easy way to melt metal...?

Question

ok i need to melt down pennies for the copper and nickel they contain since its weight is more valuable than 1 cent, and cheap effieceint ideas?

Answer 1

Forget about it. The "cost" to make a penny is now about 1.2 cents or so. The cost of a penny includes the cost of both the copper (2.5%) and zinc core (97.5%) as well as the tooling and labor to produce them. The "value" of the penny is still 1 cent. The total recycled value is probably only worth about 0.3 cents at most. Your cost to melt down the penny is at best 0.4 cents. So, doing the math, you gets 100 pennies $1.00. It cost you another 40 cents in processing gas/energy to melt them all down into copper and zinc, loosing zinc in the process. Assuming you find someone to purchase the zinc locally and ride a bike there (i.e. no transportation costs), the recycler might pay you 30 cents. So you paid $1.40 to get 30 cents back in the process. That's now how I'd recommend to keep a profit.

Want the details? Here goes....

Since copper cladding constitutes less than 3% of the total chemical composition, the value of the penny as scrap is probably only about 0.03 cents, less than the value of the penny itself.

Scrap copper is only selling for about $1-$3 per pound based on how 'clean' it would be. By the time you heated copper to its melting point roughly 1900 degrees Farienheit, you will have consumed enough energy to offset any profits.

Also, by the time you reach this temperature, you will be burning off (boiling) the zinc, which is the rest of the coin. Zinc melts at roughly 800 Farienheit, but will boil at roughly 1700 Farienheit. Clean zinc scrap is only selling for $1 per pound or less. Since zinc is not a widely recycled metal, you might have some explaining where it came from. Copper scrap is widely recycled and readily available, so no one will want to know.

If you want quick cash I'd advise against this as a fools proposition. MAPP gas, propane, even natural gas will have enough energy to melt these metals with the right flame. Since none of these are exactly cheap, attempting to recycle pennies as scrap is not cheap either. Not to mention the time to process them, transport them to the recycler (are you paying for gasoline?), a container to melt them in, and so forth.

Oh, one final thought. You won't want to be inhaling the zinc fumes directly. Or you might need to include long-term medical expenses.

For the chemical method, you'd have to purchase or obtain the chemicals. Also, I have to wonder if the chemical analysis produces elemental copper and zinc or oxides of each? There is no value in copper oxide. Hydrochloric acid will remove the zinc, but you won't be able to recycle it either! Then you have safety issues too.

Answer 2

Pennies are actually made mostly of zinc. Only a thin layer on the outside is made from copper.
Problem is, the scrap zinc in a penny is worth about 0.9 cents; you'll be making a loss just going for the zinc. It's tough to get and melt the thin layer of copper, and would probably not be worth the effort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cent_(U.S._coin)

You can easily melt zinc pennies with a regular propane torch. But because the copper melts at a different temperature than the zinc, what you'll get when you melt it is like a little copper sack of melted zinc. Just poke it with something metal, and the copper will break, letting out the zinc.

You can also buy stuff called "MAPP" gas, which burns somewhat hotter than propane.

If you find pennies made before 1982, those are actually made of all copper. You'll probably want a welding torch or something that can reach similar temperatures for melting that.
Here's a good website you should visit; it's all about metal melting and casting, using stuff you have at home or can get at a hardware store:
http://backyardmetalcasting.com/

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
easy way to melt metal...?
ok i need to melt down pennies for the copper and nickel they contain since its weight is more valuable than 1 cent, and cheap effieceint ideas?

Answer 4

You simply need to some sort of torch. You can buy a propane one at the hardware store or use your stove. I've melted pennies on my stove before. However, the cost of the fuel vastly outweighs the value of the metal.

Another idea is to use solar methods, but you'd need a huuuge array of expensive parabolic mirrors and you'd still be in the hole.

Answer 5

Get a non conductive crucible from a scientific supply warehouse and some refractory bricks and build a little heating chamber in your microwave over. Yes, it will work! Not for long, though, you'll burn out your microwave, long before you recoup the cost in pennies, But don't say I didn't warn you.

Answer 6

I think you mean copper and zinc, and yes the pre-1982 pennies do have a higher melt value than face value.

Answer 7

I assume you're not into this on a commercial scale, so an Oxy-Acetylene torch should do. What will you use as a melting pot?

Answer 8

we had an experiment in chemistry whose purpose was to seperate the nickel and copper and to waigh it. but i don't remember the whole experiment. u can use chemical reactions instead of melting it. but doing the experiment and preparing its stuff cost more the penny itself!!

Answer 9

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just clamp it and heat it up with a blow torch. it will take a LOT more than glowing red heat to deform its shape.

Answer 10

Probably not profitable..
Even with free labor..
and definitely illegal..