brass re-cycling !! - Printable Version

brass re-cycling !! - Printable Version

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brass re-cycling !! - the artfull-codger - 04-23-2013

[attachment=5085]
A work mate asked me if I would like all his Dads brass door fittings as he was changing them,not one to miss the oportunity for free ''pot fodder'' I naturally accepted,weeks later he asked if I would make a pattern up & cast him a house number, using some of the aforementioned fittings, he's a good mate so I obliged,this is them melting in one of my furnaces, picture of casting to follow.

RE: brass re-cycling !! - f350ca - 04-23-2013

I have a surplus of clean bronze cuttings, about 70 pounds, can they be melted down to make ingots, or is there too much surface area to oxidize? Ended up with a propane fired furnace that I need to get using.

RE: brass re-cycling !! - the artfull-codger - 04-24-2013

(04-23-2013, 07:49 PM)f350ca Wrote: I have a surplus of clean bronze cuttings, about 70 pounds, can they be melted down to make ingots, or is there too much surface area to oxidize? Ended up with a propane fired furnace that I need to get using.

Greg
I'm not an expert but I only melt swarf down usually after I've got a melted pool in the crucible so as it doesn't oxidise as you say, I only make alloy ingots as it doesn't seem to harm the metal, keeping pistons & crankcases for the important jobs & the extruded stuff/greenhouses & the like for decorative jobs that don't matter so much & never make brass ingots & don't re-melt brass sprues I just use them to turn up as brass bar as it's not the easiest metal to cast 'cos if you're not carefull you can boil the zinc out of it[dirty metal] as for bronze it's a lot easier than brass but I usually just melt as required & don't bother ingoting it. Hope this helps
Graham.

RE: brass re-cycling !! - f350ca - 04-24-2013

Thanks Graham. Im sure its going to be a hard learning curve. Hope to get an addition / roof with no walls built across the back of the shop this summer to store and use the furnace. I also have some big, about 40 pound bronze bushings out of a seismic vibrator. Would I be best to cut them up, melt and then add some of the swarf on each pour?

RE: brass re-cycling !! - the artfull-codger - 04-24-2013

(04-24-2013, 01:33 PM)f350ca Wrote: Thanks Graham. Im sure its going to be a hard learning curve. Hope to get an addition / roof with no walls built across the back of the shop this summer to store and use the furnace. I also have some big, about 40 pound bronze bushings out of a seismic vibrator. Would I be best to cut them up, melt and then add some of the swarf on each pour?

Greg, you lucky devil all that bronze!! yes that's what I would do, also if my scrap's too big for the crucible & I'm not able to cut it up I put it in the furnace [without a crucible in] till it's a dull red then you can take it out & tap it with a hammer & it cracks into bits like a plantpot. Btw most people have gas or oil furnaces,but I built my first one with my Dad 40 odd yrs ago running on coke & as we have a aga rayburn cooker we've allways got bunkers full of coke so I've never changed to gas. I highly recommend myfordboy on youtube, he really knows his stuff & also ''our very own'' John[doubleboost] he knows his stuff too,'cos there's a lot of tossers out there melting ally in shorts & sandals & pouring it into tart tins & rejoycing at their expertise & people commenting ''how clever they are'' .
Graham.

RE: brass re-cycling !! - doubleboost - 04-24-2013

I find the best way with swarf is to compress it in to a solid block
Then drop it in to molten metal (pre heat first)
To be honest unless you have lots it is not worth the effort
Like Graham I would also recommend "Myford Boy" series of video
Mine are not bad so I have been told Smiley-dancenana

John

RE: brass re-cycling !! - f350ca - 04-24-2013

John, was going to take this to the scrap yard but if I can remelt it, it would be worth more to me, 60 or 70 pounds, couldn't find the scale in the shop tonight to check.

[Image: IMG_0576.jpg]

Graham, I like the idea of breaking these if thats possible, would be a bear to saw up small enough for the crucible. Again think these were 60 pounds each, ended up with four sets. The mechanic gave them to me after I did him a couple of favours. Four hydraulic rams rode in these to press down on the plate of a seismic vibrator.

[Image: IMG_0577.jpg]

RE: brass re-cycling !! - the artfull-codger - 04-25-2013

Greg
bl**dy hell they are whoppers!! if you can get 'em into the furnace & heat to dull red they'll break no problem, if you can't ----well hope you're good with a hacksaw!!!! he he
Graham.

RE: brass re-cycling !! - doubleboost - 04-25-2013

Plenty bronze to go at there
Thin slitting disc and angle grinder works well for me
I would just cash the swarf in & use the big bits Drool

John

RE: brass re-cycling !! - the artfull-codger - 04-26-2013

(04-25-2013, 02:38 PM)doubleboost Wrote: Plenty bronze to go at there
Thin slitting disc and angle grinder works well for me
I would just cash the swarf in & use the big bits
John

That sounds like a better idea John,those thin cutting disks are gr8,I've just cut up an oxygen cylinder up with one [about 6" in dia] they were throwing it out from the labs & of course it was ''offered to the resident skiprat'' [moi] & it only used about 1/3 of the disk to cut it through.
Graham.