I have introduced myself as a stacker and collector, but most of my friends are carvers and pourers in the Melals Mafia. Watching their videos and visiting in the live streams, they make their craft seem almost effortless. However, I know better!
I have been asked a few times if I would ever start pouring. I do find it interesting and I do have the advantage of being able to ask any of them for their advice and knowledge on the subject. I have learned a great deal already, but don't have any of the equipment to try such a thing at this time.
Its funny what goes through your mind when its a slow night and you start eyeing all the tools and materials around you. I work in electronics and have for almost thirty years. I found some old absorbing blocks used to deaden radio frequency energy and thought. Hmmm... looks close to graphite! So, I began to make my mold!
Please keep in mind, a joke was forming in my mind, one I thought my Mafia friends would find funny, but could appreciate all the same. I knew that solder was all around me in an abundant supply. This solder is commercial grade which means a much lower lead content, but higher silver content. Hmm... There is silver in there... right!
I began clipping strands of the stuff creating my own version of silver shot. I also formed larger bits by making small sections of silver solder rope. Now I needed a way to melt the metal and fill my make shift mold. I turned to the soldering station and saw the trusty old iron in its stand, but knew that would never do. I needed my equivalent to a furnace, but we had nothing like that in the tech shop. Then I remembered seeing several of the guys melting silver with a torch and had an idea! The hot air soldering and desoldering machine melted the soft metal easily and could warm a small space, not just a pinpoint area. With a wide grin, I took my tiny hand made mold to the bench and powered up the HAKKO!!!!
It had to work! The thing even looked like a torch, only without a hot blue flame, but oh, it got hot! I placed my version of shot into the mold and pressed it down to the bottom. When the HAKKO reached temp, I warmed the mold. The metal melted almost instantly! I added the sections of solder rope until the mold was full and a mirror like bead wiggled and rippled in the burning hot stream of air. Lifting my flameless torch, I let my tiny creation cool.
I didn't have any crucible tongs, but needle nose pliers did the job of transporting the hot little item back to my workbench. It wasn't easy, but I eventually freed the tiny bar from the mold and it had held its shape nicely!
Yeah, it was a little crude, no where near the fine .999 silver I had seen my friends pour on so many occasions and it was grainy with a dull finish. But, it was a bar and it did contain silver!!
I was kinda proud of my first attempt and, after all, it was really only a joke. But, I am a man of details and the dull finish was just not sitting will with me. I needed some fine grit sandpaper. During luch, I mentioned that i wished there was some sandpaper like that in the shop to my co-worker Rich.
After lunch, I had returned to my bench and sitting through a few long automated tests when Rich walked up and placed a card of the very thing I had asked for. He had pillaged it from the engineering tool chest. Thanking Rich, I began to polish my little project.
All in all, I think it turned out well enough. It started off as a joke for my pouring friends, but i suddenly realized that I had an absolute blat making the tiny little thing. It was a challenge to be overcome, a puzzle to solve in just how to make it and now I looked down at the finished product and just laughed. "Well now, my fist pour!"
Later that night I sent pictures to my friends Pit Bullion and Mikegpo. Mike even featured it in his Monday live stream. We all got a laugh, but all the questions of how I made the mold, melted the metal and cast the bar made my night. Their curiosity in its construction made me feel like one of them. They got a good laugh out of the 1.9gram 2% silver bar, but I think they also appreciated what it took pull off such a joke.
Mission accomplished!
Thanks for your friendship and support guys!!
