Home Shop Foundry - Melting Scrap Copper

[throathammer1]

this is really neat shit!! this has further sparked my curiosity and now Im going to start checking prices of equipment.

[themrmaxgeos]

what do you use for a crucible

[4x4me2]

what is the average weight of your ingots and do you add any chemicals? not sure why but i have seen other people adding chemicals.

[chunky1194]

I just read something thay said burning insulated wire is illegal. Excuse my ignorance if thay doesnt apply here.

[1castingcowboy]

Hello, this is Steve with Lost & Foundry.

Nice video, thanks for metioning us.

The "lid plug" is for keeping the heat in when the furnace is not in use, between heats. The lid plug restricts the airflow and takes longer to melt.

[TheJustinDonaldson]

tell me the name of that melting pot.

[diyengineer]

@TheJustinDonaldson google lost foundry.

[mjm4017]

How do I get ahold of a furnace like that? I've actually just placed my ingot in a homemade brick oven but the crucible is only 25 oz and melting the copper takes time with that small of a crucible...I need to go bigger! HELP!

[amaedesign]

@mjm4017 Two options come to mind - buy or build. The quick and easy way is to buy a ready-made furnace. I got mine from foundry101. If you want to build, I suggest you read Gingery's books on foundry and crucible making, or read up on the internet. Basically, you make a mold and pour refractory cement to build the furnace body.

[tdubb505]

i take off the whole top part of the aluminum can since it doesn't have any paint or anything on it can i just put it in a smelter, is it ready to just melt?

[akdude182]

its not really nesasary,but if you want them shiny just let them sit in viniger for a while.

[PatnCodyFTW]

That's an antique, that's worth a lot of money.

[OKMUNWURX]

If one can get up near 3000 F (yellow-white hot), all the common metals will melt. To add a blower, and shoot propane into the air stream, more heat can be obtained. My brother and I used a blower upon charcoal briquettes and could reach yellow hot. We would have gone higher but the crucible melted!

I like the way the furnace shell is removable to expose the crucible. Far out!

[jsmythib]

nice- Stack the ingots in the basement for retirement :)

[1990suzuki]

I got a question did you make or buy your ingot mold?

[amaedesign]

@1990suzuki I built the ingot mold from 3/16" x 2" flat bar stock (for the sides) and 3/16" x 2" angle to form the triangular ingot shape.  The handle is 5/8" round bar, bent to shape and welded. To keep the handle cool, I cut apart a slag hammer and welded the spiral metal piece to the handle.

[doinen]

Hey guys, so I`m trying to melt copper but it just won`t melt. I`ve uploaded a video of my homemade furnace a a week ago or so. Today I got a more powerful torch and it got much hotter much faster. Now it got more than glowing hot. The bottom of the crucible actually got almost white hot. But still it wouldnt melt. all the tiny copper wires are still intact. Silver is much easier to melt. And the melting point between CU and Ag is only 123 C. I don`t get it...

[guitarded715]

excelent vid, it helped me verify my furnace design, the removable body was an amazing thought, ive been having frustrations wondering how to get the heavy crucible out and not fry myself in the process without spilling or using a tiny crucible

[rippedcamel]

I love how you put the leaf on there and said "sorry son" HAHAHAHA! That was funny. I didn't think humor was possible to add to something like pouring copper plates...but you sir have managed to prove me wrong ;) HAHAHA!

[highrydatv]

that was badass!

[jnikl6]

What kind of burner are you using?? Im interested in melting copper and aluminum.  I know I can get hot enough to do aluminium, but copper im not sure about

[sippsbrandy]

Ok basic question. I scrap copper and sell it to a yard. What do you do with your ingots? My buyer would not take melted ingots. I have debated on a home foundry, but to what end? do you sell your copper then?

[Shlabbinze]

I have a big load of copper windings from battery chargers. Trying to pick off the copper is practically futile so I was thinking of building a foundry and attempting to melt off the copper. You seem well versed in this process but every vid I have seen is guys like you melting copper or aluminum only. Is what I am wanting to do possible in your opinion? Cool vid thanks

[amaedesign]

@Shlabbinze I haven't tried to put a whole transformer into a furnace, but I have considered how to do it. First, the plastic, insulation, paint, and any epoxy potting compound would burn off. Obviously the smoke will be toxic and probably isn't too good for the environment. Eventually the copper will melt off the transformer core and you can fish out the steel cores, sheet metal and ash (dross). However, watch out if there are aluminum or other bits to contaminate your copper.

[brussdog27]

@amaedesign I saw your post and was thinking the same thing. I actually have a ton of transformers I was considering the same thought process. I am curious how it worked out for you??

[aredditor]

Would there be an issue with using fine wire? Would it burn off before it melts?

I'm asking because I often see scrap yards mention they don't take hair wire. I always wondered why.

BTW, microwave oven transformers have at least a pound of copper wire in them. Very often, the primary consists of aluminum wire, but it's given a copper enamel coating so it looks like copper, and the secondary winding is copper.

They're huge transformers.

[amaedesign]

This latest batch of copper scrap has come from various sources - most of it coming from a friend who had a good sized collection of valves, tubing, and worthless antiques he'd sorted through.

[amaedesign]

Hey diyengineer, I'm in Vancouver, WA - been following your CNC rebuild on YT. Nice work so far!

Although I'm swimming in aluminum scrap, I'm finding it hard to get bronze/brass scrap. Copper is even harder to find - people usually want to sell copper tubing and wire closer to retail price rather than as scrap.

I've had some success buying from local scrap yards.

[omfgwtf666obamahater]

@amaedesign You should try looking into old candle holders. They are almost all brass. found 8 of them for $0.25 a piece and scrapped it for 18 lbs. of brass.

[Cantrell2500HD]

@omfgwtf666obamahater Where did you find that at?



[omfgwtf666obamahater]

@Cantrell2500HD Local gift shop.

[diyengineer]

hey man where abouts do you live? I have the same furnace i bought from foundry 101. I'm over in the Puyallup, wa area! Any tips on where to find scrap?