Gold Prospecting: How Can I Melt My Gold at Home?

There are many sources of scrap gold to be found at home. Unwanted jewelry, dental work, gold recovered from electronics and those gold flakes that were purchased on eBay in a moment of weakness are all possible sources for gold at home. It is possible to melt this gold and reform it for a different use. As gold melts at very high temperatures, it is important to have a safe and dedicated work space for this activity.

Things You'll Need

• Crucible
• Goggles
• Gloves
• Acetylene torch
• Tongs
• Cooling mold
• Borax
• Sodium carbonate

Instructions

1. 

   Crucible ready to be heated.

   Place gold in the crucible. It is important to have the crucible in a safe, stationary location as it will be getting very hot.

2. Add a few pinches of flux on top of the gold. Flux helps to separate any impurities in the gold and aids the melting process. In this case, borax and sodium carbonate work well as flux. If significant impurities are expected, some silica (clean sand) may be added, as well.

3. Melt the gold in the crucible with the acetylene torch. If the gold has fine particles, use care as the force of the flame could blow the particles out of the crucible. Gold melts at about 1940 F, although gold alloys will generally melt at lower temperatures.

4. Use the tongs to pour the molten gold from the crucible into a mold for cooling.

Tips & Warnings

• Extremely high temperatures are used for melting gold. Wear proper safety equipment and only melt gold in a safe and dedicated area with proper care and supervision.

References

• Nevada Outback Gems: Melting Gold Fines and Jewelry Scrap

Resources

• Prospectors Paradise: Melting and Smelting