How to melt aluminum yourself in a flower pot or a regular bucket

How to replace flux for soldering aluminum?

How to replace soldering flux

• Aspirin. ...
• Ammonia, as well as citric or acetic acid, can also be used as a replacement for fluxes, and their concentration does not require additional dilution with water.

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Smelting aluminum from cans

An aluminum can is a cylinder made of a thin metal sheet, which is held together by stamping, and at the base it has rigid seals - the lower one in the form of a concave rim and the upper one - smooth with an “opener”. The structure of the metal is homogeneous with a slight admixture of tin and a thin layer of ocher paint on the surface - well, you need something to paint logos with. But we don’t pay attention to the paint - its impurities will burn off during remelting.

What we need to get started:

• A whole mountain of aluminum cans. It can be collected, or accumulated after your own libations.
• Hammer for “flattening” cans.

But then everything depends on the smelting method: using a hearth or a muffle furnace.

Source masterclub.online

Next, I will analyze both methods with specific advantages.

With the help of the hearth

Well, here the method is the most primitive. Press down the cans - make “neat” nickels out of them and pour them into a heat-resistant container. In particular, you can use a simple cast iron pan in the absence of anything else.

Important! Based on personal observation, I recommend using a saucepan with thick walls; these were produced back in the USSR, but many still have them. If not, then order a refractory tungsten container on the Internet, for example.

Under the metal saucepan, you need to make a stable stand on a fireproof surface - an asbestos board will do. It is not advisable to use coal or other flammable substances as fuel. We need a temperature of about 500 degrees Celsius. In general, aluminum melts at 660 degrees, give or take. But since the jar consists of a thin sheet and has impurities, 500 degrees is enough. Several gas cylinders with piezo ignition can be used as a “flame”. Then the cast iron, which will heat up to the desired temperature, and the fireplace will do their job.

The space between the flame and the pan should be closed as much as possible from atmospheric air. It’s better to make the entire bottom in the form of an asbestos cube.

After an hour or a little more, the aluminum will begin to flow, turning into a melt. The paint in it will burn. Afterwards it is poured from the container into a mold - they can be made from plaster.

Source ytimg.com

Using a muffle furnace

Structurally, it is a sealed housing consisting of heat-resistant metal with high thermal conductivity; the metal itself is coated with fireproof material - most often ceramics, asbestos or a composite. In the lower part of the cylindrical body there is a crucible - a cavity into which the flame of a gas burner is supplied, and above, through the wall there is a reservoir for storing metal, in our case these are aluminum cans. The muffle furnace can be loaded to capacity.

In half an hour, the guaranteed jars will melt. For convenience, a special tap is made in the body of the muffle furnace, through which you can safely drain the melt into the mold.

There are many more options for smelting aluminum from “beer cans”, including a fire pit and a smelting pit in the ground, but all of them are obsolete. What else needs to be discussed is safety precautions, since all work is carried out in high temperatures.

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Anyone who has ever seen the wounds molten metal leaves behind will never neglect the following rules:

• All manipulations are performed using protective equipment - gloves and glasses. Moreover, gloves should under no circumstances be made of polymer. It is best to use "gauges" in which welders work.
• It is advisable to provide fire protection measures, at least placing a bucket of sand nearby. By the way, it is strictly forbidden to extinguish a fire from molten metal with water. If you pour water into the melt, instantaneous evaporation of water will occur, and the metal will gather into “liquid balls” and splash, getting on the skin and around.
• It is better to perform all activities outdoors.

Source eco-kotly.ru

Benefits of Aluminum Recycling

In addition to cans, the plant may be interested in recycling aluminum profiles or other used and discarded products made from this metal. The technology is similar, but allows you to expand the raw material base. An additional effect is environmental friendliness and energy saving.

Only cans as recyclable materials make it possible to annually save three-quarters of the capacity of the Bratsk hydroelectric power station, which is generated within 365 days.

Other types of income are available for small businesses:

1. Installation of a machine for the return and recycling of aluminum cans;
2. Organized collection and delivery to processing plants.

In the first case, activities are organized according to the principle of vending machines. Support, including financial support, can be obtained from the state budget as part of business assistance. The cost of one such device is 250-300 tr. and more.

In the second case, the costs are lower; you need to rent space for a reception point and hire one or two employees.
But you need to start by concluding an agreement with a recycling plant that will take the collected waste from aluminum cans. How much can you earn from beer cans? I saved beer cans for a whole year and sold them for metal!

How to make a casting mold

Creating a simple solder material does not require making a special mold. You can pour metal onto a steel sheet.

The following materials are used to create the form:

• Gypsum.
• Sand.
• Clay.
• Coal ash.
• Liquid glass.

The alloy is poured into the mold in different ways:

1. Open.
2. Closed.

The open method is simple. The molten metal is poured into a regular container, tin can, cup, etc. When the substance solidifies, the blank is removed from the container. If the shape of the metal object is not important, you can leave the aluminum on a durable surface.

Complex casting requires the product to comply with the specified parameters; for this, molding elements are used. Silica is a common substance that is often used in open pour applications. The product consists of two containers into which earth is poured and compacted. The silica elements are compressed and a casting pattern is placed between them. This way you can get an accurate print of the required part. The model is removed and hot aluminum is placed into the mold. For the closed casting method, river sand mixed with liquid glass is used.

Plaster can be used for one-time casting. Models are made from paraffin or foam plastic. The use of such materials requires working in an open space with good air access. The foam is not removed from solid plaster, it is filled with hot aluminum. The combustion products of this substance are harmful to health.

What heat source should I use?

For remelting aluminum at home, the following are used:

• A muffle furnace that you can make yourself. This is an effective method for quickly melting aluminum.
• A blowtorch can melt aluminum in small quantities.
• Sometimes a gas cutter is used.

The hearth is built from bricks, the frame is made from a metal container. A hole is drilled on the side to supply oxygen. A vacuum cleaner, hair dryer or other device that pumps air is connected to the metal tube. After lighting the fire, the crucible is placed in the hearth.

To achieve better heat treatment, coals are also laid out on the sides. To avoid heat loss, you can build a lid and leave holes for smoke to escape. If the metal needs to be melted once, there is no need to equip a furnace. A simple gas stove will help heat aluminum to the desired temperature. Small pieces of metal melt in about half an hour.

Typically a tin can is used as a crucible. To achieve uniform temperature distribution, a container with aluminum is placed in another jar so that the gap between the walls is 1 cm. To ensure access to the flame, you need to make several holes in a large jar, 3-4 cm in diameter. It is not necessary to remove the divider on the burner. This way you can achieve uniform heating of the metal can. Cover the large tin with a lid to prevent heat from escaping.

Melting aluminum in a flower pot

The temperature at which aluminum begins to melt is about +660 degrees. Of course, an ordinary gas or electric stove does not provide such heating, but a self-made mini-smelter will cope with the task successfully.

Furnace for melting aluminum from a flower pot

In addition, you can slightly reduce the melting point when using ready-made powdered aluminum. But this is a rather expensive product, and its home use is not profitable.

Raw materials and accessories

To work, you need to prepare aluminum scrap - it can be wire cut into pieces, any metal products or specially purchased aluminum ingots.

When melting aluminum you will need:

• gas-burner;
• clay flower pot with tray;
• tin can;
• 3-4 bricks;
• drill with drills;
• screwdriver;
• steel mold for metal casting;
• Dremel with attachments;
• pliers;
• vacuum cleaner;
• marker.

Propane burner GZU-3-23

Can aluminum cans be recycled at home?

For example, home ovens used for barbecue are used as a melting chamber. An aluminum can in it will melt in less than 5 seconds. But such production is unprofitable and cannot compete with factory lines due to increased raw material and labor costs.

By placing cans in a small volume and achieving the required temperature by burning charcoal, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve significant income. Calculation example:

1. 1 kg of aluminum gives 80-100 cans;
2. its cost is up to 100 rubles;
3. within a minute you can process 10-15 cans, but it will take time to pour into molds;
4. Costs for charcoal average from 40 rubles. for 10 minutes of heat.

On average, in these 10 minutes you can get 1 kg of aluminum, which gives a profit of 50-60 rubles. But this does not include the costs of purchasing raw materials, cleaning and cutting them, or staff work, even if this is done by one employee. But processing aluminum on the factory line makes obtaining recyclable materials much cheaper.