Hello again, Peter. I am in good spirits, and I have a high regard
for your opinions.

Iron makes a good anvil. =A0Zinc, however, makes cheap trinkets

Those who make their own machine tools use scrap zinc and aluminum.

in die cast molds,
not quality tools

For "quality tools" we would need quality foundry coke, not the
quarter-inch breeze that the coke industry dumps on us hobbyists.

, especially not ones needing some strength. =A0There ARE, of
course, some more complex zinc based alloys that have better properties, =
but
pennies are not such an alloy.

No, for Zamac, we would also need aluminum, magnesium, and copper, all
of which can be purchased as scrap.

=A0Costume jewelry is sometimes made of plated
"white metal", which may often be a zinc based alloy for the cheaper stuf=
f, or a
tin based one (pewter) for better quality. =A0

I suspedted as much. I like my trinkets to be as cheap as possible,
by the way.

My reference to irony was not to imply any great similarity between zinc =
and
iron. =A0There isn't, at least not in practical terms.

There are those who would disagree. What is practical for one is not
necessarily practical for another.

And more to the point, you've not yet explained why anyone would wish to =
melt
pennies for the zinc in them.

Yes, for the zinc in them. You got it right.

=A0As Abrasha pointed out, it's a poor way of
getting zinc

You got sum'n again' po' folk? ;-)

, since what you'd get would be an indeterminate mix of zinc and
copper, plus the various impurities introduced from the higher than norma=
l
melting temperature needed to break down the penny, plus the higher than =
usual
percentage of absorbed gasses, oxides, etc, due to torch melting such a s=
mall
amount of the stuff.

Yeah, sounds about right for a Gingery lathe, shaper, mill, or drill
press. And aren't machine tools the king of the tools?

The notion that pennies are a good source of tiny zinc ingots is silly.

I'll tell you what's silly, Peter. What's silly is that the Houston
Area Blacksmithing Association offers breeze coke to its members,
labeling it as "forge coke". The quality control of the established
metalworking community does not impress me in the least. There is
nothing lower on the coke totem pole than breeze coke, which is
unblowable by conventional means.

=A0Buy a
bit of zinc, and use what you wish. =A0It need not be in ingots. =A0You c=
an get it
granulated

Yes, it is granulated by melting it, and then pouring it into water.
I guess I've already done that, at the penny level.

, or if in more solid stock form, clip off what you need. =A0Simple, and
can give you a purity you'd actually wish to use in, for example, alloyin=
g.
Pennies are a poor way to add zinc to an alloy anyway

News flash -- I'm a po' boy!

, since at least in terms
of jewelry alloys, you're usually adding it to much higher melting point =
metals.
The best way to do that is with an intermediate "master" alloy, usually
something like an alloy of copper and zinc. =A0You can get quite pure bra=
ss with a
known ratio of zinc to copper

To high-melt for me.

, and this is a good way to introduce additional
zinc into an alloy. =A0Yes, you must also take the copper in the brass in=
to
consideration, but that's just a bit of simple math. =A0Even if you need =
to spend
a few more moments getting the needed ingredients together to alloy what =
you
wish, your end results will be better.

the end result would be more difficult to melt. I will be using a
single-burner propane camping stove, not a blast furnace.

=A0 Zinc cored pennies are a poor way to
get a good alloy.

Yes, just the thing for us po' boys!

especially among those of us who are keen on making our own tools.
Jeweler's vices and jeweler's lathes also come to mind here, as well
as a long list of other tools which are specifically made for the
jeweler.

None of which normally are made of zinc.

That is because coke briquettes are not normally bagged in briquette
form, and then offered at the local hardware store. I will be making
my own, of course, though in the meantime, I will not just be sitting
around twiddling my thumbs.

=A0Well, maybe some things like
non-marring inserts for vise jaws, or the like. =A0But normally, even the=
n, zinc
isn't the common choice of metal to use.

Peter, I know that you are a professional jeweler. But I am a
recreational metalworker, and this is a recreational group. I am
under no obligation to meet professional standards here. I am not
begging for leniency. I am simply refreshing your memory, for my own
memory is in good shape.

Yes, Peter, in fact, a person can make more than one-hundred and
eighty pennys from a pound of zinc. =A0So far, though, I have not found
anyone except the government who makes zink pieces in penny sizes.

You haven't yet said just why you need them.

I don't need them. That's why I am a hobbyist. You need them, or
other metals, because these materials are your livelihood. I am under
no such constraint.

=A0And why this impure and imprecise
method is acceptable...

Why should you require a justification? If you want pure metals, then
use them. I promise that I will not stop you. Breathe a little
easier because of this.

And, of course, with pennys, there is no paying for shipping, waiting
for shipping, and so on.

No, but for your penny, you've paid far more than the value of the zinc.

For a pure metal. Whatever. If I wanyed to, I could probably refine
the darn stuff myself. I won't bother to research the matter, because
I don't care anyway.

=A0Do it
right. =A0Find any decent metals supplier or lab chemicals supplier or wh=
atever.
Buy yourself a pound of zinc granules, or whatever other form you find ea=
sy to
use. =A0Be set for life.

One pound would fill up less than one-tenth of the one-quart pot which
the Gingery foundry specifies. I am not a jeweler. I use many of the
same tools that a jeweler uses, though.

This gives the government ingots the edge.
You are correct about the reason why the government began making zinc
pennys. =A0However, it was evidently just recently that the government
outlawed the melting of zinc pennys for the same reason. =A0This, in
itself, indicates the competitive nature of the government's coins as
a casting medium.

Either that, or they're trying to be benevolant, protecting people from t=
he
temptation of using their pennies for a purpose for which they're not wel=
l
suited, thus protectiong consumers from potentially flawed and inferior
products, =A0and helping to maintain the high quality of U.S. made produc=
ts by
making it more likely that the proper materials are used.

No, they just don't want people melting down pennies just to sell the
metal. And I will not be selling any metal.

Face it. =A0coins are simply not intended, nor especially good for, casti=
ng
purposes. =A0The main exception to that might be using pure gold bullion =
coins
like Canadian Maple leafs, or the like, as the source for gold with which=
to
alloy your jewelry alloys. =A0But even that is more expensive than buying=
pure
gold casting grain.

Yes, gold would make very expensive tools, also.

The whole topic, though, reminds me of a story I heard years ago, from a =
refiner
and metalurgist I was using then (now long retired). =A0He'd been hired t=
o help a
major jewelry manufacturer try to track down why they were having occasio=
nal
problems with their merchandise ending up under karat. =A0It was driving =
them
nuts. =A0They were buying high quality new alloy from reputable suppliers=
.. =A0Most
of their castings were fine. =A0But occasionally a batch would come out j=
ust
enough under karat it would have to be totally scrapped. =A0Eventually it=
was
traced to the casting department. =A0The normal casting guy was doing thi=
ngs
right. =A0But on his days off, two other fellows would fill in. =A0One wa=
s this old
timer who'd been there forever, and pretty much knew it all, or so his
reputation went. =A0 My friend happened to be there watching the casting =
process
while he was doing a batch. =A0The gold went into the melting furnace. =
=A0Melted
just fine. =A0Just before pouring, the old fellow reached into his pocket=
, pulled
out a penny, and tossed it in "for luck". =A0When questioned, he said he =
felt that
the little extra bit of copper and zinc in the penny led to less porosity=
or
something (maybe even true with the old traditonal non-deoxidized alloys =
he'd
learned with way back). =A0 Problem solved. =A0It had never occurred to h=
im, due to
the size of the melt (several ounces at least) that his addition to an ot=
herwise
very precise alloy was enough to lower the karat below legal standards. =
=A0Now, I
heard this story second hand from my refiner, and I have no idea if it wa=
s
actually true, or just a nice illutration of how product quality can be a=
ffected
by things you'd never expect to look for. =A0But it does nicely illustrat=
e one
reason why pennies might not be the best thing to add to your gold alloy.=
...

Peter

I agree. But I plan on sticking with zinc for awhile. I will leave
the gold and silver to you rich folks! ;-)