Smelter for AL

**Copper Head** · 07-09-2013, 10:48 AM

I think if I have a touch of luck I am going to pick up a smelter It looks like i can adapt it for my use the guy is holding it for me as i save up a few bucks
wile it uses natural gas I feel i will be able to use charcoal some wood even ,& where the Nat gas flowed i will supply air
It has a proper lid and all I want to do is melt AL
Is that an easy metal to melt and work ? as I have had it melt in the fire pit.

**ginofrater** · 07-09-2013, 11:09 AM

Copper Head , thanks for posting.

I thought about this too, but i don't have buyers for the ingots,the yards in my Region don't take it.

Were are you planning to sell your ingots, are you just melting the cooper and save it ?

**ryanw** · 07-09-2013, 11:31 AM

What about using other things for fuel that would normally be thrown away?

**Bear** · 07-09-2013, 11:49 AM

A long time ago there was a couple guys melting aluminum not far(maybe 20 miles) from here. I'm not sure how exactly they did it, only saw it from the road, but it was right beside the road. It was a tall cylindrical thing, maybe built with an old iron or steel tank or silo(if I remember right it wasn't very big around, 2+ft, maybe 3 or 4 at the most), I guess they'd throw the aluminum in the top. I think they used a propane tank to fuel it, and maybe some coal in the bottom. Sometimes they'd have quite a stack of bars maybe 6x8x24(not sure that either) out there.
If it was possible on side the road 30 years ago by a couple country dudes, you should be able to come up with something, although I'd guess the environmental effects would need be better considered today

**hobo finds** · 07-09-2013, 12:33 PM

Copper Head make some SMF bars and sell them! Copper or Alum would be fine.

**sawmilleng** · 07-09-2013, 12:45 PM

You shouldn't have any problems with melting aluminum in a furnace that was designed to do so. You may have a little problem with using wood or charcoal fuel because the original design was for gas. I would guess that cutting the fuel up finely and making sure you get some forced air into the fire would be helpful. You might consider just hooking it to a 20 lb cylinder of propane if it was on natural gas before. Find someone who can help you with the conversion but I don't believe it is anything special.

I've melted aluminum in a wood stove without anything special, so it can be done. For a melting pot, I used a piece of steel pipe with a bottom welded onto one end. Anything cast iron should work, too.

You'll need to get a set of long handled pliers to handle the pot of molten aluminum, and something to skim the slag off the top of the melt before pouring.

A word of safety: Keep everything dry, because molten metal will make water turn to steam and this can result in spraying hot metal everywhere. Use gloves, heavy boots, long sleeved shirt, faceshield, etc.

It will sure make your stash of aluminum look good when you have it all melted down. And it will be real compact, too! I've heard the same concerns about the yards being suspicious of home-made ingots, but maybe you have a yard that trusts you. Or sell it to others that use the aluminum--maybe there is a foundry or two in your area.

Let us know how it turns out! Take lots of photos!

Jon.

**Mechanic688** · 07-09-2013, 01:46 PM

I had a furnace one time that needed to be changed over from nat. gas to propane. I went to the furnace shop and he handed me a blank gas orfice and a small drill bit. I drilled one hole where the pilot punch was and put it in the furnace in place of the nat. gas orfice.
Worked great. They told me that the only difference was the size of the hole.

**spottrouble** · 07-09-2013, 02:32 PM

Years ago I looked at a furnace for melting dirty aluminum, idea was to get it hot enough to melt the aluminum, but not the steel, then pour off the clean aluminum into ingots. Then I talked to a few of the yards, if they'd take it, price was lower than dirty aluminum. If your planning on doing some casting great, but talk to the buyers first if your just thinking ingots.

**NobleMetalWorks** · 07-09-2013, 03:27 PM

If the furnace you are proposing to use, is made of refractory cement, you are not going to want to allow any charcoal to come into direct contact with the refractory cement as it will probably cause it to crack, flake and eventually cause holes in the refractory, which over a period of time will eventually cause the furnace itself to crack and start to fall apart. Also, bits and pieces of whatever you are using for fuel, coal, wood, etc, will start to stick to the refractory. Each time I melt in my furnace I put a piece of cardboard under the crucible so that it burns under the crucible, creates ash and prevents the crucible from sticking to the furnace bottom. You might be able to do something similar. I'm just not sure.

If you are interested in a comparison between the two, charcoal or natural gas, you can check this link out.

Charcoal VS. Propane as fuel

You are probably still going to want to use a crucible, and I believe if I am not mistaken, you can use a metal crucible of the correct type so you don't have to incur the costs involved with buying new crucibles. The type I use cost me around $80 for each, and only last 10-20 times depending on how aggressive the flux I am using is. And these are suppose to be the best on the market for my application. So be glad you don't have to use those types.

If you are looking to do this on the cheap and easy, you might want to look around for someone who has an old habachi. You can easily turn it into a charcoal foundry with very little trouble, you would just simply purchase the clay bowl to burn your charcoal in and place that in the habachi. The habachi would retain the heat, without getting too hot on the outside. Just make sure you get one made of the correct type of clay so that it will not crack once you get up to heat.

Another easy and quick method would be to again purchase the clay bowl made for charcoal foundries, then purchase refractory brick and build your oven by hand. In ancient times in both the Middle East and Asia, a charcoal foundry was made each time it was needed by building up mud/clay bricks and filling the gaps with mud/clay to seal the entire thing in, leaving the proper holes for ventilation and even being able to attach a bellow. This is how the first steel was made to create weapons like the Samurai swords of ancient times.

Scott

**Copper Head** · 07-09-2013, 09:03 PM

This is $100 I can for sure pump air But I did not realize the cement will probably not hold up
My yard has taken melted from the fire pit AL . It's possible they take things from me that others would get hassled for ,yet there is the element where they think I am trying to get over on them . Since I have not had a chance to do a real controlled melt with a finish product . I have to believe if you mix pot die cast AL with real AL
the look has to be compromised.
Ok I wanted to melt CANs that I can get with no deposit on them . Next are these AL chunks from electric company trash they have porcelain on them and a steel shaft . If I cut the shaft and chop out most of the porcelain they still say that little bit of ceramic wont let it pass as clean AL. But the AL weight is so real I hate giving it a way.
Bottom line I would like to have AL bars but if I see it's not a marketable item cause of trust . I can take Multan AL and pour it in a bed of ash and get the haphazard shapes they always take from me

To bad about one thing, I have taken apart 30 to 40 boilers some large ones now I'm thinking how nice it be to have the cement shapes that fit together like a puzzle, I feel I could of used it for some thing

As to the fuel I want to use what is lowest in cost I feel charcoal with a shop vac blowing has to get hotter then my fire pit . If I use propane might be to costly , How much AL can I melt for 15 bucks consider 30 pound AL is worth $15

It must be refractory cement , I see looking at the fuel comparison
Charcoal VS. Propane as fuel
what i want to buy is for gas and I bet a great gas melter It was used for gold and nickel in the past But look at the size of that pipe how can that be cost effective it has 4 burners in the pot.
I see on the INTERNET people take old propane tanks and convert to a smelter using cement and use charcoal maybe I could
use carboard between the cement like you use it for the crucible to stop Cole from sticking