thanks for the reply Frosty, their are a couple of reasons for my wanting to try this, first off i am a part time welder and a copper block or ingot is perfect for doing butt welds on a metal table, and the other is that i figure copper is one of the easier things to smelt so because I'm a beginner i thought i would try.
but thanks for your advice i will try to see what i can find.
Brenton