So in the future i would like to start making larger billets of nickel for a decent size billet of Mokume Gane i plan on just going in and tig welding nickels together using nickels i cut with a coping saw for filler metal to seal it entirely so I have a couple of questions 

1. How should I clean the nickels before hand

2. How well will the nickels stick together will they constantly be wanting to fight me and shear apart? 

3. How will this fair im a solid fuel forge?

 
4. Will I constantly be fighting cracks throughout this process? 
 

thanks again people 

Are you using USA currency nickels and hoping for a pure nickel bar? 
nickels are mostly copper.

49 minutes ago, Ridgeway Forge Studio said:

Are you using USA currency nickels and hoping for a pure nickel bar? 
nickels are mostly copper.

No I am not hoping for a pure nickel bar I know the currency is mostly copper it is just the most readily available thing that I could use that has a decent nickel content 

What’s the end goal? Just making mokume? 
I don’t see why nickels won’t work- keep annealing and don’t work harden. For how cheap nickels are (5 cents each ) a dollars worth is not terrible to mess up. I’d probably just sand them a bit and stack them.

This is a purely theoretical discussion of course because it is technically illegal to destroy currency.

I wouldn't call it nickel. 75% copper means you have copper with a 25% impurity of nickel.

But if i wanted to make a big billet I would cast my own bars. That is to hard and dangerous for most people thou.

 

47 minutes ago, Florida Man Metals said:

it is technically illegal to destroy currency.

Depends on where you are. In the US, it’s only illegal to deface or destroy coins if it’s done with fraudulent intent. For bank bills, the standard is a bit different, as the action must be taken with intent to prevent the bill from being reissued. 

1 hour ago, Florida Man Metals said:

technically illegal to destroy currency.

It is illegal to deface currency in the way of making it appear to be more valuable then it is for instance attempting to make a nickel pass for a dime but yeah I do have the resources to cast them so I will keep that in mind thanks

if it was entirely illegal to destroy currency Then those penny press machines would not exist

Ah intent. Gotta read the fine print.

I figured they had some way to protect those 13 cent nickels.

So why isn't everyone doing an infinite money glitch.

Take a $1.37 in pennies to the scrap yard and get 4 or 5 dollars?

Pre 1981 pennies of course.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-31/subtitle-B/chapter-I/part-82

 

Wow. Thats actually pretty intense. I read that hoping to see the exemption for individuals in arts and crafts. Incredible.

It does

The real question is interpretation of the law.

If i was to drill a hole in a penny attach a jump ring and sell it as a pendant for 20 dollars completely legal right?

But if a took a penny and melted it and cast a ring and sold it for twenty dollars?

Legal or illegal? You melted the penny and used it as a material right? But you sold it for a great deal more then the value of the copper.

So what is volume?

A hundred rings?   Solely profit?

The key words here are “such treatment is not intended as a means by which to profit SOLELY (emphasis added) from the value of the metal”. In other words, if you cut up or melt down a bunch of pennies and sell them for scrap, then it’s clear that you intend to make money from the value of the metal and nothing else. 

If you’re casting the metal into rings and selling the rings, on the other hand, then you’re making money from the value that your own work and artistry have added to the metal. 

be aware that pure nickel wont weld to itself normally

4 hours ago, Steve Sells said:

be aware that pure nickel wont weld to itself normally

Thank you! I that is actually very good to know by chance do you know how us nickels would fare? So an alloy of about 75% copper and 25% nickel 

 

12 hours ago, JHCC said:

If you’re casting the metal into rings and selling the rings

Now you have me wondering about melting down a couple thousand pennies to cast one exaggeratedly large penny. The Philosopher in me is wondering if we have now entered "ship of Thesseus" territory on some monstrous youtube-esque stunt-scale. 

For that, you’d have to cast a large penny, cut out one penny’s worth of metal, melt what’s left with a new penny, cast a new large penny, etc. 

I take it you should also avoid nickel silver because of the zinc as well. (Fume fever)

Basic nickel silver composition of 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc.

Or if you have a proper respirator it might work? Or best to just leave it alone all together?

Thanks for the concern but I do have a proper respirator 

Edited January 13Jan 13 by Mod34
Removed unnecessary white