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Where do I find scrap tin?

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    Puxido started this thread.
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    Where do I find scrap tin?

    I've been looking for a source for various reasons, what places would I look for scrap tin? And what items are commonly made of tin that can be used? (And on a side note, are modern cans for soup and such still made of tin, or aluminum?)



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    1956's Avatar
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    Some cans are tin put a magnet on them if it sticks it's a tin can. Other sources of tin are Auto body shops, any retail display rack, and most appliances.

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    I believe he's looking for the element tin, not tin grade steel.

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    Puxido started this thread.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ryanw View Post
    I believe he's looking for the element tin, not tin grade steel.
    I'm not sure now that I think about it, I was thinking about making bronze and I know its a mixture of tin and copper. Which do you use, elemental tin or in grade steel?
    Last edited by Puxido; 08-05-2014 at 06:25 PM.

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    Thinner gauge steel used in things like appliances, electronics, car bodies, etc is referred to as tin for some reason. It's not tin though.

    I would look at thrift stores and buy some pewter items...probably the easiest source for you, but it's not pure tin. Also, make sure it's not aluminum. Real pewter should be soft and easily deformed by hand.

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    Puxido started this thread.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ryanw View Post
    Thinner gauge steel used in things like appliances, electronics, car bodies, etc is referred to as tin for some reason. It's not tin though.

    I would look at thrift stores and buy some pewter items...probably the easiest source for you, but it's not pure tin. Also, make sure it's not aluminum. Real pewter should be soft and easily deformed by hand.
    What about cans? Are they real tin or tin-grade steel?

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    AS Ryan has stated tin and tin are two very different things. I believe that tin(the real stuff) was used to make many items that were replaced later with thin steel. This would explain why thin steel is commonly referred to as "tin". Best of luck Mike
    "Profit begins when you buy NOT when you sell." {quote passed down to me from a wise man}

    Now go beat the copper out of something, Miked

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    Cans are made of steel not tin. tin is rare is very expensive. even scrap tin can be as much as 45.00 per lbs. Try to google "tin" or "where to find tin"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Puxido View Post
    I'm not sure now that I think about it, I was thinking about making bronze and I know its a mixture of tin and copper. Which do you use, elemental tin or in grade steel?
    You start doing that and the neighbors might report a "working meth lab" then someone will investigate, to me that's just inviting trouble esp. if you don't have all the safety equip., breathing, etc.
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
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    My name has tin in it but please don't take and scrap it.
    Last edited by Tincankeith; 08-06-2014 at 10:54 AM.

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    solder has tin in it also pewter.

    Making bronze looks nothing like making meth. there is no lab glass or chemicals involved with melting metals together.

    Eric
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    http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...-cap-more.html

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    You need elemental tin (Sn) to make bronze. Tin cans have a very thin layer of Sn plated to the surface of light gauge steel, giving the steel an non reactive layer that stops the food going bad from surface contact with the steel.

    It is possible to recover the Sn from tin cans but it takes a massive amount to make it economical to recover, and some serious equipment to do it.

    Pewter does have a good quantity of Sn in it, but also lots of Antimony (Sb), Bismuth (Bi) and other alloying ingredients, which will throw your bronze recipe right out, making it almost impossible to resell as a usable bronze. And at the alloying temperatures, Antimony vapours are as bad, if not worse than Lead (Pb) fumes. I have over 30Kg of pewter ingots now and I will be recovering the Sn from it through the use of some dangerous chemistry, but for me I need the elemental Sb also which makes it worth the money, risk, and effort.

    There are no sources of pure scrap Sn that I have found in the last couple of years research (apart from roofing in the UK). I need 15Kg of pure Sn for a bronze project I am collecting 600Kg of copper for (a Korean recipe from 2500BC).

    One of the waste by-products of precious metal recovery is elemental Sn, which is where I will be getting part of mine from. Normally a headache for those recovering gold and silver, but for me, I get my Sn, and my by-products are gold and silver, A win/win situation.

    You really cant just mix random amounts of copper and tin to produce a sale-able bronze, but it will be good enough if you intend on casting your own bronze artwork.
    Making bronze, is a complicated thing to do and needs some serious equipment and skill. Add a casting temperature of around 1100 degrees C (1900 F), and mistakes will be life long.
    If it wasn't for the laws of physics, I would be unstoppable.


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