Graphite conducts heat relatively well, which means that it'll draw heat away from whatever you're trying to melt and it'll take longer/hotter to melt it. That's also why it transferred heat so well to the handle. Usually graphite is used more as a mold, unless it's in a kiln where everything is heated up, with ceramic crucibles are preferred for these smaller melts. And as bistackD always says, you should always pre-heat your molds (in this case the graphite) to prevent steam explosions.
Thanks for sharing your failures along with your successes. Nice to see the iterative process. Can't wait for part 2!
Have to fail your way to success 🙌
Graphite conducts heat relatively well, which means that it'll draw heat away from whatever you're trying to melt and it'll take longer/hotter to melt it. That's also why it transferred heat so well to the handle. Usually graphite is used more as a mold, unless it's in a kiln where everything is heated up, with ceramic crucibles are preferred for these smaller melts. And as bistackD always says, you should always pre-heat your molds (in this case the graphite) to prevent steam explosions.
Good advice, thanks! Definitely going to be using ceramic moving forward 😊