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How to melt a penny
This proceedure will work for all U.S. pennies which were minted after
1982, and also for those 1982 pennies which will show zinc when scored on their edge with a single light stroke of a flat, fine-toothed file. First, score the penny on the top, and, if it shows zinc, on the bottom. Next, hold the penny in some locking forceps. Now, heat the penny with a propane torch. No oxygen is required, and no forced air is required. Zinc will fume easily, so don't overheat. Under the penny, you should have put a bucket of water, which is why directions should be read beforehand! ;-). Wear safety glasses and gloves. Every few seconds, give the foreceps a slight whach on the edge of the bucket. After about a minute, the zinc core will plop down into the water with an audible sound, and then the copper shell will begin to turn red, melt, and oxidize. It is illegal to melt pennies. If it was not, the pennies would all disappear, because they would be melted down by those who have no interest in maintaining the government's penny-sized zinc-ingot program for recreational jewelers. Support the penny! |
#2
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How to melt a penny
On Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:12:14 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Muso
wrote: It is illegal to melt pennies. If it was not, the pennies would all disappear, because they would be melted down by those who have no interest in maintaining the government's penny-sized zinc-ingot program for recreational jewelers. Support the penny! First, I'm not sure what this post had to do with jewelry, other than the word in that last line. But whatever. If one is sufficiently bored, one can be amused by all sorts of interesting investigations, such as how to destroy a coin. Rolling mills are good for this too. And in these tough economic times, melting a penny for your evening's entertainment is cheaper than going out to dinner and a movie. Getting your date to share your enthousiasm might be a problem, but at least one is saving money. In sort of a money destroying way. Interesting irony there. Oh, and don't try this method with those world war 2 vintage irony pennies. You'd need more than a propane torch to melt that irony. (grin.) However, one point of contention. The zinc cored penny was developed because copper prices had gone up enough so there was more than a penny's worth of copper in the coin, thus creating the temptation to melt em. So far as I know, the cost of the zinc in the current penny is still not yet a penny's worth, so there's no strong incentive to melt the things down, other than simply the thrill of melting something... correct me if I'm wrong, of course. But zinc is still pretty cheap, and you can make a LOT of pennies from a pound of zinc... Peter |
#3
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How to melt a penny
On Apr 6, 10:18*pm, Peter W. Rowe
wrote: On Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:12:14 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Muso wrote: It is illegal to melt pennies. *If it was not, the pennies would all disappear, because they would be melted down by those who have no interest in maintaining the government's penny-sized zinc-ingot program for recreational jewelers. *Support the penny! First, I'm not sure what this post had to do with jewelry Hello Peter, and thank you for keeping such a high signal-to-noise ratio with this group. Well, as you have pointed out, zinc is an "irony" metal, and although jewelers are known for working precious metals, they also are no strangers to iron. For example, jeweler's anvils are best made of steel, although iron and zinc can be considered as substitutes, 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. , other than the word in that last line. *But whatever. *If one is sufficiently bored, one can be amused by all sorts of interesting investigations, such as how to destroy a coin. *Rolling mills are good for this too. *And in these tough economic times, melting a penny for your evening's entertainment is cheaper than going out to dinner and a movie. * Getting your date to share your enthousiasm might be a problem, but at least one is saving money. *In sort of a money destroying way. Interesting irony there. * Oh, and don't try this method with those world war 2 vintage irony pennies. *You'd need more than a propane torch to melt that irony. (grin.) However, one point of contention. *The zinc cored penny was developed because copper prices had gone up enough so there was more than a penny's worth of copper in the coin, thus creating the temptation to melt em. *So far as I know, the cost of the zinc in the current penny is still not yet a penny's worth, *so there's no strong incentive to melt the things down, other than simply the thrill of melting something... * correct me if I'm wrong, of course. *But zinc is still pretty cheap, and you can make a LOT of pennies from a pound of zinc... Peter Yes, Peter, in fact, a person can make more than one-hundred and eighty pennys from a pound of zinc. So far, though, I have not found anyone except the government who makes zink pieces in penny sizes. And, of course, with pennys, there is no paying for shipping, waiting for shipping, and so on. This gives the government ingots the edge. You are correct about the reason why the government began making zinc pennys. However, it was evidently just recently that the government outlawed the melting of zinc pennys for the same reason. This, in itself, indicates the competitive nature of the government's coins as a casting medium. Cheers, Mike |
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How to melt a penny
On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:25:09 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Muso
wrote: Hello Peter, and thank you for keeping such a high signal-to-noise ratio with this group. Well, as you have pointed out, zinc is an "irony" metal, and although jewelers are known for working precious metals, they also are no strangers to iron. For example, jeweler's anvils are best made of steel, although iron and zinc can be considered as substitutes, Iron makes a good anvil. Zinc, however, makes cheap trinkets in die cast molds, not quality tools, especially not ones needing some strength. There ARE, of course, some more complex zinc based alloys that have better properties, but pennies are not such an alloy. Costume jewelry is sometimes made of plated "white metal", which may often be a zinc based alloy for the cheaper stuff, or a tin based one (pewter) for better quality. My reference to irony was not to imply any great similarity between zinc and iron. There isn't, at least not in practical terms. And more to the point, you've not yet explained why anyone would wish to melt pennies for the zinc in them. As Abrasha pointed out, it's a poor way of getting zinc, since what you'd get would be an indeterminate mix of zinc and copper, plus the various impurities introduced from the higher than normal 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 small amount of the stuff. The notion that pennies are a good source of tiny zinc ingots is silly. Buy a bit of zinc, and use what you wish. It need not be in ingots. You can get it granulated, or if in more solid stock form, clip off what you need. Simple, and can give you a purity you'd actually wish to use in, for example, alloying. Pennies are a poor way to add zinc to an alloy anyway, 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. You can get quite pure brass with a known ratio of zinc to copper, and this is a good way to introduce additional zinc into an alloy. Yes, you must also take the copper in the brass into consideration, but that's just a bit of simple math. Even 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. Zinc cored pennies are a poor way to get a good alloy. 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. Well, maybe some things like non-marring inserts for vise jaws, or the like. But normally, even then, zinc isn't the common choice of metal to use. Yes, Peter, in fact, a person can make more than one-hundred and eighty pennys from a pound of zinc. So 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. And why this impure and imprecise method is acceptable... 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. Do it right. Find any decent metals supplier or lab chemicals supplier or whatever. Buy yourself a pound of zinc granules, or whatever other form you find easy to use. Be set for life. This gives the government ingots the edge. You are correct about the reason why the government began making zinc pennys. However, it was evidently just recently that the government outlawed the melting of zinc pennys for the same reason. This, 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 the temptation of using their pennies for a purpose for which they're not well suited, thus protectiong consumers from potentially flawed and inferior products, and helping to maintain the high quality of U.S. made products by making it more likely that the proper materials are used. Face it. coins are simply not intended, nor especially good for, casting purposes. The 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. But even that is more expensive than buying pure gold casting grain. 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). He'd been hired to help a major jewelry manufacturer try to track down why they were having occasional problems with their merchandise ending up under karat. It was driving them nuts. They were buying high quality new alloy from reputable suppliers. Most of their castings were fine. But occasionally a batch would come out just enough under karat it would have to be totally scrapped. Eventually it was traced to the casting department. The normal casting guy was doing things right. But on his days off, two other fellows would fill in. One was this old timer who'd been there forever, and pretty much knew it all, or so his reputation went. My friend happened to be there watching the casting process while he was doing a batch. The gold went into the melting furnace. Melted just fine. Just before pouring, the old fellow reached into his pocket, pulled out a penny, and tossed it in "for luck". When 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). Problem solved. It had never occurred to him, due to the size of the melt (several ounces at least) that his addition to an otherwise very precise alloy was enough to lower the karat below legal standards. Now, I heard this story second hand from my refiner, and I have no idea if it was actually true, or just a nice illutration of how product quality can be affected by things you'd never expect to look for. But it does nicely illustrate one reason why pennies might not be the best thing to add to your gold alloy... Peter |
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How to melt a penny
In the magical world of this newsgroup called rec.crafts.jewelry on
Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:52:10 -0700 we were all amazed to see Peter W. Rowe write: On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:25:09 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Muso wrote: Hello Peter, and thank you for keeping such a high signal-to-noise ratio with this group. Well, as you have pointed out, zinc is an "irony" metal, and although jewelers are known for working precious metals, they also are no strangers to iron. snip And more to the point, you've not yet explained why anyone would wish to melt pennies for the zinc in them. Peter, I think he explained everything quite well. He's obviously somewhat ****ed off at our (US) government for various and sundry justifiable reasons, not least of which is the fact that it makes it a crime to melt the useless penny, made useless I might add by the hidden tax of inflation. In these days of modern times, when you can't tell the AC's from the DC's aren't we all yearning for someone who can turn on a little stopping power? Don't you think I mean a smoky glass, a lightening rod with which to chase the spooks away? The posting was humorous. Y'all need to lighten up a bit. |
#6
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How to melt a penny
On Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:37:59 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Limpy
wrote: Peter, I think he explained everything quite well. He's obviously somewhat ****ed off at our (US) government for various and sundry justifiable reasons, not least of which is the fact that it makes it a crime to melt the useless penny And well it should be. If everyone were to spend much time melting pennies, the extra propane burned to do so would quickly add way too much to the already significant greenhouse gasses around, and, combined with the heating effect of that, already, those propane flames melting pennies could quickly melt the polar ice caps into steaming cups of salty tea, thus totally flooding New York with sea level rise. Wait a minute. That means flooding Wall Street, doesn't it. OK, melt those pennies, guys. , made useless I might add by the hidden tax of inflation. Um, if they're so useless, and you don't want them, in the event you don't want to bother melting them, perhaps you could send your extras to me. I could use em for next months mortgage payment if you all send enough of em. In these days of modern times, when you can't tell the AC's from the DC's aren't we all yearning for someone who can turn on a little stopping power? Don't you think I mean a smoky glass, a lightening rod with which to chase the spooks away? I have no trouble telling AC from DC. Hook up to a plating tank or anodizer. If it works as it should, it's DC. If it just gets hot, then it can't make up it's mind. (AC). And smoky glass is not such a good idea. If those modern times get ****ed, and hit back, the glass breaks into leetle sharp bits. Not good for the tires or feetsies. Stick with the lightening rods. They're good for double duty as spears, once civilization (and thus grocery stores) collapses due to excess melting of pennies, and we have to go back to hunting our own food an all... The posting was humorous. Y'all need to lighten up a bit. I do indeed need to loose some weight, it's true. Carrying all your extra pennies around after you send em to me *unmelted, please) will be good exercise, and might help. Thanks in advance. Peter |
#7
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How to melt a penny
On Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:37:59 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Limpy
wrote: Hello Peter, .... snip. Oh, and "limpy", regarding that name of yours. You have my heartfelt sympathy. You know, they have drugs for that, now... P Sorry. Off topic, I know. |
#8
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How to melt a penny
Limpy wrote:
Peter, I think he explained everything quite well. He's obviously somewhat ****ed off at our (US) government for various and sundry justifiable reasons, not least of which is the fact that it makes it a crime to melt the useless penny, made useless I might add by the hidden tax of inflation. In these days of modern times, when you can't tell the AC's from the DC's aren't we all yearning for someone who can turn on a little stopping power? Don't you think I mean a smoky glass, a lightening rod with which to chase the spooks away? The posting was humorous. Y'all need to lighten up a bit. Thanks Limpy for the reality test. Oh, and thanks for the second paragraph, I wore out a copy of that record back in my hippie days. Mouse |
#9
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How to melt a penny
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! ;-) |
#10
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How to melt a penny
On Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:36:38 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry Muso
wrote: Hello again, Peter. I am in good spirits, and I have a high regard for your opinions. Thanks. Oh, and sorry for the formatting errors in sending your post. Coding conflicts betwixt your post and my software settings leads to these odd codes in the middle of text. Missed this time. I suspedted as much. I like my trinkets to be as cheap as possible, by the way. Nothing wrong with that. There are those who would disagree. What is practical for one is not necessarily practical for another. true. for one thing, I assumed you had some vaguely jewelry related use, given that this is a jewelry related newgroup. For that, zinc is often a somewhat poor choice. Not just inexpensive. Doesn't hold up well to jewelry use by itself. Usually needs a pretty heavy electroplate to protect it from the corrosive effects it encounters in jewelry use... Much better, for fairly inexpensive jewelry would be brass, similar copper based alloys, or even silver. More costly, but most jewelry made of it uses little enough it's reasonable even for those on a strict budget. And yes, your gingery furnace can melt silver if you set it up right. Ordinary charcoal briquettes and a blower/hair dryer can do it. Not large amounts, but enough. Or an ordinary propane torch from the hardware store is easier and quicker. If you really want the cheapest prices and still want to do something you can call jewelry, use pewter. That's essentially pure tin, with a trace of copper or antimony. doesn't cost much more than zinc. Contenti.com can sell you these metals, by the way, suited for white metal casting purposes, at prices you might consider reasonable, and a better use of the pennies, especially if you're melting them by the pound, as you imply... You got sum'n again' po' folk? ;-) Nope. I are one. You're assumption that jewelers are rich folks is usually incorrect. You know that old saw about starving artists... All too true sometimes. especially in a recession, when people buy somewhat less jewelry. Yeah, sounds about right for a Gingery lathe, shaper, mill, or drill press. And aren't machine tools the king of the tools? Depends on your point of view. I happen to have higher regard for the ultimate tools, the human hand and brain. Hand tools in the hands of a skilled worker are wonderful and versatile things. Machine tools in the hands of a hack are not much good or even dangerous. It's the skills of the user that make em kings, whatever the type of tools. The Gingery stuff is fun, though I'm not sure they're economically worth building. yes, you're building it all yourself, but given how cheap you can find used tools on Craigs list, ebay, or garage sales, not to mention the chinese imports from Harbor Freight, I'm not sure the build it yourself stuff is any cheaper in the long run. But you learn a lot building them, to be sure, and perhaps that's worth it all on it's own 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. Probably why that local org has it at all. It's cheap. Does ABAMA still have lists of suppliers on their web site? I'm certain you can find better coke out there if you need it. Or use other means if your aim is melting metals. Coke is most useful for the forge. For just plain metal melting, it's going about it the low tech way to be sure, but not exactly the easy way, unless you're melting quite a large amount, at which point you're not talking jewelry use any more. And for what it's worth, what's wrong with ordinary barbaque charcoal for the melting furnace? Not quite coke, to be sure, but back in grad school, some 20 years ago, we were using a charcoal fired furnace furnace built in an old metal bucket sort of thing, with a hair dryer blower at the bottom, to work with the metal casting methods of the Ashante peoples of east Africa. Wonderful heritage, and capable of extremely detailed castings. Things that sometimes would even be difficult to duplicate with the usually used lost wax casting methods of the jewelry industry. Brass, bronze, and gold alloys were the usual metals used. No prob with those temperature ranges, and it was just ordinary grocery store grade charcoal briquettes. News flash -- I'm a po' boy! Yeah. Me too. That's why I'd prefer to keep my pennies in their more valuable, bill paying form, with which I can buy more than their weight in zinc fairly easily. To high-melt for me. See above. the end result would be more difficult to melt. I will be using a single-burner propane camping stove, not a blast furnace. true, an open burner stove would be hard to use. But swap it for a decent propane torch, build a small cylindrical tube furnace with the flame entering tangentially at the bottom, add a small crucible, and you can melt almost anything in the normal range of non-ferrous metals. Or go to the scale of your Gingery furnace and do the same with a propane burner and blower made from a hair dryer. Some people who use such furnaces for larger amounts might use a purchased burner head, but even that, you can build yourself. Not that hard to do. Or use that same furnace design just with charcoal, as described above. The blower is what gives you the higher temp range... 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. I really don't think you have to have coke unless you're trying to reach the temps needed for cast iron (as the gingery furnace is designed to do, if I recall right.). For aluminum or other lower melting alloys, while coke is nice, lasting longer, if you can't get decent coke, then why bother with the junk at all. (unless of course it still works, and is cheaper than charcoal...) 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. Agreed. the group does not require any level of standards. Though I'm a professional, many readers of this group are not. However, be aware that the group IS specified as a jewelry specific group (need the charter? Go to Google groups and find an old post of the FAQ file, where I included the charter, or ask in email, and I'll send you a copy), so the usual standards of thinking about metal the way jewelers do is usually assumed, even if not required. Thus the assumptions on the nature of the alloys you might be using, or what you might be using them for. By the way, the "rec" part in the newsgroup name is simply the place this group is organized within the heirarchy of newsgroups. All the crafts, whether professional or not, or in this section of the newsgroup structure except those that didn't want to go through the formal creation process, and get themselves set up as "Alt" groups. It does not imply that the groups are more recreational or less professional. The only definition of this group is that it's somehow related to the jewelry craft, and that it's non-commercial and moderated in nature. Beyond that, it's what you and other readers make it. I'd mention that if your interest is more to the usually non-jewelry sorts of metal working, including those Gingery machine tools and the like, you might wish to check out rec.crafts.metalworking. More along the usual lines for that group, though of course you're welcome here too, if you like. 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. See, this is why I'd think you'd want to buy the metal. If you're actually melting ten pounds of metal at a time, pennies are a pretty costly way to get it... I agree. But I plan on sticking with zinc for awhile. I will leave the gold and silver to you rich folks! ;-) I wish. Just because I have to buy precious metals to practice my trade doesn't mean I'm left with loads of cash at the end. Just doesn't work that way, unfortunately. Especially not with today's metals prices. But seriously. Try pewter. You might like it. Nicer to work with than zinc. Cleaner to cast, similar costs. And at this point, I'm thinking we've beaten this penny horse to death. Unless we want to talk about bronzing the sucker... (grin) that would take a big plating tank. Maybe the bathtub could be modified... Peter |
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