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melting copper

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    Bellis0483 started this thread.
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    melting copper

    hey yall i have an idea that i would like input on. im thinking about buying a small foundry i can melt copper in. i was thinking that i could buy light copper scrap and melt it down into heavy copper scrap and then sell at a profit-per-pound. i would be doing business with scrap yards at first, or anyone who can offer me good prices. thoughts?



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    jghilino's Avatar
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    have you done a cost analysis? does not sound profitable to me at all clean copper is clean copper, the only difference is density between light and heavy?

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    Another problem would be that no yard I know of will buy homemade copper ingots.

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    jghilino's Avatar
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    just another hoop to jump through, having to get your output assayed, not worth it

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    EcoSafe's Avatar
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    see the thread "$16 a lb copper"
    "anyone who thinks scrappin is easy money ain't doin it right!"

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    Maybe he's planning on melting pennies.

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    jghilino's Avatar
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    Yea it would be profitable if you could sell 1 ounce .999 rounds, the problem is making copper with a purity of .999 from scrap copper. Correct me if im wrong but you have to go thru a plating process to do that, a foundry wouldnt do it. Melting pennies is a great idea foe 95% copper and 5% zinc but how do you separate other than electroplating or skimming the zinc off the top of the crucible.

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    Quote Originally Posted by olddude View Post
    see the thread "$16 a lb copper"
    are you thinking of the thread called the good old ike ? where we debated which was better ike dollars or $16 pound copper in the form of .999 1 ounce rounds, and the $16 pound in copper rounds won the argument?

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    juat see 1 oz copper rounds and ingots on ebay for $1. I realise there is a little work to it.

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    jghilino's Avatar
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    yep, the kilo copper bars are my favorite

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    gustavus is offline Metal Recycling Entrepreneur
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bellis0483 View Post
    hey yall i have an idea that i would like input on. im thinking about buying a small foundry i can melt copper in. i was thinking that i could buy light copper scrap and melt it down into heavy copper scrap and then sell at a profit-per-pound. i would be doing business with scrap yards at first, or anyone who can offer me good prices. thoughts?
    Melting light weight copper your going to have to much loss going up the stack, wont be long before the EPA is chomping onto your butt. if your hell bent on trying this your best bet would be the copper cell.

    Compress your light copper into cubes or sheets, pickle the cubes in acid to clean them up you can not have any oxides or shellack on the wire then insert these into a titanium basket, this would be your anode then plate your copper onto a stainless steel sheet this would be your cathode.

    The electroplated copper peels off the stainless sheet, presto you have 4 nines copper.

    From there you can feed the copper through rolls to form nice clean uniform sheet which can now be sized or cut into bar stock. Any waste goes back into your copper cell.

    Save yourself come grief forget this idea your pockets are not deep enough to pursue this project.

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    pcscrapper's Avatar
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    here is My Copper,

    Umm, its heavy.. 9lbs and scrap yard will not take it, only place that may take it is a coin store.


    Please Add Us On FaceBook, PC SCRAPPER Sioux Falls SD
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    Mechanic688's Avatar
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    You may have to cut it in half so they can see that there's nothing inside it, like a Twinkie.

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  17. #14
    pcscrapper's Avatar
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    No comment about My Copper Bar, and btw, that copper bar is over 50 years old from TRI Mountain, Michigan, My Grandfather poured it, its a beauty..

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    Id buy it i love the old hand poured copper and silver bars.
    I buy and sell all types of scrap and escrap. I buy specialty and hard to sell escrap. I buy resale items. PM me or contact me at jghilino@hotmail.com
    I AM ACTIVELY BUYING ESCRAP OF ALL TYPES. BOARDS, RAM, CPUS AND MUCH MORE

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    Bump

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    Quote Originally Posted by ChildhoodDream View Post
    Bump
    I'll see that and raise ya another two bumps.

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