3 Ways To Melt Gold - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Melt Gold PDF download Download Article Co-authored by Himesh Patel

Last Updated: May 7, 2025 Fact Checked

PDF download Download Article
  • Getting the Right Equipment
    • |
  • Using a Heating Kit
    • |
  • Finding Other Sources of Heat
    • |
  • Expert Interview
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Warnings
    • |
  • Things You'll Need
|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by Himesh Patel. Himesh Patel is a Metallurgical Engineer at Mcclelland Laboratories in Reno, Nevada. With over five years of industry and graduate research experience in the raw materials industry, Himesh has extensive knowledge of mining and mineral extraction and recovery methods, mine financing, and the environmental impacts of mining. He received his MS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Dual Degree in Mineral Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad. Himesh is passionate about educating the public about the minerals industry. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,129,016 times.

Maybe you have gold jewelry that you want to melt. Or you’re an artist or jewelry designer who wants to create a new design by melting gold. There are several ways you can melt gold at home although you should always take great care to remain safe when melting gold because it requires extreme heat.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Getting the Right Equipment

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  1. Step 1 Buy a crucible container to hold the gold as it melts. 1 Buy a crucible container to hold the gold as it melts. You need the right equipment to melt gold. A crucible is a container that is specifically designed to hold gold as it melts because it can withstand the extreme heat.
    • A crucible is usually made of graphite carbon or clay. Gold’s melting point is at about 1,943 degrees Fahrenheit (1064 °C), which means you will need temperatures that hot to melt it. Thus, it's very important that you don't just choose any container.[1] Always give the crucible time heat up so the temperature can stabilize before you melt anything.[2]
    • In addition to a crucible, you will need a pair of tongs to move the crucible and hold it. These need to be made out of heat-resistant material.
    • If you don't have a crucible, a homemade method uses a potato to melt gold instead of a crucible. To use this method, cut a hole into the potato, and place the gold in it.[3]
  2. Step 2 Use flux to remove impurities from the gold. 2 Use flux to remove impurities from the gold. Flux is a substance that is mixed with the gold before melting it. It is often a mixture of borax and sodium carbonate.[4]
    • You need more flux if the gold is impure. You can use many different formulas for flux mixtures. One method involves mixing borax and sodium carbonate. Add two pinches per ounce of clean jewelry scrap and more for dirty scrap. You can use regular baking soda or bicarbonate purchased from the store. When you heat it, it forms sodium carbonate.[5]
    • Flux helps hold together the fine gold particles, and it also helps remove impure materials from the gold as it heats. When using the potato method, add a pinch of borax into the hole in the potato before melting the gold.[6]
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  3. Step 3 Be very careful of safety at all times. 3 Be very careful of safety at all times. It can be dangerous to melt gold because of the extreme heat needed to do it.
    • Consult a professional if you have no training in melting gold at all. You also should find a place in your house to melt gold that is safe, such as in your garage or a spare room. You will need a work bench to put your materials on.
    • Make sure that you wear safety goggles and a face shield to protect your face. You should put heat-resistant gloves on your hands and wear a heavy apron too.
    • Never, ever melt down gold near something that is flammable. It can be very dangerous, and you don’t want to cause a fire.
    Clear pointers enabled a DIY gold melting. "I wanted to melt down some old jewelry into an ingot, and it clearly laid out the must-have gear and step-by-step directions for melting. Thanks to the specific tips on flux amounts and getting the crucible ready, I managed to make my own gold bar successfully!" - Johnny K. A great confidence booster for a beginner like me. "I was curious about melting precious metals but hesitant to try it out. This gave me a thoughtful intro to the process, the equipment I'd need, and key safety stuff to consider. Now that I'm better informed, I feel ready to slowly start exploring this intricate craft." - Sunita P. The ideal prep for my first smelting attempts. "I had some scrap gold I wanted to melt down before selling, and this had everything I needed to get started — the gear, how much flux to use, heating options, etc. With that level of detail, I finally felt confident enough to start learning some smelting techniques!" - Ken S. Gave insight to avoid a dangerous DIY. "I'd thought about trying to melt down an old gold tooth crown to reuse the metal for jewelry. This made it clear how tricky it is to safely melt gold at exact temps. Wisely, I've decided to leave smelting precious metals to the experts!" - Baudilio M. Valuable resource supports ongoing education. "As an amateur goldworker, the info here on heat sources and the step-by-step demos have expanded my knowledge tremendously. I find myself coming back to it often as I practice this intricate craft, and my skills improve each time!" - Barbara S. Did you know that wikiHow has collected over 365,000 reader stories since it started in 2005? We’d love to hear from you! Share your story here.
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Using a Heating Kit

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  1. Step 1 Buy an electric furnace that is used for melting gold. 1 Buy an electric furnace that is used for melting gold. These are small, high-powered kilns that are specifically designed to melt precious metals, including gold and silver. You can buy them online.
    • Some of these electric gold furnaces are pretty affordable. They also allow people to mix metals together (such as gold, silver, copper, aluminum, and so on) and melt them at home. To use them, you will need the same equipment, including a crucible and flux.
    • If the gold item also contains small percentages of silver, copper or zinc, the melting point will be lower.[7]
  2. Step 2 Try melting down gold in a 1200-watt microwave. 2 Try melting down gold in a 1200-watt microwave. You want to use a microwave that does not have the magnetron on the top but rather has it on the side or back.[8]
    • You can buy a microwave gold smelting kit or kiln. You place the kiln on a kiln shelf in the microwave. The crucible holds the gold while it is being heated and is placed in the kiln, with a lid on top.[9]
    • Don’t use the microwave for cooking food again if you have used it to melt gold, though.[10]
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Finding Other Sources of Heat

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  1. Step 1 Try using a propane torch to melt gold. 1 Try using a propane torch to melt gold. As noted before, you must be extremely careful about safety concerns if you are going to use a torch. However, a torch will melt gold within a few minutes.
    • The gold should be placed into a crucible. Then, put the crucible on a fireproof surface, and direct a torch toward the gold within the crucible. If you add the chemical borax to the gold first, you can melt it at lower temperatures, which might be needed if you’re using a torch.
    • Be careful to bring the torch down slowly if you have fine powdered gold in the crucible because you could easily blow it around. Heating the crucible too fast also could crack it. You want to heat it thoroughly and slowly. An oxy-acetylene torch will melt the gold faster than propane.[11]
    • With a torch, hold the flame well above the gold powder and slowly work in a circular motion. Once the powder begins to heat up and turn red, you can begin to work the torch in slowly until your powder is reduced to a nugget.
  2. Step 2 Shape your melted gold. 2 Shape your melted gold. You need to decide what you are going to do with the melted gold. Perhaps you want to sell it in a new form. You could try to make an ingot out of it or another shape, like a gold bar.
    • Pour the melted gold into the ingot mold or other mold before it hardens. Then, let the gold cool. The mold should be made from similar material as the crucible
    • Don’t forget to clean up your mess! You never want to leave heat sources unattended or in the reach of children.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Can I make a mold for shaping other metals out of gold? Caleb Hale Caleb Hale Community Answer You could, but as soon as you poured the molten metal into the gold mold, and it started cooling, your other metal would bond itself to the gold. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 33 Helpful 60
  • Question What kind of flame should I be using to melt gold? Community Answer Community Answer You can use propane as a fuel, and if you use an oxygen pipe, the gold will melt faster. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 21 Helpful 52
  • Question Can gold be fake? How do I know if I have real gold? Community Answer Community Answer Check out this article on How to Tell if Gold Is Real. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 57 Helpful 195
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Warnings

  • 24 karat gold is very malleable. If you need to make it stronger, alloy it with another metal. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Melting gold takes skill, so you could check with a professional before you try it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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Things You'll Need

  • Gold
  • oxy-Acetylene or oxy-propane torch
  • crucible tongs
  • crucible
  • borax flux

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about metal casting, check out our in-depth interview with Alisa Thorp.

References

  1. ↑ https://sciencing.com/can-melt-gold-propane-7157.html
  2. ↑ Himesh Patel. Metallurgical Engineer & Manager. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeDEW0bNEX8
  4. ↑ http://goldvalue.co/how-to-smelt-gold-at-home/
  5. ↑ http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Reference_pages/melting_gold.htm
  6. ↑ http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Reference_pages/melting_gold.htm
  7. ↑ http://classroom.synonym.com/can-melt-gold-propane-7157.html
  8. ↑ http://goldvalue.co/how-to-smelt-gold-at-home/
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S7r7SAbOmY
More References (2)
  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S7r7SAbOmY
  2. ↑ https://cutgems.org/how-to-melt-gold-flakes/

About This Article

Himesh Patel Co-authored by: Himesh Patel Metallurgical Engineer & Manager This article was co-authored by Himesh Patel. Himesh Patel is a Metallurgical Engineer at Mcclelland Laboratories in Reno, Nevada. With over five years of industry and graduate research experience in the raw materials industry, Himesh has extensive knowledge of mining and mineral extraction and recovery methods, mine financing, and the environmental impacts of mining. He received his MS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a Dual Degree in Mineral Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad. Himesh is passionate about educating the public about the minerals industry. This article has been viewed 1,129,016 times. 35 votes - 85% Co-authors: 40 Updated: May 7, 2025 Views: 1,129,016 Categories: Metal Casting Article SummaryX

To melt gold using things you probably have at home, first grab a large baking potato and cut a hole in it. Then put a pinch of borax into the potato, which will help remove any impurities from your gold and hold together its fine particles. Next, add your gold to the hole in the potato. Finally, put the potato in a 1200-watt microwave oven that has a magnetron on the side or back. Start your microwave and watch for your liquid gold! For more on melting gold, including buying and using an electric furnace, scroll down! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Sunita P.

    Sunita P.

    Jun 5, 2017

    "I was curious about melting precious metals but hesitant to try it out. This gave me a thoughtful intro to the..." more Rated this article:
More reader stories Hide reader stories Share your story

Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Himesh Patel Co-authored by: Himesh Patel Metallurgical Engineer & Manager Co-authors: 40 Updated: May 7, 2025 Views: 1,129,016 85% of readers found this article helpful. 35 votes - 85% Click a star to add your vote Sunita P.

Sunita P.

Jun 5, 2017

"I was curious about melting precious metals but hesitant to try it out. This gave me a thoughtful intro to the..." more Rated this article: Ken S.

Ken S.

May 27, 2016

"I had some scrap gold I wanted to melt down before selling, and this had everything I needed to get started — the..." more Johnny K.

Johnny K.

Jan 24, 2020

"I wanted to melt down some old jewelry into an ingot, and it clearly laid out the must-have gear and step-by-step..." more Baudilio M.

Baudilio M.

Oct 26, 2016

"I'd thought about trying to melt down an old gold tooth crown to reuse the metal for jewelry. This made it..." more Barbara S.

Barbara S.

Jul 12, 2016

"As an amateur goldworker, the info here on heat sources and the step-by-step demos have expanded my knowledge..." more Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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