How to Make a Bullion Ingot
The bullion ingot is a block of pure metal with all impurities removed. Old pieces of jewelry or metal objects are good candidates to melt and turn into a bullion ingot. The best mold to use is a cast iron muffin pan with rectangular openings. The cast iron will not melt when molten metal is poured into the shapes. The metal ingots release easily from the cast iron once they have hardened. Make bullion ingots at home in a well-ventilated area.
Things You'll Need
- Cast iron skillet
- Acetylene torch
- Striker
- Heat resistant surface
- Safety glasses
- Oven mitt
- Cast iron muffin pan
- Hammer
Instructions
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1
Remove any stones, plastic or wood from the metal objects prior to melting.
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2
Place a cast iron skillet on a heat-resistant surface. Place objects of the same metal into the skillet. For example, put 10, 14, and 24 carat gold items together.
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3
Put on the safety glasses. Light the acetylene torch.
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Position the acetylene torch over the top of the metal. Bring the tip of the flame to one-half inch above the metal. Move the flame in a slow circular motion starting from the center, working to the outside edges then back to the center. Continue the process until all metal is melted. Note: The heat time for each pan of metal will differ depending on the amount and type of metal.
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Turn off the acetylene torch. Put on the oven mitt and pour the molten metal into the cast iron muffin pan. Use as many sections of the muffin pan as required.
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Allow the bullion ingots to cool and set for 24 hours. Turn the cast iron muffin pan over. Tap the bottom of each area holding an ingot. The ingots will pop out easily from each area.
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Look at the edge of each ingot and locate the line where the color of the ingot changes. Use a hammer and tap the area with a darker color until it pops from the ingot. Note: The pure metal settles to the bottom of the ingot and is a consistent color such as gold or silver. The slag, or waste material, floats to the top and creates a darker-colored area. The two sections break apart easily once the ingot is totally cooled and hard.
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Tips & Warnings
A more time-consuming way of making a bullion ingot is making a sand casting. The process involves building a frame with a removable top and bottom. The frame is placed on the bottom with a block the side of the desired ingot placed in the center. Sand is packed around the bullion block form and tapped down until it is hard. A lid is placed on the frame and the frame is flipped over. The bullion block form is removed. The molten metal is then poured into the shape in the sand left from the block form. The metal is left to cool and harden. It is then removed from the sand.
References
- Photo Credit ignot image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
