# How to make your own zinc powder



## Slaughlin79 (Nov 22, 2018)

I searched and found nothing so if I missed,sorry. 

I’m writing this to possibly help out someone that’s in a bind like I was when needing zinc or more so zinc powder. I’ve been using this so called technique with great results and I don’t have to wait on handling times and shipping. I’ve also tested the powder precipitating pgms and has worked excellent so I hope this helps someone.

BE VERY CAREFUL BECAUSE YOU WILL BE WORKING WITH MOLTEN ZINC METAL!!! I was not careful and was wearing flip flops and spilled a small amount avoit the size of a half dollar on top of my foot and let me tell you it hurt. And the worse parts was that it it didn’t just hit and bounce off it stuck. You get the picture so please be careful and learn from my mistake.

I start by going Lowe’s or anywhere you can get zinc die cast,I like the conduit fittings. These will have oil on them and you will be burning it off, hints how i happened upon this. Also don’t forget to remove screws or if it’s a compression fitting there is a zinc coating steel ring you want to remove. I use a ceramic coated stainless steel lid flipped over so it’s more or less like bowl. I take my conduit fittings and and place them it the lid and start heating till they all melt. When all of it is liquid let it cool for a little bit to the point of where you can’t slosh it around. Take a metal tool of your liking “I used a pair of channel locks my first time” and tap across the surface to make sure there are no pools that will splash on you. Once you know it’s safe to proceed start scratcing the surface and you will see the powder building up. If anyone reading thinks oh well that’s too slow? It’s really not. I haven’t measured how much I can get in x amount of time but it’s not slow going and the stuff works great.


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## FrugalRefiner (Nov 22, 2018)

Be very careful not to breathe the fumes when melting zinc. They can cause metal fume fever, and in severe cases they can kill.

Dave


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## Palladium (Nov 22, 2018)

In a pinch pennies are 95% zinc and 5% copper. 
180 pennies per lb = $ 1.80 lb


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## jimdoc (Nov 22, 2018)

Palladium said:


> In a pinch pennies are 95% zinc and 5% copper.
> 180 pennies per lb = $ 1.80 lb




Only pennies 1983 and newer. The 1982s can be either zinc or copper, and you would have to weigh them to sort them.


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## Palladium (Nov 22, 2018)

I never separated them. When you melt the zinc and pour it off into shot the copper won't melt and will be left in the bottom. You can then take those and add them to your stock pot for cementing. If you get your pennies new and buy them by the box at the bank you can get all new issue pennies.


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## jimdoc (Nov 22, 2018)

Palladium said:


> 180 pennies per lb = $ 1.80 lb



Rotometals has zinc for the same price, if you buy 1,000 lbs.


https://www.rotometals.com/bundle-of-zinc-ingots-99-99-shg-1000-pounds-1-79-lbs/


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## Slaughlin79 (Nov 27, 2018)

Absolutely Frugal. I’m actually welder so I’m all to familiar with galvanize poisoning. It sucks and in the worst way. Depending on how bad you got it feels like your dying.


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## Slaughlin79 (Nov 27, 2018)

I have revised my method and it is 1000 percent better and It way easier. This makes a true powder and the cool thing is you make it and course or fine “like flour” as you want. I didn’t post many pictures but this time it’s on.

First I took a I think it’s a long 7/8 paddle bit and drilled two holes one vertically. The top hole was threaded for a 5-16 x 2” bolt and the bottom was just a 5/16 hole with a 5/16 about 2” bolt”I didn’t thread this hole bc I wanted it loose to be able to flip around. The top bolt is more of a scraper and the bottom bolt crushed. I couldn’t be happier with this design bc I tried 5 and this one is like comparing a plastic knife trying to cut through a steak vs a good steak knife. Night and day. 


Second thing you need is a cylinder. I used a piece of stainless exhaust pipe 2-1/2” and plasma cut a circle for bottom and welded it up water right. 

The third thing you need is a cordless drill/driver or a corded one as long it has a brake and doesn’t continue to spin “I’ve never used one and honestly don’t even know if they make them”. It’s important that when you let off the trigger it stops. I say this bc she I first made my mixer/crusher bit it was just a piece of flat bar and when spinning and the metal start to solidify and it does fast when it starts and you pull up to hit some that has sling up on the walls it will catch and about jerk the drill out of your hands. Keep that in mind. Or you could just turn the torque setting down. duh, just thought of that.

Now just melt your metal and slowly doing the bit and it’s hardening up and won’t slosh and get after it. The off balmance of the bit will make it just around side to side which is good and just going at it and when it starts looking like rocks spray some water on it a few squirts and it just goes to power. 

When I first did it it was caveman slow compared even though I said it was that slow. So here is some pics. Enjoy and hope I’ve contributed if just a little bit.


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## nickton (Jan 7, 2019)

Not to sound too dumb but what metal did you heat up? Was it conduit fittings? And did you just place them in the cylinder while heating them?


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## METLMASHER (Dec 24, 2019)

I'm a do it yourself type too, but.. for about $15.00 you can have a pound of zinc powder mailed to you. And it looks like 5 pounds for about $35. bucks.
I'm not the boss of you, but I'd hate to hear you were standing over molten zinc(?), (pot metal, lead?) without fume mitigation, and getting toxicity for a savings of money, or time.
I recommend bargaining now for time and money that are surely unavailable on ones' deathbed.


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## Simon007 (Jan 13, 2020)

Zinc melts at 419.53 °C and zinc will only fume once it reaches boiling point and the boiling point of zinc is 907 °C, so if you are careful zinc fume fever can be avoided, however melting metals of any type needs to be done with care as you can slowly poison yourself. 

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk


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