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what is the metal on the center of the motors you take out is it lead or alluminum? should i save them and stick them in a campfire to melt the metal off the steel is it worth it? i believe there called rotors if its lead or alluminum it will melt regaurdless right? will it burn up like a can and disapear or will i be able to sift through the ashes to find it? will the scrap yard take em if its ali and what will they call it?
It's cast aluminum. I just toss them in my steel pile. Not worth it to take off .05 cents of aluminum.Quote:
Originally Posted by mike1
Just throw it with breakage, a little more than shred.
Breakage???
Irony aluminum/aluminum with steel or other metals.Quote:
Originally Posted by happyisthealero
question would a fire pit fire melt it off though thats what i want to know also or would it just burn up like a ali can? anyone ever tried to melt it off the steel?
It's worth a try, but I don't think the time and energy it takes to melt off the tiny amount of aluminum is worth it. (To me at least) I don't think most yards will buy melted aluminum anyway.
If there is some wind to get your fire hot enough it will melt and form an ash encrusted glob that I doubt any yard would buy. You can overcome this with a crucible or something similar. Without wind or added air a wood fire only gets hot enough to melt lead.Quote:
Originally Posted by mike1
HTH
I've melted aluminum in a wood stove inside a steel crucible. It has to be a hot fire, though. I can see where you might have trouble getting the heat in an open fire.
If you try to melt out the aluminum in a rotor, let us know how you make out! Even photos!!
Jon.
thanks i will
Cast aluminum breaks really easy with a sledgehammer. Havent tried separating with a sledgehammer, but im going to now. I have been throwing them in my dirty aluminum & get .30#
i have seen on some metal casting sights, and some books about melting aluminum, those guys had a crucible to melt in and the heat source had a small squirrel cage blower. from what little ive read control of the air flow helps keep down the oxidation. Then again these guys were casting parts,they could find,or couldnt afford,or just wanted to exsperiment in case TSHTF. So it might not be affordable if the yield is small.I did know of one local guy had a old butane tank fitted with grates and a drain channel,had burners mounted inside. he would throw all his cast, and the above mentioned rotors in there and make aluminum bricks. But he was moving a lot of material,and this was in the day when butane or propane, honestly not sure which he used it was way cheaper think it was maybe 25 years ago. After he melted off the alum, he let it cool and raked out the iron,but i noticed last time i saw it his rig was rusting away in the fence row, probably not profitable any more
We have done it in a bonfire only every other attempt using a fire pit even the big eight footer used for pallets and logs failed. The fire that was capable of melting aluminum and steel was a pile of trees and brush 15 ft tall and about 50-60ft long and burnt for 4 days. had to stand across the driveway to not be incinerated.