Cooking For Engineers

[Michael Chu]

Go to Can gold be melted at home?

Article Digest:
Gold melts at almost 2000°F (1945°F to be exact; 1063°C) and can be done at home by using a propane torch ($40 at home improvement stores). The propane torch will take a while to get the gold to be hot, then soft, and finally completely melt. Using an oxy-acetelyne torch will speed up the process, but I don't consider that a standard household tool. However, I don't recommend you try this unless you are experienced with this sort of activity.

There have also been some experiments involving conventional (unmodified) microwave ovens and the melting of metals.

<!-- Melting points of various metals
Aluminum Al 1220 660
Antimony Sb 1167 630
Beryllium Be 2340 1280
Bismuth Bi 520 271
Cadmium Cd 610 321
Carbon C - - 2.22
Chromium Cr 3430 1890
Cobalt Co 2723 1495 8.90
Copper Cu 1981 1083 8.96
Gold, 24K Pure Au 1945 1063
Iridium Ir 4449 2454
Iron Fe 2802 1539 7.87
Lead Pb 621 327 11.34
Magnesium Mg 1202 650
Manganese Mn 2273 1245
Molybdenum Mo 4760 2625
Nickel Ni 2651 1455 8.90
Osmium Os 4892 2700 22.50
Palladium Pd 2831 1555
Phosphorus P 111 44
Platinum, Pure Pt 3224 1773
15% Irid Plat - 3310 1821
10% Irid Plat - 3250 1788
5% Irid Plat - 3235 1779
Rhodium Rh 3571 1966
Ruthenium Ru 4500 2500
Silicon Si 2605 1430
Silver, Pure Ag 1761 961
Silver, Sterling - 1640
Silver, Coin - 1615 879
Tin Sn 450 232 7.30
Zinc Zn 787 419 7.10
-->

[gordman]

I don't think melting gold at home is possible, you need special tools for that...

[Blue Pilgrim]

You could likely do it with a MAPP or a turbo torch, but for anything but a bit of wire you would want a small baffle furnace -- you could make an ersatz one one with a few fire bricks (preferably the soft kind), to contain the heat. Or you could use such a furnace with charcoal and forced air. You are essentially making your own equipment such as a jeweler -- or a goldsmith in a primitive culture -- would use.

Keep in mind that you would probably not be trying to melt pure gold, but an alloy which would require a lower temperature than 24K.

[NeiNastran]

I'm sure I will need this info one day. Thanks!

[matthewlewis]

Scrap gold can be melted down and made into something new. It is the ultimate form of recycling since your scrap could become someone else's treasure.