. If you're just starting out casting save yourself the time and MAJOR STRESS of buying this torch. Just get an oxy acetylene Torch that will blast through that silver in seconds. If you don't want to spend $30 each time you want to melt, have constant trips to the hardware store and a studio littered with tiny little red and yellow tanks, then don't buy this torch. This is pretty slick of this bernzomatic employee to make this look like a real review though. If that's not the case I dunno what Craig is thinking. I bought this torch based of this review and man do I regret it.
You should try melting silver 101.
Do you think I could season a crucible with that torch? Thanks
Sure.
However, for the last 7 years I’ve been selling pre seasoned crucibles on my website at www.diycastings.com. I’m really good at it.
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 are you gonna be making more holders for sale? I’d like to get a holder and a crucible. Also do you ship to Canada? Thanks
@@craigdabler-thediycastings7511 says contact me prior to order for international but there is nowhere to contact you on the website?