Smelting Copper

[goldencoin]

I'm wondering how easy it would be to smelt copper into ingots with everyday objects. The internet is vague on what could be used as a flux and what types of containers are usable. I've seen crucibles pretty cheap and I think I can get the scrap to melting with hot coals. Also, what type of purity would I be able to get the metal to? I know it would be easier to sell it, but I think that it would be fun to cast your own bars. Thanks

HH
-GC

 

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[pickaway]

Prolly not a bad idea if doable, i been stockpiling some copper rumor has it going up 10 a pound prolly wont but thats what they said bout gold to, good luck let us know how it works out...

 

[whitesid]

i have done this before, not for profit but more for fun. i made a little furnace in my back yard out of old paving stones that was left over from our new sidewalk. i had a stainless pipe with my moms hair dryer attached to it to blow air in the furnace. i used old coffee cans to melt lead and zinc in, and a little cast iron pot to melt the copper, aluminum, and brass in. when i melt gold and silver i use a borax as a flux but for "cheap" metals i don't use a flux. by melting the metal you are not changing the purity, if anything your making it worse because some of the iron from the crucible with dissolve into the molten metal you are melting.

 

[goldencoin]

Thanks sid, but I want to use borax because this is all metal detected copper and is quite oxidized. I may try it over the summer. BTW, what have you been doing all this time? I've been at the University of Michigan studying to be a high school science and math teacher

HH
-GC

 

[whitesid]

your better off just melting it and skimming the oxidized junk off the top of the melted copper...im going to Bergen community college in jersey, its more like high school than a college. i pretty much just go out and party everyday

 

[goldencoin]

Thanks, that sounds like a good idea. Lucky, you get to party everyday, I have an exam almost every week...

HH
-GC

 

[wicowboy 111]

very interesting info

 

[Hortstu]

Sorry to dig up this thread but I ifnd this topic pretty interesting. Has anyone developed a technique that they can elaborate on more than has been done here?

 

[kb4iqm]

Would have liked to see more myself. I have access to many tons of copper slag from an old copper mine that was closed down decades ago due to a mine flooding that killed all of the miners working that shift. There's huge piles of this stuff that's been dumped along the roads. Repeated freezing has fractured much of it into a coarse gravel. Many locals stop and shovel loads of this slag gravel into the backs of their trucks and use it as driveway gravel. According to the old-timers that used to work the mine, this slag was skimmed off of the top of the molten copper and contains about 40% copper. Copper ore was so plentiful back then that they just dumped the molten slag in piles all along the roads.

There's some pics of smaller piles that are on what is now city land in my post here:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,304076.msg2910605.html#msg2910605

The city doesn't mind this slag to be removed by locals. They consider the piles to be eyesores and a possible future EPA cleanup hassle. So far the EPA has not forced any cleanup of the slag piles, but they have forced cleanup and remediation of the old ore piles and tailings piles.

Bob

 

[goldencoin]

I never did get around to it, but I feel a ceramic container over charcoal and a set of bellows or fan should get it hot enough to melt. Also, heat reflecting rocks/bricks would work. I'm wasn't so much worried about getting it to the right temperature, but obtaining a nice product and safety issues.

HH
-GC

 

[Mad Machinist]

Might not be a bad idea.

Considering Grasberg in Indonesia and Cerro Verde in Peru are in the middle of an extended strike. The main pipeline from Grasberg to the port in Indonesia was recently blown up and will take 30+ days to fix.

THe huge copper mine in Chile is petering out and they are now going underground.

Copper demand is going to go haywire soon and no appreciable supply is going to come on line until late 2013, depending on the eco's of course

 

[insulator-king]

I would try electro-winning, aka electro refining. I thought about it, but have never gone beyond thought.

 

[whoknows52]

I know your talking about copper but I throught about melting aluminum into ingots but when I talked to the scrap guy he said that as ingots they couldn't tell what else might be in the mix and he wouldn,t buy it.

 

[boogeyman]

Look on instructibles, there's tons of ideas for making small forges & furnaces. I'm using some salvaged fire bricks stacked on an old steel worktable with a cobbled together setup for running propane to melt brass & copper to make jewelry etc. as far as the slag (dross), use a stainless steel spoon with a wood handle to scrape it aside & scoop it out before pouring. Make your ingot molds from angle iron lots cheaper than factory made.