# Trying to melt copper



## Anonymous (Feb 25, 2008)

Hi, Im just wondering what the process of melting copper into an ingot. I would like step by step instructions and materials needed. Thanks.


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## skyline27 (Feb 26, 2008)

check out backyardmetalcasting.com


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## Harold_V (Feb 26, 2008)

I used to melt (copper) buss bar that came from silver contacts. The copper was cast in ingots for use in recovering silver from nitrate solutions. The buss was often silver plated, so using it as I did resulted in recovering the small amount of silver that was included in the plating and any of the remaining silver solder. 

If you have a crucible furnace, it's easy enough to melt copper, but keep in mind it melts just under 2,000°F, so it's a bright yellow heat when up to melting temp. I used an ingot mold for my copper, coating it well with lamp black to avoid soldering the copper to the mold, which was made of cast iron. Get the copper molten, then pour when it's above the melting point by 50° or so, enough to made a decent ingot without cold flows. A graphite clay, or silicon carbide crucible is acceptable. Do not use flux. You may have to skim the copper before pouring, but flux will cause the metal to fuse to the mold under bad conditions, and it's not easy to remove from the ingot. It's not really necessary if you're melting clean copper. 

Be certain to preheat the mold to at least higher than the boiling point of water. Don't get it so hot it starts burning off the blackening, which is a must, to insure you don't get fusion with the mold. 

A room temperature mold has the potential to flash to steam, the miniscule amount moisture that is contained on the surface. It can be the source of a dangerous eruption of molten metal, regardless of it being silver, copper or gold. 

If you have considerable trouble with your metal including gasses, you may have a degree of success covering the surface with charcoal, which will consume free oxygen. 

If you can handle your ingots immediately (use tongs), dump the mold the moment the copper solidifies and plunge the ingot into a large container of water. That will cause the oxides to shed, leaving behind a clean surface. It will have considerable scale if you do not. 

Hope some of this helps. It worked for me! :wink: 

Harold


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## Anonymous (Feb 26, 2008)

Awesome Harold, my original thoughts were to use the large copper segment recovered from the microwave magnetron to cement the silver from nitrate. 

Having read your post clears up what I anticipated as a problem.

You probably can not tell from the picture that the inner components have been silver soldered to the main body of the magnetron.

Handle with care. I have a metal lathe that I use to part off the unwanted material, and do not have to handle the ceramics. 

For those contemplating salvaging copper from microwave magnetron's, please read this snip from wikapedia concerning the ceramic insulator.

Some magnetrons have ceramic insulators with a bit of beryllium oxide (beryllia) added—these ceramics often appear somewhat pink or purple-colored. 

Note that beryllium oxide is white (see article beryllium oxide), so relying on the color to identify its presence would be unwise. 

The beryllium beryllium in this is a serious chemical hazard if crushed and inhaled, or otherwise ingested. Single or chronic exposure can lead to berylliosis, a condition that is not curable. 

In addition, beryllia is listed as a confirmed human carcinogen by the IARC; therefore, broken ceramic insulators or magnetrons should not be directly handled.


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## zauggart (Mar 3, 2008)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium
[edit] Inhalation
Beryllium can be harmful if inhaled and the effects depend on period of exposure. If beryllium concentrations in air are high enough (greater than 100 µg/m³), an acute condition can result, called acute beryllium disease, which resembles pneumonia. Occupational and community air standards are effective in preventing most acute lung damage. Long term exposure to beryllium can increase the risk of developing lung cancer. The more common and serious health hazard from beryllium today is chronic beryllium disease (CBD), discussed below. It continues to occur in industries as diverse as metal recycling, dental laboratories, alloy manufacturing, nuclear weapons production, defense industries, and metal machine shops that work with alloys containing small amounts of beryllium.


[edit] Chronic beryllium disease (CBD)
Some people (1-15%) become sensitive to beryllium. These individuals may develop an inflammatory reaction that principally targets the respiratory system and skin. This condition is called chronic beryllium disease (CBD), and can occur within a few months or many years after exposure to higher than normal levels of beryllium (greater than 0.02 µg/m³). This disease causes fatigue, weakness, night sweats and can cause difficulty in breathing and a persistent dry cough. It can result in anorexia, weight loss, and may also lead to right-side heart enlargement and heart disease in advanced cases. Some people who are sensitized to beryllium may not have any symptoms. The disease is treatable, but not curable with traditional drugs and medicine. CBD occurs when the body's immune system recognizes beryllium particles as foreign material and mounts an immune system attack against the particles. Because these particles are typically inhaled into the lungs, the lungs become the major site where the immune system responds, they become inflamed and fill with large numbers of white blood cells that accumulate wherever beryllium particles are found. These cells form balls around the beryllium particles called “granulomas.” When enough of these develop, they interfere with the normal function of the organ. Over time, the lungs become stiff and lose their ability to help transfer oxygen from the air into the bloodstream. Patients with CBD develop difficulty inhaling and exhaling sufficient amounts of air, and the amount of oxygen in their bloodstreams falls. Treatment of such patients includes use of oxygen and medicines that try to suppress the immune system’s over-reaction to beryllium. A class of immunosuppressive medicines called glucocorticoids (example: prednisone) is most commonly used as treatment. The general population is unlikely to develop acute or chronic beryllium disease because ambient air levels of beryllium are normally very low (0.00003-0.0002 µg/m³).


just figured id post the link and a bit of text for some knowledege on this subject
ian


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