$1000 in copper I can't get to! Help!!

Hello! First time member, first post. I need help!

I have this massive slab of copper. The issue is its in between two 1/2 inch sheets of steel. This big slab came from a industrial plant I frequently am allowed to search for thrown away metals. What happened was they put 2 inches of copper in between two 1/2 inch plates of steel. They than hardened it by putting it in some chamber and had an explosion to fuse the two metals together. There has to be about 500 pounds of copper in this bad boy. The steel is just so hard to grind away. The copper is also a lot harder than it normally is.

I'm confused on what to do, and have no more ideas. I have 1000 bucks getting grown over by weeds in my yard. I need advice!

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Originally Posted by trevormagee

Hello! First time member, first post. I need help!

I have this massive slab of copper. The issue is its in between two 1/2 inch sheets of steel. This big slab came from a industrial plant I frequently am allowed to search for thrown away metals. What happened was they put 2 inches of copper in between two 1/2 inch plates of steel. They than hardened it by putting it in some chamber and had an explosion to fuse the two metals together. There has to be about 500 pounds of copper in this bad boy. The steel is just so hard to grind away. The copper is also a lot harder than it normally is.

I'm confused on what to do, and have no more ideas. I have 1000 bucks getting grown over by weeds in my yard. I need advice!

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Sell as is? What is dirty copper going for by you?

post a photo of that! but selling as is will most likely be your best bet if it has been "welded"

Come back to it in ten years when the steel has rusted off and the price of copper has doubled. ;)

But as the others said: what is it worth as is?
Do the numbers: how much do you stand to gain by getting it clean?

If it is substantial, then it is worth giving it some thought...
I wonder if you drill down through the steel and pour acid in the holes, would there be a galvanic action that would encourage corrosion at the boundary between the metals? This should begin to create a layer of rust between the metals and maybe allow the acid to creep in by capillary action.

Possibly a silly idea, but it is late over this side.

drop it from an airplane and see what happens?

It would help if we knew where you're located. To just come on here and say I've got this huge slab of copper; what do I do, is ridiculous. Why should anybody offer any information?.

Here's a couple of random thoughts:

1. Phone around to the scrappies. See if anyone will offer you a half decent price on it just as it is.

So if you find they wanna lowball you and you want to try getting your copper outta this ice cream sandwich, then I would try the following

2. Is the steel/copper soft enough to cut with one of those portable metal-cutting bandsaws? If so, you could consider cutting off a strip as wide as the throat depth of your bandsaw. Once you have the strip, turn it 90 degrees and saw off the two steel faces. Lots of cutting. You could do the second cuts with a stationary bandsaw, which might be a bit faster.

I would try this with a little corner first to get a little sample of the copper cut loose. Take it to a yard with an XRF gun and make sure it is good copper and not some exotic alloy that they won't give you much for. On the other hand, if someone was going through the expense of explosive laminating a 2" copper slab between 1/2" plate it could be a very valuable alloy!!

Sounds real interesting. Wonder what it was originally used for? Keep us posted with what you do with it!!

Jon.

I'm not a chemist or anything so take this with a grain of salt, but what about this?
GCSE Chemistry Electrolysis Revision - Using Electrolysis | S-cool, the revision website

I don't think you could break the bond between the two metals with an electric current--you can't get an electrolyte into the mix since they are right together.

The electrochemical reactions you have referenced all take place in the presence of a liquid electrolyte between the two metals.

Jon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sawmilleng

I don't think you could break the bond between the two metals with an electric current--you can't get an electrolyte into the mix since they are right together.

The electrochemical reactions you have referenced all take place in the presence of a liquid electrolyte between the two metals.

Jon.

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I don't really know that much about this stuff so maybe this wouldn't work, but if I was in the original poster's position this is what I would do. I would use the whole hunk of metal as the anode. I read somewhere that things can't easily be electroplated with iron because it rusts too easy so hopefully what you would get at the cathode would be pure copper. Basically I'm guessing that this process would produce rust and copper. Hopefully a lot faster then it would happen naturally.

Edit: I've been doing some reading and things are more complicated then I thought they were.
http://www.finishing.com/4000-4199/4169.shtml
I think I would try it with a small copper steal anode first to see if it works, then if it does try it with the whole thing. Also, I would be careful because chemicals can be dangerous.

Explosive welding, kind of cool:

Explosion welding - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyway even if you remove the steel the surface of the copper is going to look crappy because of the welding involved. Are you sure it is just normal steel and not some kind of exotic mix (is it rusting currently)? Chemical removal will be messy (unless you have access to large amounts of warm seawater and lots of time on your hands to let it rust away).

Need access to a big milling machine and a large facemill, turn the steel into chips and scrap them separately.... Provided it's not a hard alloy like Abrasion Resistant plate, it should go fairly quick.

Copper & steel have different expasion rates. They may come apart if they are heated up. Sorta like my copper bottom saucepans do when they get too hot. (red hot)

I have used a cutting torch oxygen and acetylene or propane on welder transformers and other things. Just cut the steel welds the copper may melt a little. I bet the heat will cause the steel to expand likely to brake the bond with the copper. then get in there with a chisel or hatchet and hammer, just don't breath the fumes from the copper. without a photo that's all I have to say.

could we have a picture of this mighty slab of copper?
I am just wondering if instead of scrapping it find a buyer for a different use may be cnc place could buy it for signage perhaps hard to say without a photo....but scrapping isn't your only option here

While all of your suggestions are very creative and may be helpful, I am a straightforward and to the point kind of guy. I would take it to the yard and see what they would buy it for, sell the doggone thing and move on. In all the time spent trying to get this thing apart you could generate a lot more scrap to sell.

You can know the weight of the copper and the steel with some simple calculations. If I remember correctly calculate in inches width x length x height x .383 for the copper. for steel same calculations except X.289 This is the weight of one square inch x the total square inches. For rounds calculate Pie or 3.141 x half diameter or rad then X length. Then x .289 or .383 depending on material. I forgot the square inch weight for aluminum and I have never needed to know lead. These values are a bit over the actual value less then 1 percent. I use them for calculating weights when lifting with cranes with straps and or chains and there easy to remember then the long 6 or 7 digit actual number. These calculations are handy when estimating what some loads will pay.
How I remember. 289 is an old Chevrolet motor. 383 is an old Mopar motor. I have owned both long ago.

I recently learned that cow urine is extremely corrosive to steel. Poke some holes in the steel till you hit copper, pour the piss, let sit, repeat for a few years, flip it over, rinse and repeat.

if you could possibly build a hot enough fire you may be able to heat it and get it to seperate by hitting it with a hammer and chissel.....if that didnt work id try heating it then dowsing it with water, id try that a couple times before id give up

The image of someone going around an gathering cow pee for a few years is highly amusing.

"Hey, is that your cow?"
"Yes"
"mind if I grab a bucket of it's pee?"
"....uh..ok..."

One time poster, never been back...You'd think he'd return an update or tell us if any of the ideas worked..

Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my advancing years.

I'm willing to gather all the sea water anyone needs for the right price. ;)

Sirscrapalot - Off to bottle up some ocean water.