How to Smelt 14Kt Gold

Smelting 14kt gold alloys separates the pure gold from other metals combined to make it harder.

Smelting is a process to purify gold and other precious metals from ores or alloys by melting them in a crucible combined with a chemical called flux. Since 14 karat gold comes in several alloys, including green gold and pink gold, which contain a combination of silver, copper and zinc, it requires more flux than purer gold. Because of its durability and luster, 14kt gold is the most commonly used gold alloy in the jewelry market. Once 14kt gold is melted down, all impurities combine with the flux, which is drained away and leaves pure gold. The purified gold can then be placed into molds and hardened into new creations.

Things You'll Need

• Crucible
• Flux
• 14kt gold
• Torch

Instructions

1. Place 14kt gold pieces into a crucible. Use a graphite carbon crucible because it is more durable under extreme temperatures than ceramic crucibles.

2. Combine the gold with flux. Most fluxes for gold smelting are borax-based. For finer particles or smaller 14kt pieces, add an extra layer of borax flux on top to prevent smaller pieces from blowing out of the crucible during the torching stage.

3. Set the crucible torch temperature to approximately 1650 degrees. Direct the torch slowly and gently from the top, melting the top layer downward. Once the gold is melted, the flux, combined with other metals and impurities, will float to the surface.

4. Drain off the flux mixture carefully and pour the purified gold into the appropriate molds. Once the gold has cooled and hardened, inspect it to ensure the purity. Your gold should now be soft and malleable in its pure state.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase graphite carbon crucibles and smelting fluxes at most rock and mineral shops that cater to jewelers and hobbyists.

• 14kt green gold alloys contain gold, copper, silver and zinc. 14kt pink gold contains more copper, which is the main hardening ingredient in gold alloys.

• Melting the gold too quickly with the torch may cause the crucible to crack and leak the molten gold mixture.

References

• Nevada Outback Gems: About Melting Gold Fines and Jewelry Scrap
• Mark Ehrmann Jewelry: 24K Gold Information/ Precious and Semi-precious Stones