Every jewelry maker knows that little jar on their workbench, the one that slowly fills with treasures: scraps of wire, fragments of metal sheet, failed rings, and even precious metal filings. It's a dormant bank of raw materials. But the crucial question remains: what to do with these gold scraps? Can they be melted down at home?
At La Fille du Sud, we understand the value of every gram. Here's our guide to help you manage your precious metal scraps wisely.
The Dream: Melting down your gold scraps at the workshop
The idea is appealing: take all the scrap metal, melt it with a blowtorch in a crucible to create a new ingot, ready to be rolled or drawn. It's the perfect recycling cycle.
The Reality: Why It's a Bad Idea for Most Creators
Unfortunately, remelting small quantities of scrap metal in the workshop is a very risky operation that compromises the quality of your metal.
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Problem #1: Alloy Contamination
Your scrap metal is rarely "pure." It's often mixed with traces of solder (weld), which has a different composition and properties. Melting it all together will pollute your alloy , lower its fineness (from 750‰ to 740‰, for example) and alter its mechanical properties. -
Problem #2: Metal Loss
Melting very small quantities results in significant loss through oxidation and evaporation. You risk losing some of your precious gold in the process. -
Problem #3: Equipment
A quality cast iron requires specific equipment (powerful torch, suitable crucible, borax, ingot mold...) and real know-how to avoid bubbles and impurities.
The Professional Solution: Starting from a Pure Base
So, what to do? Keep your scraps safe! When you have a significant quantity (several tens of grams), you can sell them to a professional cheese refiner.
But for your everyday creations, the jewelers' secret is to always start from a sound and certified base.
That is precisely the role of the Gold granules . This is a new alloy, with a perfectly controlled fineness (750‰ or 999.9‰), guaranteeing impeccable results every time you cast it. This ensures you won't spend hours creating a piece of jewelry that turns out to be fragile or disappointingly colored due to poor-quality metal.
Conclusion: Quality Begins with the Material
Recycling is a virtue, but in jewelry making, quality is paramount. The best way to showcase your work is to start with impeccable raw materials. Consider your scraps as savings, and new shot as your investment in quality.
Ready to melt with confidence?