Aluminum Dust and Turnings

I did a search but didn't find anything on aluminum dust, just metal dust in general. I have 3 shopping bags from one clean up (we do it at least 3-4 times a year) of under the 2 saw we use at my work. They have enclosed bottoms so the dust is almost pure, just a little cutting oil and very little bit of wood from the occasional cut.

I know of one yard that will pay .40 for the turnings (didn't ask how small they can be) but is there anything I can do with the dust? We must throw out 100+ lbs of the stuff a year. If I start saving it, does anyone have any tips how I can separate the impurities and maybe even make my own ingots?

A chip pucker is used to remove cutting fluid from the turnings to maximize your profits. I've never dealt with dust so I have no advice on those.

mix it with some iron shavings and water and make hand warmers for the winter time.

You need to be kinda careful with aluminum dust...add iron oxide powder to it and you have a product that will burn very hot...it will melt steel. Google "thermite".

I wouldn't worry much about impurities in it unless there are a lot. I'm guessing here, but you might be able to float wood contamination off by putting the stuff in water. A magnet will pull out the steel.

Melting is a non-starter. For some reason, yards are very reluctant to deal with products melted in a backyard foundry, with the common excuse that there may be "other" things hidden in the ingot, like steel and rocks. And with aluminum powder, you will have huge oxidation problems--most of the metal will turn into aluminum oxide and you will lose it.

Find a yard that will take it as-is.

Jon.

Almost forgot about this thread. I found out my yard buys the stuff for .20/lb. But, if that new section on smelting goes up, I might start hoarding it to make stuff at my dad's place in the fire pit.

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Originally Posted by AdmiralAluminum

Almost forgot about this thread. I found out my yard buys the stuff for .20/lb. But, if that new section on smelting goes up, I might start hoarding it to make stuff at my dad's place in the fire pit.

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I wouldn't even bother trying to smelt aluminum dust. As Sawmilleng stated, most of it will just vaporized and after the burn loss there won't be much of anything left. If your looking for $$ for it, just sell it as is.

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Originally Posted by Mmarro89

I wouldn't even bother trying to smelt aluminum dust. As Sawmilleng stated, most of it will just vaporized and after the burn loss there won't be much of anything left. If your looking for $$ for it, just sell it as is.

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It's not really dust, a lot of it is "turnings" I guess you would call it. And I didn't mean to make ingots, I'm thinking of making little statues and small items out of castings, so I won't really care how pure it is. Plus I get it for free and it's not really that much $$ at .20/lb.

I see Aluminum shavings selling on eBay ... and they are selling for more than scrap value.



Side Note: There might be something special about them that I am missing.