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deleted
38 Posts |
 Posted - 09/19/2007 : 21:35:55
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I have read a few posts about melting pennies and the general consensus is that it would require to much in the way of fuel or electricity to profitably melt them. I don't know how serious you guys are about doing this but if you check out You must be logged in to see this link.
look up his waste oil burner. It runs on waste oil and he is working on one that will melt iron (2400 F)? now so I guess it will melt copper (1800 F). Anyways the only ongoing expense would be the electricity for the blower which would be a lot less than if you were heating with it.
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Jason
Penny Pincher Member
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2007 : 22:13:11
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Sure you can go through all of the effort of making your own blast furnace, but i'm telling you a cutting torch and a iron crucible are all that you need. I've never melted pennies in this manner and never plan to, but i do have experience with metals and it seems to me that this would be the easiest way to melt your pennies. Although torch hoses and heads are not cheap, you can get used ones at a bargain if you get lucky (empty bottles, hoses, and head cost $50 from the guy where i got mine) you can get a setup cheap. Gasses are not expensive. You can get your bottles of oxygen and acetylene filled for about thirty bucks (for both of them.) Acetylene mixed with pure oxygen burns extremely hot (5800+ degrees F) and will have no problem tackling copper. If you would like i can melt some copper (not pennies though, i don't want to go to jail just to prove a point) and post some pics. I may go ahead and do some and post here so everyone will have a better understanding of what i'm trying to get at. I've never had much of a nack of explaining things.
M20/1USMS:US1Cu22700:US1Zn7500:US5CuNi720:US10Ag128:US25Ag89:US50Ag43:Us100Ag3 |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 07:08:28
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Jason,
Can I ask what metals you have experience with? I'm guessing silver?
Deal
I'm so sick over pennies....I frequently trade a dime or two for the whole "take-a-penny" container if sufficient coppers exist. That will get you some odd looks. |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 17:03:43
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Melting pennies to sell for scrap might not be cost effective today,
but what about 3 years down the road?
Just as no one would have dreamed that the melt value of the lowly copper cent would ever double in value, who is to say that the melt value of a coper cent can't or won't go to 5¢ each?
I should have chosen "Cut-n-Paste" as a forum name, since that is what I do, mostly. |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 17:11:00
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quote:
Originally posted by pencilvanian
Melting pennies to sell for scrap might not be cost effective today,
but what about 3 years down the road?
Just as no one would have dreamed that the melt value of the lowly copper cent would ever double in value, who is to say that the melt value of a coper cent can't or won't go to 5¢ each?
I should have chosen "Cut-n-Paste" as a forum name, since that is what I do, mostly.
That is exactly what I tell people. Most reply with a snicker, but I move on and it doesn't stop me from hoarding.
Deal
I'm so sick over pennies....I frequently trade a dime or two for the whole "take-a-penny" container if sufficient coppers exist. That will get you some odd looks. |
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beercritic
Penny Pincher Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 20:07:34
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Why melt? Do you need the copper?
The cute little coins are already assayed, and will eventually trade like junk silver. Melt it into a blob, and folks will be somewhat less likely to accept it in trade.
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deleted
38 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 20:33:19
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If you can sell for a profit at the junk yard you can get more pennies with the profit you just made. Its a snowball effect!
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beercritic
Penny Pincher Member
USA
112 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 20:52:11
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Hmmm... Mastro. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. :-)
You must be describing quantities I cannot imagine. More power to you!
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deleted
38 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 20:55:26
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beercritic lol
Just beatin around the bush |
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Canadian_Nickle
Penny Hoarding Member
Canada
938 Posts |
Posted - 09/20/2007 : 21:49:00
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Jason: the mint regulations make an exemption for educational melting, so if you're melting cents to take pictures of the process and show them here, you probably can't be arrested/fined for it.
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"A nickel's nothing to scoff at."
C. Montgomery Burns
HoardCode0.1: M28/5CAON:CA5Ni35000:CA1Cu1200:CA100Ag345:
CA10Ag250:CA50Ag100:CA25Ag30:CA500Ag48:US100Ag20:CA1000Ag16
How to read a HoardCode:
You must be logged in to see this link. |
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Jason
Penny Pincher Member
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2007 : 00:24:50
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Canadian Nickle, i'll just take your word for it and i will melt some pennies for educational puposes. I have good lawyers anyways, lol. beercritic, I think along the same lines as you. Everyone who wants to know already knows that the U.S. Mint made pennies out of 95% copper up until 1982. The mint has an extremely good reputation. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I don't have quite the reputation of the U.S. Mint. NotABigDeal, my experience in metals revolves mostly around iron/steel, but i've read the numbers on other metals and I have a good idea of how to melt copper. I'll melt a few pennies to educate you all, lol. My major in college is science education and it seems even though i do not have my degree yet i'll begin teaching. I've never melted my silver because again my reputation is not like that of the U.S. Mint which says my "junk silver" is 90% and jewelers who have marked my junk jewelry .925. I'm sure you all will take my word for the cutting torch thing, but i'll docomeent my penny melting anyways just to prove to myself i'm right. I have this bad habit of having to prove stuff to myself although i don't really care what others think. I'm weird.
M20/1USMS:US1Cu22700:US1Zn7500:US5CuNi720:US10Ag128:US25Ag89:US50Ag43:Us100Ag3 |
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Canadian_Nickle
Penny Hoarding Member
Canada
938 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2007 : 23:41:51
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Plus, if you do get busted I'm sure some members of the board would be willing to put up some boxes of zincers fer bail ;p
________________________
"A nickel's nothing to scoff at."
C. Montgomery Burns
HoardCode0.1: M28/5CAON:CA5Ni35000:CA1Cu1200:CA100Ag345:
CA10Ag250:CA50Ag100:CA25Ag30:CA500Ag48:US100Ag20:CA1000Ag16
How to read a HoardCode:
You must be logged in to see this link. |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 09/21/2007 : 23:59:17
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I'll put up a whole bag of zinc towards his bail.
Young guy like that might not do so well in prison <EG>
If your percentages are low.. just sort more.
"Preserving REAL coinage.. 2 tons at a time... and FAKE coinage.. a quarter ton at a time.. just for speculation"
HoardCode0.1:M49/15USCA:US1Cu706700(125000 Reserved):US1Zi150000:US5Ni9500:CA5Ni1150 |
Edited by - HoardCopperByTheTon on 09/22/2007 00:03:00 |
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c140cessna
Penny Collector Member
USA
419 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2007 : 07:51:10
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Back a few years ago (pre-ban), I melted about 10 lbs of zinc pennies. I used my lead smelting pot (looks like a turkey fryer) and is fired by propane. I had to mostly cover the top of the pot/stand with sheetmetal to get the temperature up enough to do a good job melting the zinc. It made reasonable looking ingots of shiny hard silver colored bars. I have experience melting about 5 tons of scrap lead and alloying it with tin and antimony to increase hardness and later commercial casting into lead bullets. My propane lead melting furnace is homemade and has 60,000 BTU single burner. It does a great job on lead but is marginal for zinc.
I have quite a bit of other metals experience. I'm a Mechanical Engineer and have worked in the Aluminum/Magnesium/Zinc Die Casting Industry for the past 8 years. I also fabricate in steel quite a bit. A lot of molten metals are quite toxic and very dangerous. You have to know what you are doing to avoid dangerous contamination. As educated/experienced/careful as I am, there have been times my blood lead levels have become elevated (but still within safe range) from exposure via casting and shooting 3 - 4 days a week on an indoor range. I also get exposed to Leaded Aviation Fuels and exhaust residue quite a bit. Due to my exposure I would have annual blood lead level tests. When I smelt/cast I wear a filtration mask, and dedicated clothing, and do not eat/smoke/touch my mouth with hands. I change my clothing outside and shower as soon as I'm done. I know this sounds over cautious, but even with these measures my lead levels at times were 2X to 3X normal.
Molten Magnesium will is very dangerous - will combust in air and requires a shielding/cover gas. Mg will also burn underwater...very neat to see. Zinc is very toxic and so is lead.
I'm building a smelting furnace (propane fired) that is capable of melting aluminum, copper, brass and bronze. It will be able to melt about 20 to 30 lbs at a time. I have several tons of copper and brass that I am going to smelt. I'll let you know how it goes.
Melting and casting are interesting skills...but be careful.
M41/1USMI:US1Cu293000,CA1Cu328000,CA5Ni35000 |
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Jason
Penny Pincher Member
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2007 : 01:44:18
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Lol, thank ya'll for offering to put up bail for me. It is much appreciated. If I do end up in jail i'll be sure to have my brother contact ya'll, lol. I need to go to jail at least one anyways to keep up apperances and such, lol. My brother is my official picture taker in such endevers as this, but he is only home on weekends because of his own schoolin'. Since we both have pretty busy scedules, i'll do the melting and post pictures as soon as we both have free time at the same time. Along with c140cessna's warnings about certain metals, i would like to offer a warning about aluminum. As long as you are melting aluminum dry it's all good, but if molten aluminum comes in contact with water it can become explosive. If you are new to melting metals please read up on the metal you are planning to melt to learn the proper procedures (unless you are like me and have a death wish and will do anything, anyway you like it just because you are always right, lol) c140cessna, i am also often exposed to poisonous materials (asbestos, lead, and herbicides/pesticides) but i do not go to the doctor, ever. I'm a whole doctorophobe and all. I'm sure at times my safe and or normal levels of certain materials in my blood become high but i live by a famous quote; "live fast, die young, live a good looking corpse" I live fast as i can, the way i live (you don't even know, there's only two people close enough to me to know) i will end up dieing young, and i believe i will leave a pretty dern good looking corpse, lol. BTW, I'm a young gun and all, but James Dean didn't seem so hard core to me in rebel without a cause (the only James Dean movie i've seen). Whitty sure, but not hardcore. In my opinion he only became famous because he was known to live fast, he did die young and he did leave a fairly good looking corpse.
M20/1USMS:US1Cu22700:US1Zn7500:US5CuNi720:US10Ag128:US25Ag89:US50Ag43:Us100Ag3 |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2007 : 22:31:18
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Jason, We haven't heard from you in a while. Did you try melting those pennies yet? Are you in prison now and that is why you can't post? Do some of us need to start gathering our pennies together to post bail?
If your percentages are low.. just sort more.
"Preserving REAL coinage.. 2 tons at a time... and FAKE coinage.. a quarter ton at a time.. just for speculation"
HoardCode0.1:M49/15USCA:US1Cu689300(90000 Reserved):US1Zi150000:US5Ni9500:CA5Ni1150 |
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n/a
deleted
15 Posts |
Posted - 03/22/2008 : 17:58:59
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Thanks for that info on the dangers of lead gas etc - never took that too seriously yet never exposed myself to it either.
I read somewhere on the web that someone converted his microwave oven into a smelter. Of course it was an old one but he had success.
I agree that a bag of coins is worth more than a pile of metal unless you are making really nice bars |
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Saul Mine
Penny Collector Member
USA
343 Posts |
Posted - 03/23/2008 : 04:01:33
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| Do some study first. Copper is very hard to melt right. It tends to bubble and oxidize and the oxides give a lousy looking ingot. Any zinc in the mix will boil off and the fumes can make you sick. Any lead will make a bright yellow mess around the furnace. It really is not something you want to do. |
A penny sorted is a penny earned!
Please use tinyurl.com to post links. Long links make posts hard to read. |
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Melting pennies
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