Melt Gold

The exact melting point of gold will depend on it's purity; pure gold melts at 1060 deg C; gold diluted with copper at .820 fine (the gold-copper eutectic mixture) melts at 889 deg C. Still very hot; too hot for a "test tube" (lab glassware typically starts to melt at around 600 deg C).

Gold crucibles used by jewellers and goldsmiths are typically made of a fused silica ceramic. Google "gold crucible" to see the type of kit you'd need to acquire.

It's not a good idea to melt gold that is currently in a recognizable form if you intend to sell it. Once it's a homemade hunk of metal it will have to be assayed before anyone will pay a reasonable amount for it, assays cost money.

In general, a refiner would do an assay. A gold buyer could do an acid test, but most are wary of items that are not recognizable because they fear they might not be the same purity throughout. Karat marked jewelry & coins seem to be more accepted.

Assay fees vary depending on the refiner & the quantity. I've heard fees start around $50 & go up from there. You should try goldrefiningforum.com if you want detailed answers/instructions about gold refining. Some of it makes for an interesting read but with the chemicals & techniques you need to use it's not something I would try.

I have melted scrap silver in an attempt to make an ingot before. As a plumber I had the torch & a crucible used for melting lead so I gave it a shot. It was hard to get enough heat to keep the silver molten long enough to pour the ingot. I ended up with a blob of unrecognizable metal that I threw in with a large batch of sterling I sold to a refiner.