copper powder in the Electric furnace

[Anonymous]

It seems it would like to burn away than melt for me. Have tried a couple of things from readings with poor results. I know it has oter things disolved in it, it comes from ore. I live in Arizona and get my values from the ground. I wanted to electrorefine the ingots to drop out any of the other values rather than trying to use chemicals to separate them

 

[Harold_V]

Again, please, with clarity. The intention of your post is not clear at all.

Harold

 

[Anonymous]

did you use a flux to protect the copper ore from air during heating?
is the ore metallic?

 

[Anonymous]

I am trying to melt the copper powder that drops out of solution with Iron as the precipitator. I have followed several proceedures and I end up with slag not a copper nugget. Where would I find such a proceedure

 

[Harold_V]

Copper that comes from such a precipitation isn't very clean, and will be difficult to melt as a result. It may or may not melt if subjected to a good flux cover of borax, depends on the state of the copper.

I'm curios why you want to melt it----even copper that is recovered from refining operations isn't worth melting, the cost of handling will exceed the value in all cases unless you have a large amount, and have means to melt it properly. If you attempt melting with a crucible furnace, your time and expense is unlikely to be repaid. There is no market for the recovered copper unless it can be melted, a reality I faced when I had two 55 gallon drums full. It was eventually sent to the land fill for lack of a party that would accept it free of charge.

I concede, you may have different results, considering my experience came when copper was selling for less than $1 at the refinery.

Harold

 

[Platdigger]

Probably will need to mix it with carbon to reduce it to metal. Either charcoal, coke, or wheat flower, something like that.
Any oxidizers in the mix will just cause it to oxidize and report to the slag.
Not sure what else needs to be in your flux.
Randy

 

[Anonymous]

Use a flux, I use stay silv brazing flux when I do copper castings, granted I am not using powdery copper, I also use a crucible with a lid to keep the air out (mostly). You could also add some solid copper to start the melt. A proceedure I would try is to have the crucible at heat with some copper melted from solid stuff like scrap pipe or wire. Flux and heat, if your heat is high enough, and you exclude new air with a layer of flux the copper oxide will decompose and join the melt, you will have to add the powder in doses until it is all melted.


How much do you have? If you want to sell it PM me and we may be able to work out a deal.

Jim