Do-It-Yourself Silver Recovery

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Silver recovery is done by melting silver objects and creating silver ingots. An ingot is a solid block of precious metal with all impurities removed. Old pieces of silver jewelry, silverware and silver containers make good candidates for melting and turning into silver ingots. A cast iron muffin pan is used to cast the silver ingots. Cast iron releases the silver ingots easily once the metal has hardened. Melt the silver in a well ventilated area.

Remove all stones, wood, glass and other objects from the silver object. Hammer and break large objects into workable size pieces. Workable size pieces fit easily within the cast iron skillet.

Place the cast iron skillet on a heat resistant surface. Remove any combustible items from the immediate area. Place the cast iron muffin pan on a heat resistant surface.

Light the acetylene torch. Hold the flame of the torch 2 to 3 inches over the silver. Move the flame in a circular motion. Watch the silver for signs of melting. Lower the flame as the silver is melting and pooling in the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Continue the process until all silver is liquid.

Turn off the acetylene torch. Put on the oven mitt. Pour the melted silver into the cast iron muffin pan. Fill as many sections as needed.

Allow the metal to cool in the cast iron muffin pan for 24 hours. Turn the muffin pan over and tap the bottom of each area where the silver ingots are held. Remove the ingots from the pan. Set the pan aside.

Tip the ingot on its edge. Look at the coloring on the ingot. The pure silver is on the bottom of the ingot and will appear a lighter color than the slag or waste material. Use a hammer and tap the top darker portion of the ingot until it breaks away from the pure silver base. The two will break apart easily if the ingot is completely cooled.