How to Melt Copper in a Pouring Crucible for Jewelry Casting

Jewelry is made from many metals including gold, silver and copper.

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Copper is used to create beads, pendants and other jewelry charms, but in order to create them the copper must be melted first. Copper must reach a temperature between 1500 and 2250 degrees Fahrenheit in order to melt. Any cooler than that, the copper will not melt and any hotter and the copper will burn.

Related Searches:Difficulty:Moderately EasyInstructions Things You'll NeedPouring crucibleCopper - as much as needed to create your jewelry elementElectric crucible furnaceLeather glovesSafety gogglesSuggest Edits1

Put the amount of copper necessary to make your jewelry pieces in the pouring crucible.

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Put on a pair of leather gloves and a pair of goggles to protect your eyes and hands.

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Put the pouring crucible, with copper now in it inside the electric crucible furnace. Then set the furnace for 1500 degrees.

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Watch the crucible in the furnace as the copper melts. When the copper is melted it is ready to be removed from the furnace and poured from the pouring crucible into the jewelry molds. Do not let it cool in the pouring crucible because it will solidify and need to be reheated.

Tips & Warnings

Because you are working at very high temperatures, you must take safety precautions to protect yourself. While working, wear closed toed shoes, long pants and long sleeves to protect your skin.

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How to Do a Casting of a Real Leaf for Jewelry

Leaves are natural beauties that come in many shapes and sizes, and they can be shaped into organic, element jewelry that is sure to attract attention and compliments. There are a number of ways to transform leaves into jewelry, ranging from an electromagnetic process, which causes a metal such as copper to cling to the leaf itself, to sealing the leaf in a blob of clear resin. Plaster can also be used to cast real leaves to create jewelry. The lost wax method can create casts that are then filled with metal, or the plaster casts themselves can be turned into pendants.

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