Well... I don't know how anyone doing small scale pours can make any kind of money doing so. And yet, I feel compelled to do exactly that. Start doing my own pours. I'm guessing it'll be more of a hobby unless someone can tell me how to make money at it, but I'm pretty excited. I have some money coming in to get started, a garage, and a head full of ideas lol. Anyone willing to take the time to tell me of pitfalls, best places to buy bar making materials and what kind of materials are the best ... well, I would be greatful. Anyone willing to talk about how we get different finishes on the bars would be great as well, and save me/others wanting to get into this a ton of time! There are a ton of questions - why do so many pour rather than cast? It would seem casting would be just as easy. But I'll leave it with you as to what you would like to empart. Hopefully the conversation will be fluid lol. Thanks!!
Pouring Own Bars Good few hand poring hobbyists on here but don't think there's much $'s to be made in it. Here's a few threads to read while awaiting replies from the pros Home Pour Hobby Thread Hand Pours RyanMarsh and Others Pours
How basic are we talking of knowledge ? Do you want to know different crucibles and what not? What size bars are you primarily interested in? Are you using a basic hand torch like mapp gas, acetylene torch, or a furnace? Those are things you need to decide before buying any equipment because it will make the process a lot easier when it comes time to melt! If you want to do 1-3 oz bars with ease and also a cheap set up then I would suggest a silica crucible and mapp gas torch. Bigger pours and a more expensive set up then I would go acetylene or a furnace but those both require more up keep as well. Just some basic things to think about!
Start small first if you must melt, there are piles of people doing this now, trouble is as your metal is not assayed when you eventually flip your bars the buyer will charge you for assay anyway, even if you have reduced your metal to crystal or used cement process, so there is one of your hurdles. Another is the cost of refining, your acids are somewhat costly to buy technical grades, and is another on going overhead, your time is your own, if you do it for kicks all good. I will add that refining agencies will not buy scrap here in WA and parcel must be forwarded as dore' anyway to be accepted. As far as gas goes use a good torch and refractory bricks to start with if you are using a large crucible. Bigger pour, higher cost in gas. Mapp is hot but expensive, I try to use low carbon fuels if you can, properly set up lpg will do fine, out of the wind and the right torch head to match your melt size. Also another cost is your flux, the cleaner your metal the better it will flow and the less flux you will need. Don't skimp on heat time if you do a large pour, as your metal is spinning in the crucible it is being cleaned by the flux, it is very important to keep the temp up and let the flux do its work, so all the silver drops out into your molten metal, inspection of your flux after cooling will tell you if you gave it enough time, not enough and your flux will be loaded with metal beads. For cleaning I am lucky, I clean my metal before hand in a tumbler with stainless steel pins for an hour, after the bar is cooled, separate your flux and keep it, my bar then goes into the tumbler for an hour or there abouts in some distilled water and a few drops of detergent. The end result is shiny shiny home grown bars of joy, cost effective, probably not, depends on your buy price.
Just looked at you tube on this topic. Omg, some of the idiots on there, no safety precautions at all. Mate for your sake please do not take this lightly, you are dealing with very high temps into the +1000c range, please use welding gloves when doing a melt, do NOT keep any water any where near your melt, if water gets into that it may explode all over you, also explode your crucible, spraying molten metal, flux and crucible shards everywhere,wear leather boots and at the least denim jeans, safety glasses are a minimum requirement, Not Glass lenses unless double or triple plate welders style. Please don't use a set of bloody multi grips to hold your crucible, you will break you crucible at the least chip it or worse it will happen when you have it full an loaded with molten metal, it WILL melt your toes off if they end up associated with your melt. Use a properly designed set of crucible tongs, crucibles are not designed to be handled by anything but these. Please use your noggin and enjoy.
Right lol - I have noted that as well. And there is a striking lack of fire extinguishers as well lol. Thanks.
Thanks for all the responses! Indeed, everyone and their brother is doing this now, and how on earth anyone is making money doing so - short of enormous volume is beyond me. Moreover, it's clear to me at least, that frontloading costs on good equipment is paramount... and that marketing is almost as important as the product when you're managing a small forge. I suppose knowing what you want to do and why is the most important ingredient to your success. If it's just pure hobby, take any path. If sales are ever on the horizon, consistency, scalability and having the right equipment from day one will help enormously. Thanks again.
I know this is an old thread, but only just found it. Reminded me of old family history -8 brothers playing together for Sunshine in the old VFA. One brother, who was one of many blacksmiths, poured molten metal down his boot. One of the aunties nursed him back to health tending to his wounds with the membranes from beneath boiled egg shells slipped between his toes as the foot healed. A year or so down the track, he rejoined his brothers on the football field having taught himself to kick with the other foot.
