Topic: RE: Worth it to melt down broken aluminum

[chewbacca5000]

I got some broken aluminum and was wondering if it is worth the trouble of melting it down into ingots?


How much is it going to cost me to melt the stuff down?  Is there any cheap/free way to do it to make it worth while.

The idea is that I could use the ingots for future casting.


Thanks in advance.  Don't want to end up spending a bunch of money when the better thing is to simply recycle.

[Stev-o]

You wanna make a sandcast?!

Just the other day While I was cleaning up my workbench a similar thought entered my mind.
I had replaced a damaged stator cover on the K3 and was wondering what I could do with it? Wall art??  Tossed it in the garbage bin, not worth it!

[chewbacca5000]

You wanna make a sandcast?!

Just the other day While I was cleaning up my workbench a similar thought entered my mind.
I had replaced a damaged stator cover on the K3 and was wondering what I could do with it? Wall art??  Tossed it in the garbage bin, not worth it!

You might be right, but I got enough aluminum to make and engine block.  I don't know maybe I will just give it to the local scrap guy after my sale.  One less thing to look at.

Maybe I watch too much freaking youtube.  Videos like this one make it look so easy. 

Then there is all the cost they don't tell you about.  Wonder how much the sand cost for example?

[CycleRanger]

Building a furnace melt aluminum is easy.
Just hit Youtube, there's dozens of videos with possible solutions.
Propane, electric, charcoal, even wood!
All you really need is some firebricks, a fan, fuel, and a cast iron pot.
My uncle used to melt aluminum using coal for fuel and an old blower from a furnace.
If you're planning to sell any ingots to the recycler note that cans bring more unmelted.


Maybe you can make some tiny Lesters! 

[chewbacca5000]

Building a furnace melt aluminum is easy.
Just hit Youtube, there's dozens of videos with possible solutions.
Propane, electric, charcoal, even wood!
All you really need is some firebricks, a fan, fuel, and a cast iron pot.
My uncle used to melt aluminum using coal for fuel and an old blower from a furnace.
If you're planning to sell any ingots to the recycler note that cans bring more unmelted.


Maybe you can make some tiny Lesters! 

Any idea how much the green sand cost?  I don't think you can use play sand.

[CycleRanger]

Any idea how much the green sand cost?  I don't think you can use play sand.

Well, you can make your own with sand and kitty litter..  but.

Here's one place: http://www.budgetcastingsupply.com/category-s/1824.htm

However, I would think it would better to buy locally.
Look for casting/foundry supplies locally.

The sand is reusable.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Will it cost you more in supplies and energy than what you'd get to sell scrap?

[CycleRanger]

Will it cost you more in supplies and energy than what you'd get to sell scrap?

And a lot of recyclers actually pay less for ingots because they don't know the content.
That's why melting just to reduce bulk isn't always the best idea if you're just going to scrap it.

But I think he's more interested in trying a little home casting.

[754]

Getting a clean non porous casting is the tricky part, melting is easy.
Someone on here is building a 500 turbo,was casting a lot of their own parts, not sure why..billet is reasonable, and easy to get most places.
I feel you want to have nice castings that polish well,  you will probably. Have to buy ingots, not use mystery metal.
 Dirty aluminum with steel in it is around 12 cts a pounds , good aluminum brings around 70 cents. That was a year ago inland prices, you get a bit more in some places.

[chewbacca5000]

Will it cost you more in supplies and energy than what you'd get to sell scrap?

And a lot of recyclers actually pay less for ingots because they don't know the content.
That's why melting just to reduce bulk isn't always the best idea if you're just going to scrap it.

But I think he's more interested in trying a little home casting.

That was the idea, a little home casting on the cheap.  Mostly to make brackets and stuff like that.  I think I will run off the the metal depot right quick and see what the prices are.  Getting ride of the stuff might just be the better option.

[chewbacca5000]

Getting a clean non porous casting is the tricky part, melting is easy.
Someone on here is building a 500 turbo,was casting a lot of their own parts, not sure why..billet is reasonable, and easy to get most places.
I feel you want to have nice castings that polish well,  you will probably. Have to buy ingots, not use mystery metal.
 Dirty aluminum with steel in it is around 12 cts a pounds , good aluminum brings around 70 cents. That was a year ago inland prices, you get a bit more in some places.

I only wanted to cast as I could make a wood plug and don't have too much machining access.  If my lathe had the new chuck installed it would be a different story.

[754]

How big a chuck, just buy a new one or good used..
How much use can you get out of a lathe with a bad chuck.?

At one point we tried casting a few simple shapes, big waste of time to get messy, gross pieces of aluminum.. Now intricate. Shapes maybe save some time, but making the pattern /sand make lds huge investment in time..

[CycleRanger]

I've always wanted to try this for fun and profit.
I certainly have enough candidates around my yard.

[chewbacca5000]

How big a chuck, just buy a new one or good used..
How much use can you get out of a lathe with a bad chuck.?

At one point we tried casting a few simple shapes, big waste of time to get messy, gross pieces of aluminum.. Now intricate. Shapes maybe save some time, but making the pattern /sand make lds huge investment in time..

I have a nice 6" chuck that needs the backplate cut, but in order to do that I need a new toolpost and brass nut for the slide.  The brass nut is broken.  I have just been using it for polishing.

[chewbacca5000]

I wonder if that would work to get ride of my grubs?  Not sure if someone has done this with ground bees or not.  Might now be as interesting as the ant sculpture.


BTW the metal supplier near me said they are getting out of surplus metals  too bad for me.  That is how I built my buffer and truing stand.

They want 2.20 per lb for stainless and aluminum.

[BomberMann650]

They want 2.20 per lb for stainless and aluminum.

Is that how much they charge you to take it away?

[754]

Prime clean aluminum is only about 3-5 bux per pound, not worth dealing with some  unknown Alloy a lot of the time. Scored an 8 inch round piece of Al at the scrapyard..it was either annealed or soft alloy, the most difficult piece of light colored metal I ever touched and I had to bore a 5 inch hole thru it........Collosal waste of time.

[chewbacca5000]

They want 2.20 per lb for stainless and aluminum.

Is that how much they charge you to take it away?

[754]

I tried this. Cut up a case to get the steel out, after I broke a blade it started to look like a money losing deal.

15-20 lbs of engine cases are 12 cents = 2.40 minus your gas and time..

[chewbacca5000]

I guess so.  Probably the same deal for a bad block.  Now fork lowers I beat they would melt nice and easy.  I have not figured out how to cut aluminum with a grinder and not have it throw shrapnel at me.

[BomberMann650]

I guess so.  Probably the same deal for a bad block.  Now fork lowers I beat they would melt nice and easy.  I have not figured out how to cut aluminum with a grinder and not have it throw shrapnel at me.

Band saw mate

[chewbacca5000]

I guess so.  Probably the same deal for a bad block.  Now fork lowers I beat they would melt nice and easy.  I have not figured out how to cut aluminum with a grinder and not have it throw shrapnel at me.

Band saw mate

Thanks for the tip!  I wish I had thought of that myself.

[chewbacca5000]

Got rid of a big pile of scrap metal today.  I was so happy to see that stuff gone by the end of the day.

[333]

I found the melting point of aluminum by accident.

I had a Coleman drip coffee maker for a camp stove. The bottom, where the coil of tubing for heating the water is was all aluminum. On Memorial Day, we had a group of about 40, out camping. Our last morning, it was raining, so everyone was crowded under the canopy of the kitchen. I started the next pot of coffee, and got distracted. The next thing I know, it looks like it's done, so I work my way over to shut it off.  There's about a 2" blob of melted aluminum in the bottom of my camp stove.  Oops.  Mixed emotions. On one hand, the pot served me well. It was a Fathers Day gift.  Sad. On the other hand, wow, my 60 year old Coleman stove kicks ass!  The melting point of aluminum is 1221 degrees.

[Dunk]

Just throw it in your aluminum pile/bucket and take to scrap like normal? Not sure they'd pay any more for melted down bars vs raw, so long as it's not mixed with other metals. Scrap is down, so just wait until it either goes up or the pile is big enough to bother you.