[TheForge] reclaiming copper

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

comments below.

On Sat, 1 Jul 2006, James Binnion wrote:

>
> On Jul 1, 2006, at 11:11 AM, terry l. ridder wrote:
>
>> hello;
>> 
>> comments below.
>> 
>> On Sat, 1 Jul 2006, Michael Horgan wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> Perhaps tDan and Jim are attempting to save you from (further) INJURY!
>> 
>> i do not know what their motivation is.
>
> I assume that Dans motivation is the same as mine. To save you from screwing 
> up either your,self or your equipment by using the wrong materials for your 
> project.
>

sorry to disappoint you but i really am a big boy now and generally do
know how to take care of myself.
remember, i have been involved in a 9+yr legal nightmare over a work
accident back on 26 nov 1996.

>
>> 
>> i do find it difficult to believe that a schedule 80 steel pipe crucible
>> is going to catastrophically fail in a single use even two uses.
>
> Your original post said you had 700 lbs of copper cable to deal with this is 
> more than a couple of crucible loads unless you have an industrial size 
> furnace so I don't see how you can characterize it as one or two uses. It 
>

well silly, i can since i have many schedule 80 crucibles.
i actually did count them just for dan and you.
i have 283 3 inch schedule 80 pipe crucibles that have never been used
to anything. ( a junk yard find of many years ago. )

700 * 283 = 2.48 lbs.

so i would be able to process the entire 700 lbs and use each steel
crucible only once. the 2.48 lbs is still within my acceptable risk
zone.

so unless you are saying that even one use is one use too many i do not
see that there is an issue with using the steel crucibles.

>
> will alloy with the crucible which will contaminate the melt, raise the 
> melting temperature of the resulting alloy which will result in greater 
> alloying and more damage to the crucible and eventually failure of the 
> crucible. When will depend on too many variables to even try to make a guess, 
> but it will ruin the metal from iron contamination and ruin the crucible 
> because the alloyed metal will be rather firmly bonded to the wall, think 
> brazing as this is what you will be doing.
>
>> 
>> if i had silicon carbide crucibles small enough to fit the coffee can
>> foundry i would definitely use them. i do not so i am attempting to make
>> do with what i have on hand.
>
> And we were trying to warn you of the pitfalls in your proposed path.
>

some how i just do not believe that to be your only motivation.

>
> James Binnion
> jbin at well.com
>
>

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>