monty Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 i have a fair bit of copper pipe and wire, as well as some bars, with cold shuts in the sides and i am planning to melt it all down, how should i go about this? i am planning to make a trough of angle iron with the ends welded up, will this work? are there fluxes needed? many thanks monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 what are you trying to accomplish? What will you melt it in? What will you melt it with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Here are two threads in this section covering that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 what are you trying to accomplish? What will you melt it in? What will you melt it with? an ingot from the pipe and wire,useing a coke forge, in an angle iron trough, i wont be pouring it as i intend to forge it, so it will be staying in the trough till it is cold thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 It will be tough to keep it de-oxidized in an open trough as you heat and melt it. Flux probably borax. Do you know about stirring it with a piece of DRY charcoal (real not briquette)? I don't know if it will try to bond with your angle iron without a wash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 If you are meting it in the trough, it will bond to the trough, 100% guaranteed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I can tell you copper LOVES iron, to the point that if you use an iron container as a crucible the iron will dissolve into the copper! (Well, I was making mystery brass from assorted scrap) I can tell you from personal experience that having your melt run out the bottom of your crucible is...exciting...sorta. I had to take apart my forge to get the brass from between the layers of kaowool! It was a good thing I was working on a heat-proof surface and had my hose routed in a safe manner (I was thinking ahead some...) I just walked around, turned the bottle off and came back an hour later. Some things are better that way...walk away and come back when everything is cold, temper included. I was trying to cast an ingot into a flower pot so I would have a soft cutting plate. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 the cast was successful i melted it in some sort of cap, similar to a small thick walled pan, with a spout chiseled into one side, and a bar welded on, i then made a huge fire, put in said copper, probably about an ounce then put a peice of scrap plate ontop, places some semi charred wood in the "crucible" then built up the fire around it and left it, when i saw a molten mess in the bottom, i blowtorched the angleiron trough with a small propane burner, to evaporate water, and poured it straight in, once it had cooled from a liquid state, i knocked it out, and cooled it off.it wasnt a perfect ingot so i intend to remelt the bad half this afternoon, and hopefully get pics! thank you for all your help monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 .jpg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0OVeEJg_DMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3uoFzxtDWo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 the dark block in the crucible is charcoal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Roy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Nothing to do exactly with melting copper, but I don't work around my hot shop with anything but high topped leather boots. Man made fabric running shoes, ooh, look out for a hot foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 If you are meting it in the trough, it will bond to the trough, 100% guaranteed! I cast some brass ingots in a thin steel muffin tin. Sure enough, the brass brazed itself to the steel tin quite nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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