Refractory Pot (Noun)
Meaning
A small porous bowl made of bone ash used in assaying to separate precious metals from e.g. lead.
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- Historically, assayers relied on the refractory pot to extract small amounts of gold and silver from ore samples.
- To prepare the refractory pot for use, the bowl was submersed in water to open its pores.
- The fine holes on the surface of the refractory pot allowed the volatile substances to escape during the heating process.
- Because of its high melting point, the refractory pot withstood the intense heat required to separate precious from base metals.
- Assayers regularly cleaned and fired the refractory pot to prevent contamination from previous assays.