I like to save up aluminum soda cans and turn them in for scrap. Well, the only problem is the space they take up. Having bags and bags of cans in my garage isn't good. So, since I have a fire pit in my back yard, I've come up with the idea of melting the cans in a cast iron pan and turning them into ingots. My only question is, will the melted aluminum stick to the cast iron? Also, I would want to cool the ingots quick, so I thought about dipping the pan full of melted aluminum into some water. Will constantly heating and cooling the cast iron pan cause is to be brittle? If so, about how many times do you suppose I could do this until I would need a new pan?
Question about cast iron...
- Thread starter SuperKid
- Start date
HoosierBuddy
Well-known member
SuperKid said:
Yes the melted aluminum will stick to the cast iron. You'd have to spray the cast iron with a refactory parting agent to keep that from happening.
Molten aluminum will be about 1100 degrees F. Sticking that into water will cause a steam explosion. When I worked at an aluminum foundry, I once saw a scrap aluminum transmission case get blown all the way through a 40' tall metal roof and into the parking lot by the same sort of explosion. Making the cast iron brittle will be the least of your worries.
If you decide to go ahead with this...please have someone get it on video for you. It might be worth $10,000.
Phil
URY914
Well-known member
It will take a lot of cans to pay for the fuel to melt down the cans. Seems to me your chasing your tail.
astroracer
Well-known member
Get yourself one of these... Cheap, and it won't explode in your face...
Look here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91249
Mark
Look here:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=91249
Mark
So, what you guys are saying is... go for it? 
OK, maybe it's not the best idea in the world. I've melted soda cans in a fire before, but I've never melted them in anything to capture the aluminum. So, I was wondering if I could just melt them in a pan. But, I guess not. astroracer, not to stomp on (pun intended) your idea, but that has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever seen. I know how to raise and lower my foot, I don't need a tool to help me. lol. Thanks for the suggestion though.
OK, maybe it's not the best idea in the world. I've melted soda cans in a fire before, but I've never melted them in anything to capture the aluminum. So, I was wondering if I could just melt them in a pan. But, I guess not. astroracer, not to stomp on (pun intended) your idea, but that has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever seen. I know how to raise and lower my foot, I don't need a tool to help me. lol. Thanks for the suggestion though.mike944
Well-known member
Are you sure the scrap metal dealer will take them all melted down into a bar? Scrap metal remelters, melt in a controlled environment, your plan may introduce large amounts of contaminants, making the aluminum useless.
________
Honda VTX1800R
________
Honda VTX1800R
Last edited:
TACRick
Member
mike944 said:
They smelt it all down anyway, and the stuff they don't want floats to the top as slag. But I could see the scrap metal dealer questioning the purity of what you are offering because they KNOW what cans are, but don't know what your ingot is made of.
The idea behind astroracer's gadget is to keep the can from turning your ankle and sliding off to the side. It's dog-dirt simple to make something to so the same job from stuff laying around the garage. It just helps you to not have to chase half-mashed cans around under the cars or workbench.
I'd stay away from trying to quench the molten aluminum. Live steam + melted aluminum = a bad medical disaster waiting to happen.
demographic
Well-known member
THIS page might be of some use to you.
Looks like his molds are rusty steel angle iron and I think his furnace runs on propane.
From what I gather the slightly rusty part helps with the non stick.
More details on the main site, Backyard Metal Casting.com
Can't say I've gone through the whole site reading every little detail but he seems to know his stuff.
Looks like his molds are rusty steel angle iron and I think his furnace runs on propane.
From what I gather the slightly rusty part helps with the non stick.
More details on the main site, Backyard Metal Casting.com
Can't say I've gone through the whole site reading every little detail but he seems to know his stuff.
Daniel Dudley
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2009
- Messages
- 3,546
Crush em. Bag em.
ratdoggy
Well-known member
We buy cans at work, they are getting 60 cents a pound right now. Why waste your time? Just crush them and put them in a garbage can. I can imagine the smoke the paint on the cans might give off and all the hassle too.
ratdoggy
Well-known member
bgott
Well-known member
I haven't screwed around with scrap in a long time. The last time I sold any, cast brought substantually less money than extrusions. You might want to check and see what the price difference is, not only will you be paying for fuel, you might get half for your metal.
I'd suggest just crushing the cans flat as possible. If you can locate some plastic 55 gallon drums they make nice recycling containers. You don't have to worry about bags ripping, or fluids leaking on the floor. You can also stack them.
A friend of mine got really creative. He built a steel box with an open top. He placed the steel box under his hydraulic press with a modified ram. He took his cans and pressed them into the steel box and created a compressed cube of cans. They stored easily and were well received by the scrap yard. I think each cube weighed about 10lbs.
jimkinney
Well-known member
Some places won't take them if they are crushed, they can't verify whether you filled them with sand before crushing them.
When I was a teen, we used an axle from a 64 Impala to crush cans. Set the cans up all over the driveway, hold the axle vertical (flange down) and drop it from about a foot high, pick it up and repeat on the next can. You get into a rhythm and can crush a bag full in a few minutes.
Now dad has a pneumatic crusher that he built with a surplus air cylinder. The grandkids love to go to grandpa's.
When I was a teen, we used an axle from a 64 Impala to crush cans. Set the cans up all over the driveway, hold the axle vertical (flange down) and drop it from about a foot high, pick it up and repeat on the next can. You get into a rhythm and can crush a bag full in a few minutes.
Now dad has a pneumatic crusher that he built with a surplus air cylinder. The grandkids love to go to grandpa's.
rsanter
Well-known member
dont do it
scrap aluminum is worth less than the recycle value of the cans.
then you will be spending time and money to lower the value of what your turning in
go get a old trash compactor. throw the cans in and it will squish a bunch at a time
bob
scrap aluminum is worth less than the recycle value of the cans.
then you will be spending time and money to lower the value of what your turning in
go get a old trash compactor. throw the cans in and it will squish a bunch at a time
bob
ratdoggy
Well-known member
We take them crushed. But we have a good idea of how much a bag weighs. If I pick up a bag and it feels heavy it will always warrant a second look. Cans do bring a higher price than siding or cast tho.
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Besides the energy costs for melting them down, you need to figure your own time and labor - for all that effort you could probably make more money working at McDonalds. Just crush them and bag them (and I wouldn't even bother with buying some contraption to crush them, just toss them out on the garage floor and stomp.)
chief ben
Well-known member
Super Kid ::: After reading your Question about what you wanted to do with the can's I though you were kidding, Then I looked over at your Avatar,
And my Question was answered.
If you decide to do this, Dont do it wile your Drinking
And my Question was answered.
If you decide to do this, Dont do it wile your Drinking
Places in my neck of the woods usually pay .05 - .10 more per pound when they are crushed.
Now there's a money making opportunity. Cans bring .40/pound here. Truck them to California and triple your money.
kenfath
Well-known member
Now there's a money making opportunity. Cans bring .40/pound here. Truck them to California and triple your money.
They actually check for the CRV (California Redemption Value) endorsement when you turn cans in. The can tops are stamped CRV.
I think Seinfeld had an episode where they trucked the cans to Michigan.
Last Wednesday the CRV cans were being bought for a $2.08/lb locally.
Kentuckian
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2009
- Messages
- 96
Like someone else said, crush 'em. I am able to put 200 crushed cans in a plastic garbage bag. They take up a lot less room crushed.
Dark Horse
Well-known member
Melting AL cans you will lose at a minimum of 50% of the AL to oxidation, unless you can melt in a 02 free environment. The cans are too thin to melt in open air. Lots of home casters experiment with cans when they start melting, but the volume of dross to usable metal quickly steers them to melting previously cast scrap AL.
No wonder that state is broke.