Preperation Begins
All of the tools necessary are prepared for the melting process. These are standard pieces of equipment used for melting precious metals.
Melting Gold
We insert the raw gold or silver into an oven, where they are melted at their respective melting temperatures. They are inserted inside a crucible that glows bright orange from the intense heat. This is what allows us to insert and remove the melted gold and silver metals.
Close maintenance of the internal temperatures is maintained so that the metals are melted at an efficient rate.
Pouring Gold
The melted gold or silver is removed from the oven once completely melted.
The melted gold or silver is then poured into a mould to be shaped into a bar. This allows for easy handling throughout our process.
Stop. Hammer Time
Once the bar has been cooled sufficiently, it is removed from the mold, and is ready for the next part of our process.
Any inconsistencies in the shape of the bar are hammered out so that it can efficiently be handled.
It is necessary for the bar to be consistent and solid. Any possible flaws are beaten out so as not to hinder further processing.
Once the bar is thick, solid, and tight, it is considered ready for the next step of the process.
Keep Rolling
The bar is rolled through a machine that reduces the bar's thickness, stretching the gold into a spool. This process is repeated until the bar has reached a consistent thickness that can be processed further.
Once the gold or silver bar has completed its processing within the rolling mill, it is a magnitude thinner than when it first began as a bar.
The bar is now thin and ready for further processing. It must be removed from the mill with care so as not to break.
It's Like A Sauna In Here
The thinned gold or silver metal is now heated so as to allow it to be cut and formed into the necessary sizes for further processing.
One For The Books
After the metal is sufficiently softened, it is cut up into small squares of 1 inch, and inserted into a stack of beating paper.
A full stack of gold or silver reading for beating contains 250 squares of gold or silver sandwiched between individual sheets.
Hammer Time. Again
After the stack is completed, it is inserted into a pouch so as to maintain form during the beating process. A mechanical hammer is used to beat the metals thinner, and thinner.
After the first hammering is completed, the gold or silver squares of 1 inch have now grown to roughly four times their original size, and much thinner.
The sheets are hammered until their desired thickness, being checked throughout the process for any inconsistencies. The analog process is the only way to ensure uniform thinness and structural integrity.
