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Smelting

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Darren:
Just got back from my local scrappy (he's collecting my mill on Saturday.... :ddb: :ddb: :ddb:)

We were discussing metal for the shop and he doesn't really get anything in that would be suitable for our needs.
But....he did suggest smelting alloy into ingots and such. I can have all the scrap bits and bobs of alloy inc car wheels and cylinder heads, gearboxes etc I could ever need.
I can't say I'd wish to get into smelting, but then again that's a lot of alloy scrap he was showing me today...

Years ago when I was really poor I remember melting mixed metals down on our coal fire to extract the alloy to weigh in.....I did say I was poor, not much better now ... :lol:

Does anyone here smelt, is it worth the aggro, how hard can it be ???????

Andy:
Those sound like big lumps of metal and would need a fair bit of cutting up to get them into the typical 'back yard foundry' crucible. Also need to consider the cost of gas or other fuel which would be used.

I'd say that the idea could be a goer if you can overcome the above, although the resulting new alloy that you end up with might have unexpected properties.

Andy

bogstandard:
Darren,

As Andy says, you will end up with a real junky metal. Even the local scrap processor, who recycles ali, mainly for the automotive industry, has to be very careful what goes into the mix. Most of their labour force is into separating the different types of ali, and even then, they mix pure raw additives to it to get it something like.
I have worked with the raw material of a general mix as you are suggesting, and I will tell you now, it is not nice. Imagine trying to machine solidified evostik, it sticks to your cutter and sort of tears from the surface rather than cuts. I had a friend who used to work in a foundry casting steel mill rolls, and I asked him to melt some ali bits down and cast it into bars for me. I have tried all sorts of silly things in my time, that one turned out to be one of the silliest.

But to get back to your other thing about smelting. Melting the stuff.

When I do a steam rally in September, there is usually a chap next to me who casts and makes his own full scale engines, not large ones, say up to 18" tall. Resurrecting old industrial engines from the past, say for use in small farm dairies etc., of which there are no more examples, working mainly from original drawings and photos.

He does all his casting the old way, before furnaces etc. During the winter he does his melt on the open fire in the house, and in the summer he digs a pit in his garden for doing the same thing. He mentioned that once he has got things up to heat, things were no different to a normal furnace, he would just keep adding his ali scrap, and taking out what he needed for the pour. He told me his most prized possession was a large stainless steel vessel that he uses for his smelting. I think it must be something like the deep pans they use in a canteen servery.
He was also saying that he uses the old techniques for casting, no specialised oiled sand etc, he uses very finely riddled dry earth. It seems to work, as his engines look very nice and always attract a good following.

John

Bernd:
Darren,

All you can read about metal melting in the backyard: http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html

Bernd

Darren:
Umm a whole new arena.....  :scratch:

I've read a couple of times that car engine alloy makes good machining ingots/castings.

But coke cans and pie trays do not. Machine wise they are sticky but do cast well with a shiny finish.

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