Thanks so much kirra-Lea! This answered more questions than just the stone breaking. Watching that, I was surprised the silver even encompassed the stone on such a thin mould- but the “rolling melt” seems to be a very important point! My silver often sticks to the crucible before pouring, and in my trouble shooting, the stone would be so large that I imagined it was drawing heat away from the silver and it would stop it in it’s tracks. Not allowing it to encompass the design- even on a much thicker band. Choosing stones with softer edges sounds like a good plan for future attempts. I’m sure many people will find this helpful!! Thanks so much!
Thank you for this very useful video...I noticed that when you pour the molten metal remains on the surface a small flame could be the one that continues to heat the stone and ruin it? it's just an idea I'm not an expert in this technique
When the metal cools it contracts and squeezing the stone but being silver ( a soft metal) I don’t know if it would have enough force to crack the stone.. I’m wondering if there’s water in the rock that creates steam and cracks the rock on its way out
