Off topic but the comparison of scrap costs made me think about the cost of casting in general.
A few years ago I lived in the Falkland Islands, charcoal or gas were both imported so were very expensive so I used peat as a fuel as it was free. Peat is difficult to light but does a perfectly good job.
On my return to UK I built a furnace and first of all used charcoal which was very expensive and worst of all it was difficult to find plain charcoal, the manufacturers messed about with to make it easy lighting and it produced clouds of smoke on first lighting.
I considered a waste oil burner but was put off by what appeared to be overly complicated burners, valves and procedures. Instead I made a burner for propane, which was very simple and have used it for all the castings for my milling machine and for preparing ingots. I was initially concerned at the cost of fuel but have been pleased to find that it is not as bad as I had originally thought plus it is very convenient. For all the castings that I have produced I have used less than two 19kg cylinders of gas, at £27 per cylinder I don't think that is too bad, certainly not enough to break the bank.
I did make enquiries at my local kebab house about his waste oil expecting that he had to pay someone to remove it but was surprised to find that he was paid for it, so it is not a free source.
