[Jewelry making - Article 00542] - [Orchid] Problems with melting furnace

[Vera]

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    I'm sorry noone has answered your inquiry yet, but I too am
    interested in why this would happen. Could someone knowledgable about
    electro-melt furnaces chime in? 

    Fellow orchidians, 

    I purchased an Itialian made melting furnace, Model FE-10, unknown
    manufacturer. This is similar to an electro melt. It uses a graphite
    crucible with a groove cut in it and comes with a pair of tongs that
    fit into the groove and contact 90% of the groove. To pour it is
    intended that the crucible be removed. The melter has a thermocouple
    and a Techologic electronic temperature controller. 

    To get familiar with the melter I decided to pour an ingot. I heated
    the sterlling to 1700 deg F, added a pinch of flux, stirred the silver
    with a graphite rod, picked up the crucible with the tongs and poured.
    Initially nothing happened so I tipped the crucible a bit more. The
    silver poured out all at once. Only part of it made it into the ingot
    mold. I had noted that when I picked up the crucible which was a
    cherry red, the top part lost its color because the tongs sucked the
    heat out of it. I am guessing that the initial silver hardened and
    when I tipped the crucible further the melt went over the bump. 

Can anyone give me some guidance on this?

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