I was speculating what it would take to safely melt aluminum cans and pour it into molds, or ingots for denser storage and later reuse. It may be totally impractical, but fun to discuss.
We’ve melted and poured aluminum here at the Space using cans and scrap alum. We had (may still have) a propane furnace. Not sure if we have an aluminum crucible still available.
The aluminum was poured into some cast iron corn bread molds. The ingots were made for future sand-casting with a lot of slag and dross skimmed off be pouring. Wasn’t difficult, but in terms of recycling aluminum I’d imagine the propane cost would probably be a push. But for the type of casting we were doing it was practical alternative to buying raw alum for casting.
At one time there was someone that was taking/hauling away the scrap chips from the Haas … which people are welcome to since we can’t throw in dumpster due to coolant on it. But this person would take it home and wash it off then melt it. DMS has have to properly dispose of the waste water so we’d have more bulk than we started with.
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Thanks.
Just a thought. I was wondering if it was practical or not.
I do like asking questions.
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If you’re looking for metal to cast into no-structural items , it’s practical and a fun step. For recycling, a really strong crusher can pack them tightly fast to reduce volume.
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bear in mind that Aluminum cans are pure aluminum as in no alloys. If you don’t know what that means it is not of that much importance.
if we did have an al crucible where would we start looking and how large would it be?? same question, only, furnace location and size??
Just because he could, right? Sure do miss him …
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He tried about everything. There’s a lot of things around the Space Walter built for committees or gave to them.
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I think what he had in mind was to melt down scrap Al and cast into small ingots that members could practice machining on and then recycle. After learning first hand what was involved, he dropped the idea. The fact that one of the gloves he used had some holes probably didn’t help.
Yeah…still missed.
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Well, back when Ceramics was Foundry, we spun off the little foundry to Blacksmithing, and became Fired Arts. I watched them load the foundry, which, I believe, included the aluminum crucible, into the deep end of the blacksmithing trailer. That was a couple of years ago. Maybe @HankCowdog could say whether he’s seen the thing recently?
Let me know if that solves it. I think there are still a couple of odd items on the top shelf of the shelves that hold all the kiln furniture.
I saw the little foundry and some of the ancillary equipment on Thursday. The crucible has a large chip missing out of the side. I’m not up to speed on using the foundry, having only been involved with using it once, and that was way back when we were at Ladybird.
I don’t know if the 'space has any greensand or flasks for prepping molds.
@JohnK and @hardsuit are both more up to speed on using the equipment - I recommend reaching out to them. If there is enough interest, we can try to set up a class or an event to do some pours. When recycling cans, on would typically melt down cans to ingots, and later use ingots to cast parts. I’d see these as different, albeit related projects.
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@JohnK rarely ever reads Talk. He’s at the Space fairly regularly – little shorter than you are – talks a Lot. If we’re all around at the same time, I can introduce you.
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Just make sure that whatever you put in that furnace is absolutely dry. You do not want any water in a can going into there.
Mom worked at an aluminum mill when I was a kid. She’d tell stories about the huge furnace doors blowing off their tracks when something with water in it hit the molten aluminum.