Crucibles for melting material and methods of transferring material therefrom

A cold crucible for melting material, comprising:

• a substantially flat bottom plate;
• a plurality of hollow tubes above the substantially flat bottom plate proximate a periphery thereof;
• and
• a plurality of O-rings;
• wherein each hollow tube of the plurality of hollow tubes is in contact with at least one O-ring of the plurality of O-rings, and wherein each O-ring of the plurality of O-rings is in contact with the substantially flat bottom plate.

A method of transferring molten material from a crucible, comprising:

• moving a chill plate from a first position in contact with a floor of a crucible and covering an opening through the floor to a second position removed from the opening, wherein the crucible encloses a mass of molten material;
• initiating flow of the molten material from the crucible through the opening;
• terminating the flow of molten material from the crucible through the opening while a portion of the molten material remains in the crucible;
• and
• moving the chill plate back to the first position.