Glazing The Crucible

Ring of Opal-Part 3
March 18, 2023
Showing how to glaze a crucible.
New Whip style bowl crucible, denatured alcohol, Mule team 20 Borax, lighter, scrapper or half round file, torch, use non copper tongs and gloves ( I did not, but you should)
Mix borax + Denatured alcohol in the crucible, stir and spread around the crucible. Light the denatured alcohol to burn it off leaving the borax. Torch the crucible to melt the borax hopefully lining your new crucible with fresh borax to cover the crucible to melt the metal in.
The borax acts as a buffer between the crucible and the metal allowing it to pour out easily once heated and fully melted.
See ya soon.

[@OpalOracle]

So cool Robert. Thanks for sharing. Bless the eternal flame

[@TheSilverSmithsBench1]

🔥

[@patriotadventure]

im a newbe to this, what is the function of the borax? do you have to do this for all new crucibles?

[@TheSilverSmithsBench1]

Good question.
Yes, you should and will. Only for the initial use. After that you’re adding a bit of flux to every reheat of the crucible.
If you watch metal melting vids some use glass and flux in the crucible.
The surface of the crucible is somewhat rough.
The flux is granular in texture and acts like glass when reaching melting temperatures. It pulls out impurities and coats the surface so that the metal may flow over it (the crucible) without sticking.
Picture a glass with water in it. Same idea with the crucible.
Soon be recording some silver projects.