Ayham Hafez
Well-known member
Recently I did many tests on E-waste cupellation, my test samples was about 50:50 lead - copper alloys, I make cupollation in a small foundry furnace using waste oil flame from the top of the furnace so flame hit directly the alloy.
I noticed after the cupellation furnace be hot enough it only took 10 minutes to oxidize all lead (time calculated based on second alloy so furnace was hot), and if I make it 15 minutes all copper oxidized!
Unlike gold and silver cupellation, the copper bead looks similar like lead copper bead so I can't recognized when cupellation finished, I only try to recognize the white smoke of lead oxide but also copper oxide gives same smoke!
Tried to reduce the air blower as much as I can, but not successed, copper from 5 attempts fully oxidized twice, and for the rest attempts it a bit oxidized, am not talking about copper oxidization because of lead, I'm talking about red oxidized material that it's very eazy to recognize from lead-copper oxidize slag/matte.
How I can know when to stop cupellation and how to prevent copper from been oxidized very quickly?
I noticed after the cupellation furnace be hot enough it only took 10 minutes to oxidize all lead (time calculated based on second alloy so furnace was hot), and if I make it 15 minutes all copper oxidized!
Unlike gold and silver cupellation, the copper bead looks similar like lead copper bead so I can't recognized when cupellation finished, I only try to recognize the white smoke of lead oxide but also copper oxide gives same smoke!
Tried to reduce the air blower as much as I can, but not successed, copper from 5 attempts fully oxidized twice, and for the rest attempts it a bit oxidized, am not talking about copper oxidization because of lead, I'm talking about red oxidized material that it's very eazy to recognize from lead-copper oxidize slag/matte.
How I can know when to stop cupellation and how to prevent copper from been oxidized very quickly?