joehannah_108

1982 and older pennies w/ a copper to zinc ratio by mass of 95:5 will melt at 1024C. It's best to pour the metal into molds once the temperature reaches above 1120C. This will help make the pour much smoother and gives a nicer end result. This requires the use of a serious melting forge. Propane gas wouldn't get hot enough. After melting the pennies and pouring them into a graphite mold, they will need to be refined by electrolysis to crystalize out the pure copper while leaving the zinc and other impurities behind. Electrolyte of choice is copper sulfate which is very water soluble. You can find the entire procedure for electrolytic refining online. Instead of melting the pennies down, you can figure a way of refining them directly with electrolysis by using a vaccuum filter bag cell design. Check out Sreetips on youtube for silver cell designs.