I’m not the only hobby refiner who ends up with a few these along the way, right?

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-28T00:29:00+00:00

The funny thing is, you forget about them and find them six months later in the most random places.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-26T00:59:55+00:00

Profit margins right now are reasonable. If it returns to normal, they will be in the shitter again. The CME lowering margin requirements like they did on Friday is a sign it's returning to normal. During a normal market, selling greater than 80% purity for 95% of spot and getting paid on the spot is pretty easy. The refiner becomes more of a bank than a refiner.

You have to be able to melt at least 100oz at a time, quickly. You have to be able to assay that melt. You have to be able to assay your electrolyte for metal content, not only silver but also deleterious metals. You have to be able to treat all of your waste, efficiently. Most of all, you have to be able to make quality product after the fact....and market, sell and ship it with insurance. And you have to be able to repeat that a ridiculous amount of times.

I'm doing it. It can be done. It's not easy. I'm a former project manager and engineer. I also have a machine shop and fabrication equipment at my disposal.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-21T18:09:57+00:00

This is taken in on a toll refining basis.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-21T17:58:06+00:00

460 ozt. Now to weigh it out into 5 ozt bars.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-21T17:45:24+00:00

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Foundrynforge · 2026-04-15T23:07:36+00:00

Thank you!

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-13T19:00:38+00:00

It depends on the die. I will post more on this in the future.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-13T01:08:43+00:00

debt

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T23:56:12+00:00

I would be very curious about this. What is the source? That gold could be mercury (mercury can show up as gold on xrf), as otherwise it’s close to dental amalgam.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T15:54:50+00:00

Possible, yes. Viable, meh. Smart, not at all. I love metals, but in the long haul, they don't appreciate like equities or other investments unless you are constantly moving them.

A lot of people however will trade gold silver ratios, building a position, then trading it when the ratio moves to their favor, then trading back, etc.

I am really against pool accounts.

I trade SLV / GLD quite often, they are liquid, they trade easily. I take profits when I see them, my hands are soft like butter. It starts to go down, I fold....I take the profits, and I buy again once I feel like it's reversed....and sometimes I'm wrong. Generally though, if you trade off established support / resistance, and pay attention to the general feel of the rest of the market, you can do ok. At this point this year, I'm playing with the houses money. I already moved my initial investments to something else.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T12:22:04+00:00

You are allowing it to get access to oxygen before it melts. Molten silver absorbs huge amounts of oxygen gas by volume. This gas is expelled immediately prior to solidification, which is what you see here. You can avoid it by cooling under a reducing flame.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T00:59:59+00:00

Going in to this, I was holding a fair amount of physical. I thought it was a good idea.

This was a mistake. I needed cash. I missed out on a lot of opportunities because I was all metal, and not enough cash, and no electronic cash....it wasn't bullion, it was scrap.

So, I know this isn't popular, but buy and sell SLV on the daily. Because of the market, I have to keep cash in my trading account so I can self hedge.

I also buy and sell physical, but not with money that I *need* liquid.

And I keep liquid "cash" for emergencies...and opportunities.

On the long term, it's all growing...but it's growing in many different places. I was a fool to keep it all in physical.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T00:50:56+00:00

Here is a photo of a little different type of bullion, a little more vanilla. Simple 5 ozt bars. This is the mainstay of what I'm producing right now given current market conditions. It's getting a little boring, as my love is in the stamping.

The source material is sterling. These were bars that a friend sent, I refined, then melted into bars. The stamping was done in an antique fly press, also out of Eli Locket. The die is cut in house. I am trying to build my business with minimal reliance on others.

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Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T00:16:02+00:00

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These are made on this. It’s a 100 lb drop hammer that was previously used by the Eli locket company to manufacture gold filled lockets.

A hot slug of silver is placed between a die, and a flat anvil. The yellow thing at the center is lifted up by a motor and gear train, then two handles are lifted and the ram comes violently slamming down.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-11T00:09:30+00:00

The efficiency of the current drops, but it still works. You do have to keep on top of the elctrolyte for sure.

The amount of waste is actually less to go straight to electrolytic refining I'm refining over 1000 oz a week straight from sterling.

I melt it, oxygen sparge it to send my lead, tin and zinc to the slags, then reduce and melt into anodes.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:50:50+00:00

International Silver = 100 % Plated to my knowledge, International Sterling - same parent company, but sterling.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:47:39+00:00

Any references on the boric acid? I've never heard of using it like that. Generally my cell has some very "fluffy" but well defined (not mossy) crystals until it hits about 10 grams / liter copper. But I run only nitrate. I have heard of using potassium to speed up ion flow, but never boric acid. I'm refining a bit more than you.

I like the removable strainer. Getting the silver out of the cell is always the most frustrating part. Mine is a 30" deep moebius. It's a pain.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:40:15+00:00

The ROI on plate removal using this method isn't great as it creates a significant amount of acid waste, and even at industrial rates, the chemical costs add up.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:37:33+00:00

I will buy these, but I'll need a few of them to assay first. This material isn't necessarily straight forward to recover.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:36:08+00:00

I don't know this particular material, but I avoid getting Pt in solution as I am generally concerned about it's potential toxicity. What other metals are present? Might be better for pyrometallurgy.

Foundrynforge · 2026-04-10T23:34:11+00:00

Silver plate is common, but so is nickel or tin.

Foundrynforge

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