The Melt

I have been melting 3 types of metals

AL
From cans into bars the dross gets sold with my scrap AL I only do up AL for the heck of learning
The kids get a kick out of a same size AL bar and Lead bar weight difference .

Zinc dicast
From small items always over looked - No big value but I did manage to sell 4 pounds for $12, that has not happened again
Still I keep making the round silver color chunks - Why ?
Why not ! ,
Interesting how handles from wood draws ,
parts from appliances when melted make nice ingots.
I use ZN from WW also.
Over all not bad density of weight to size it's not lead but sure not Aluminum .

Lead
I have lots of faith to future value of lead currently I make my bars from plumbing scrap and wheel weights - Batteries I don't bother with
I can not pick up the the 3 gallon pail that is almost half full
INCREDIBLE the density of weight to size .
I currently have many WW buckets to go through or catch up on



I guess what I am doing has become like a hobbie and not much different then tossing coins into a bucket - to one day add up to some money from no place .

Wood for FIRE is what I use so you have to be committed to the danger factor .
Smoke from wood and a touch of smell of Smokey fume that metals give off also , and as to Lead go at your own risk .
Melted metals can burn you (so far not happened to me ) With that reality there is no room for any mistakes .
Melted metals flow & splash like water in all respects.
OK
Basically if you take a 5 gal metal pail line it with some bricks put a hole in can for pipe to allow forced air to enter
You can get plenty of heat to melt AL Zinc or Lead. you have to have pre cut charcoal size wood for project or you can use charcoal
Cast iron pot work well for the melt container.

As a father my self, my son is not gonna play with this stuff for the heck of it . So you best make this a father son hobbie

Look up you-tube and you will see ways to make a oven
You can use some thing as small as a gallon pail

Lead melts at the lowest temperature of the items you have listed. You can easily melt it with a propane torch. I am sure that you have realized this.

Thanks for pointing out the dangers of lead fumes. They can get really bad. Always melt lead in a WELL ventilated area. It is a good practice with anything else as well. I have been doing pewter lately and it is not bad, but I still make sure there is plenty of air moving when I do it.

Would love to see some pictures of your process and finished product if you get a chance.

I have a few questions pertaining the aluminum as i have a setup of my own that i have been running.
in a rough percent how much stock in comparison to your crucible are you running.. quarter full half full ext.
How do you deal with the ash other contaminates?
what type of wood are you burning? hardwood/softwood?
Basically i got quoted #1 steel for my elec motor cores and was finding a way to pull the ali out for my own use. so far all attempts are semi successful. but melted a few lbs of extrude just to show my boy liquid metal and basic forging skills/safety.
seems i have the heat to melt the ali on it's own but the steel in the mix only some ali will melt..??

Originally Posted by sawmilleng

NH,
If you get the melting temperature of Al, it will melt, in the presence of steel or not. Probably what is happening if you can't seem to get the Al to melt off the motor rotors is because the steel is taking the heat and transferring it away from the melting area. You will need a bunch more heat input to get the complete rotor up to the melting point of Al if some of it is being transferred away into the steel shafts on each end, for example. Bottom line, you need more heat input to melt the bigger chunks.

If you have an acetylene torch you will have enough concentrated heat available to melt spots on the Al covered rotor because you can put the heat into the rotor fast enough so the Al will get up to melting temp before the steel can conduct it away.

Sounds like fun, especially if you have your young fella soaking in the experience.

Jon.

Funny you should mention that As i was looking at them today it is indeed the mass of steel which is the issue. Torch would be a great way to remove the Al and cast on from there. There is a lot less Al in those cores than i originally thought...