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dreco
New Member
14 Posts |
 Posted - 02/01/2010 : 03:04:04
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hey guys,
ive been dreaming of pouring my own bullion after buying silver, and have come to find that its difficult, messy, toxic, to cherry pick for PMs from old PC parts.
and just wondering about melting down scrap copper (wire pipe etc) and pouring into ingots.
i have an oxy acetylene torch, and thinking i just need a ceramic crucible, gloves, face mask and ingot mold.
is this going to anywhere as easy as i think? and even profitalbe?
any advise is much appreciated, as im struggling to keep my small dream alive lol
cheers
Dreco
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El Dee
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
547 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 09:46:02
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Profitable? No. It's more profitable just to gather scrap.
You would spend so much on fuel it would eat up any profit. You'd need a setup an order of magnitude greater than an acetylene torch to handle anything beyond jewelry making.
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Trust the government? Ask an Indian. |
Edited by - El Dee on 02/01/2010 15:18:46 |
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Market Harmony
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1274 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 12:43:24
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quote:
Originally posted by dreco...ive been dreaming of pouring my own bullion after buying silver, and have come to find that its difficult, messy, toxic, to cherry pick for PMs from old PC parts.
and just wondering about melting down scrap copper (wire pipe etc) and pouring into ingots.
i have an oxy acetylene torch, and thinking i just need a ceramic crucible, gloves, face mask and ingot mold.
is this going to anywhere as easy as i think? and even profitalbe?
any advise is much appreciated...
Melting temperature of copper is 1984 degrees F, iron is 2800 F
Copper loves oxygen; an open flame and ceramic crucible will introduce a considerable amount of oxygen to a melt. You'll need a different heat source and crucible.
If you're getting the copper scrap for little cost or effort, your best bet is to just gather it and then sell it to a scrap yard. The investment of equipment, education, and time to produce copper bullion is prohibitive to new entrants. But, that is not to say that it is impossible.  |
goto the new and improved realcent: http://realcent.org |
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dreco
New Member
14 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 21:49:37
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hmm, thanks guys,
dont suppose you know any "clean" way of removing PMs from computer parts?
cheers |
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coppertone
Penny Sorter Member
Canada
63 Posts |
Posted - 02/01/2010 : 22:02:07
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| The two scrap yards I have access to within 1.5 hr drive pay only 0.20lb for insulated copper wire or take it as a "public service" but don't pay for it. Not really worth the excersise. Buildings are still being demolished without any attempt to salvage the copper. I too was looking for a method to add value to this resource |
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garnede
Penny Collector Member
USA
386 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 00:17:52
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| Strip the insulation off of the wire and see what they will give you for it then. |
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coppertone
Penny Sorter Member
Canada
63 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 02:15:40
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| Yeah, I know but I still have trouble selling clean 99.9 copper for 1.00-1.20/lb when I know it is worth more. If I could get the values that I read about on this site I would be happy. |
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dreco
New Member
14 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 06:35:53
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"Copper loves oxygen; an open flame and ceramic crucible will introduce a considerable amount of oxygen to a melt. You'll need a different heat source and crucible."
M.H..what would you suggest as a heat source and crucible? im looking to start off as a small hobby...never want to start making money doing something i hate.
cheers
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dreco
New Member
14 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 06:38:53
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coppertone..
are you looking to sell now or stock up for the future?
cheers
dreco
love how you live |
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Market Harmony
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1274 Posts |
Posted - 02/02/2010 : 10:30:09
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quote:
Originally posted by dreco
M.H..what would you suggest as a heat source and crucible? im looking to start off as a small hobby...never want to start making money doing something i hate.
"small hobby" denotes low cost, low time investment, little education... none of which will give you any satisfactory results when it comes to casting copper.
How much do you want to spend?
How much do you want to learn?
How much time do you have to devote to this?
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goto the new and improved realcent: http://realcent.org |
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dreco
New Member
14 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 01:42:34
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M.H.
ive got alot of time (only work 20hr weeks), and egar to learn.
money wise is questionable, could i get any where with 2 grand?
cheers |
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Market Harmony
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
1274 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 09:01:40
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quote:
Originally posted by dreco
M.H.
ive got alot of time (only work 20hr weeks), and egar to learn.
money wise is questionable, could i get any where with 2 grand?
cheers
An induction furnace with a capacity of 3 kilos, fully loaded with all the needed gear is priced at about $14K. Crucibles are an extra $60 each. That is just the melting equipment. You'll need safety gear and equipment, casting equipment, and a way to prepare the final product then package and ship it.
There is alternative equipment which seriously reduces the cost, but adds a considerable amount of time and work to get the same results from a quality machine as described. Over time, the smaller equipment becomes more expensive due to the amount of time and work involved.
$2K would be a tough start, but doable. For a fee, I could consult. |
goto the new and improved realcent: http://realcent.org |
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coppertone
Penny Sorter Member
Canada
63 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 16:01:09
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| Dreco not sure what I intend to do. I hoard pennies, buying copper at 1.50/lb. I also try to collect scrap copper, selling copper at 1.00/lb. (or less) Hmmmm....... something not right here. Maybe at the scrap prices I can obtain I should become a buyer and stockpile. Not rushing into anything. |
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melting down copper wire
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