Aluminum Smelter - Project (Phase I)

[Endersmens]

Also, first melt things down into loafs of aluminium to remove contaminants, then use it to cast. It is more work, but should yield better results.

Already planned, I found a nice lemon bar pan that will make nice rounded rectangular ingots.

[Sampa]

Well, I saw a video of how to make your own Aluminum can smelter, and decided I wanted to do it. It will be a bit of a project, and its really cool, so I thought I would log my progress here, that way others can make it their project too. WARNING: Be Careful if attempting this project! Follow all Safety Precautions shown in the video!

For those who want to see the video that inspired me, and also how to do it, here it is:

Well, here are my progress charts:

[TABLE=class: cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_grid, width: 500]

[tr]

[td]Overall Completion[/td]

[td]0%[/td]

[/tr][/table]

[TABLE=class: cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_grid, width: 500]

[TR]

[TD]Acquiring Materials[/TD]

[TD]Phase I[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]6 Gallon Steel Bucket[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Plaster of Paris[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[tr]

[td]Play Sand[/td]

[td]Not Acquired[/td]

[/tr]

[TR]

[TD]Pail[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]1"x 10" Steel Pipe[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]1" PVC adapter[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]1" PVC pipe[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]3" Steel Pipe and End Cap[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]U Bolts x 2[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Charcoal Briquettes[/TD]

[TD]Not Acquired[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[td]Progress[/td]

[td]0%[/td][/tr]

[/TABLE]

Note: Everything listed above can typically be bought at any standard hardware store.

[TABLE=class: cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_grid, width: 500]

[TR]

[TD]Building[/TD]

[TD]Phase II[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Mix Plaster and Sand in Steel Bucket[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Let set with Pail in center[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[tr]

[td]Drill hole for Air Pipe[/td]

[td]Not Finished[/td]

[/tr]

[TR]

[TD]Fit Air Pipe[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Make Lid[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TR]

[td]Progress[/td]

[td]0%[/td][/tr]

[/TABLE]

[TABLE=class: cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_grid, width: 500]

[TR]

[TD]Things to Do With Smelter[/TD]

[TD]Phase III[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Melt 30-40 Cans[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Pour Molten Aluminum into Ingots[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[tr]

[td]Smelt Ingots[/td]

[td]Not Finished[/td]

[/tr]

[TR]

[TD]Use for Custom Aluminum Molds[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Make Solid Aluminum Kerbal[/TD]

[TD]Not Finished[/TD]

[/TR]

[tr][td]Make Solid Aluminum Space Ship[/td]

[td]Not Finished[/td]

[/TR]

[TR]

[td]Progress[/td]

[td]0%[/td][/tr]

[/TABLE]

Hopefully, the project will be completed within a week from now, if all goes well.

Well, with me luck! And Good luck to anyone else trying out this project!

Have a class d fire extinguisher available, just in case.

[lajoswinkler]

Ok, I'm going to buy firebricks and pound them into powder.

What should I use to bind it? The only sodium silicate I could find wasn't even real sodium silicate, it was TSP, a cleaning chemical.

That's weird. "Water glass" is a thing all hardware stores always have. It's for making fireclay dough, which is applied as a binder for firebricks in fireplaces.

Well, then. Hm. Get some slaked lime. It will not bind the mixture very well, so you'll have to be careful, but it will work. Calcium oxide, which is the product of calcium hydroxide calcination, is a refractory material.

Make a dough out of slaked lime, firebrick powder, add some sand. Get bentonite clay. It's sold in the winemaking stores or garden related parts in large stores and is used for wine clearing (sticks to proteins that make the wine hazy).

Let the dominant component be firebrick powder, then bentonite, then sand. Slaked lime is mainly for binding.

BTW you're gonna gave a lousy time trying to make aluminium Kerbals. Aluminium is notoriously difficult for casting. It high surface tension combined with tiny oxide skin layer makes casting small stuff very problematic. You'll probably get a blob.

Have a class d fire extinguisher available, just in case.

No need for that. Class D is for large containers of powdered reactive metals on fire. Very expensive fire extinguishers.

Not only there is zero possibility he could cause a metal fire of such proportion, but he can deal with small metal fires (overheated zinc smouldering in a crucible) just by covering it with a tin can.

Let's not make this endeavour sound like we're dealing with plutonium, shall we?

Edited July 19, 2015 by lajoswinkler

[Dispatcher]

Drats. I was going to recommend that he use a leaded glass shield and waldos.

[lajoswinkler]

You don't need that for plutonium. All you need is a glovebox with argon atmosphere.

Hot cells are for fission products and other extremely radioactive bulk matter.

[Endersmens]

That's weird. "Water glass" is a thing all hardware stores always have. It's for making fireclay dough, which is applied as a binder for firebricks in fireplaces.

Well, then. Hm. Get some slaked lime. It will not bind the mixture very well, so you'll have to be careful, but it will work. Calcium oxide, which is the product of calcium hydroxide calcination, is a refractory material.

Make a dough out of slaked lime, firebrick powder, add some sand. Get bentonite clay. It's sold in the winemaking stores or garden related parts in large stores and is used for wine clearing (sticks to proteins that make the wine hazy).

Let the dominant component be firebrick powder, then bentonite, then sand. Slaked lime is mainly for binding.

BTW you're gonna gave a lousy time trying to make aluminium Kerbals. Aluminium is notoriously difficult for casting. It high surface tension combined with tiny oxide skin layer makes casting small stuff very problematic. You'll probably get a blob.

at Ace Hardware, I asked about water glass and I got a blank stare. I asked about sodium silicate and got another blank stare. I asked about fireclay and I got "we have fire bricks"

I went to Home Depot, asked about water glass, got a blank stare. Asked about sodium silicate and got "our chemically stuff is over here" and online someone said you could use tsp as sodium silicate. Tsp being "tri sodium phosphate"

I asked about fireclay, said they didn't have it. Asked about heat resistant concrete, they said they called quickrite and the didn't even make the stuff.

Also, about the kerbals, I wasn't talking like a 2inch tall kerbal, I meant like at least 4 inches tall. If it doesn't work it doesn't work. But if it does....

Edited July 19, 2015 by Endersmens

[Starwhip]

at Ace Hardware, I asked about water glass and I got a blank stare. I asked about sodium silicate and got another blank stare. I asked about fireclay and I got "we have fire bricks"

I went to Home Depot, asked about water glass, got a blank stare. Asked about sodium silicate and got "our chemically stuff is over here" and online someone said you could use tsp as sodium silicate. Tsp being "tri sodium phosphate"

I asked about fireclay, said they didn't have it. Asked about heat resistant concrete, they said they called quickrite and the didn't even make the stuff.

Also, about the kerbals, I wasn't talking like a 2inch tall kerbal, I meant like at least 4 inches tall. If it doesn't work it doesn't work. But if it does....

You do kind of live in the middle of nowhere.

As for the Kerbal, I think that I might be able to use Blender to create a series of patterns for styrofoam cutouts. If you gave me a thickness I'd put a bunch of planes at that interval and cut out where the Kerbal model intersects.

[Endersmens]

You do kind of live in the middle of nowhere.

As for the Kerbal, I think that I might be able to use Blender to create a series of patterns for styrofoam cutouts. If you gave me a thickness I'd put a bunch of planes at that interval and cut out where the Kerbal model intersects.

I don't know, I was thinking of just carving a kerbal out of foam. Layering foam and rounded things don't work too well. But we could give it a shot.

- - - Updated - - -

What if I made a cube oven with fire brick and fire mortar, and then used more fire mortar to make the inside circular? That way it would be easy to build, easy to work with, and more stable on the ground.

[Kerbart]

If you want to build a smelter, you would be wise to invest in proper heat resistant materials. Your apparatus will last longer and safety will improve.

As a tip: only use aluminium that has been cast before. Cans, extrusion profiles et cetera will be harder to cast and a lot more contaminated. Get some nice cast scrap. Also, first melt things down into loafs of aluminium to remove contaminants, then use it to cast. It is more work, but should yield better results.

Ehm, yeah, isn't that what the video series is telling us?

[Endersmens]

I also had an idea about how to remedy the high surface tension problem. If I made my casts with a universally sized hole in the top for pouring, if I pour enough to fill the hole, and then use a steel bolt and washer that is perfectly sized to the hole and pushed the aluminum down the whole to fill the gaps that the surface tension prevented, would that maybe work for detailed casts?

[Endersmens]

So, I have a blueprint designed for my foundry. Please note that this is a starter foundry, not my permanent one.

Here is my idea for handling the crucible:

Thoughts? The thinnest part of the foundry wall will be 1.25". I cannot make it thicker due to budget, but later I will add another layer of brick to make it 2.5" at the thinnest.

The foundry will be 9" across. I will be cutting 1.25" off of the 9" fire bricks to use on the inside corners. Then, fire mortar will be used to round out the inside chamber. The chamber will be 6.4" across, leaving 1.25" between the crucible and the wall, charcoal will be placed there. The foundry will be 11.5" tall with the lid on. The Foundry will be secured by digging a 1" square, level hole for it, and surrounding the base with enough dirt to make it sturdy (and pass the "strong kick" test)

anything totally wrong here?

Edited July 20, 2015 by Endersmens

[lajoswinkler]

at Ace Hardware, I asked about water glass and I got a blank stare. I asked about sodium silicate and got another blank stare. I asked about fireclay and I got "we have fire bricks"

I went to Home Depot, asked about water glass, got a blank stare. Asked about sodium silicate and got "our chemically stuff is over here" and online someone said you could use tsp as sodium silicate. Tsp being "tri sodium phosphate"

I asked about fireclay, said they didn't have it. Asked about heat resistant concrete, they said they called quickrite and the didn't even make the stuff.

Also, about the kerbals, I wasn't talking like a 2inch tall kerbal, I meant like at least 4 inches tall. If it doesn't work it doesn't work. But if it does....

Wow, some morons in your stores... Water glass is like a hardware store commodity, essential when building chimneys and fireplaces. You can't use sodium phosphate for this.

That will be a pretty awesome statue if you succeed.

I also had an idea about how to remedy the high surface tension problem. If I made my casts with a universally sized hole in the top for pouring, if I pour enough to fill the hole, and then use a steel bolt and washer that is perfectly sized to the hole and pushed the aluminum down the whole to fill the gaps that the surface tension prevented, would that maybe work for detailed casts?

That's called pressure casting (DIY version LOL) and is indeed a thing. Try, but be careful. You don't want squirting molten aluminium in your face.

What you could do is elevate the pouring hole so that excess metal will be the weight pushing the rest.

So, I have a blueprint designed for my foundry. Please note that this is a starter foundry, not my permanent one.

http://i.imgur.com/OQCR1Xv.png

Here is my idea for handling the crucible:

http://i.imgur.com/jrfNCJx.png

Thoughts? The thinnest part of the foundry wall will be 1.25". I cannot make it thicker due to budget, but later I will add another layer of brick to make it 2.5" at the thinnest.

The foundry will be 9" across. I will be cutting 1.25" off of the 9" fire bricks to use on the inside corners. Then, fire mortar will be used to round out the inside chamber. The chamber will be 6.4" across, leaving 1.25" between the crucible and the wall, charcoal will be placed there. The foundry will be 11.5" tall with the lid on. The Foundry will be secured by digging a 1" square, level hole for it, and surrounding the base with enough dirt to make it sturdy (and pass the "strong kick" test)

anything totally wrong here?

It should work, but try to get some rock or glass wool to wrap around it. It usually comes in those fat soft slabs. Wrap it, tighten it with a steel wire and cover with aluminium foil, shiny side out.

[Endersmens]

Wow, some morons in your stores... Water glass is like a hardware store commodity, essential when building chimneys and fireplaces. You can't use sodium phosphate for this.

I don't think many people around here build fireplaces.

That will be a pretty awesome statue if you succeed.

DIY shapeways XD

That's called pressure casting (DIY version LOL) and is indeed a thing. Try, but be careful. You don't want squirting molten aluminium in your face.

true, that would be bad. I will be careful. If it doesn't work I'm sure I can figure something else out.

What you could do is elevate the pouring hole so that excess metal will be the weight pushing the rest.

Will try if the other way doesn't work.

It should work, but try to get some rock or glass wool to wrap around it. It usually comes in those fat soft slabs. Wrap it, tighten it with a steel wire and cover with aluminium foil, shiny side out.

Thanks! I will pull the trigger and get started as soon as I can!

[Camacha]

Ehm, yeah, isn't that what the video series is telling us?

I did not watch the video, I just reacted to the comments here. I have been toying with casting for a while, so even though I am hardly an expert, I do know a couple of tips, tricks and major red flags. Did anyone say water?

Getting started and getting hurt is easy, learning to cast well is a long, long process.

[Endersmens]

I did not watch the video, I just reacted to the comments here. I have been toying with casting for a while, so even though I am hardly an expert, I do know a couple of tips, tricks and major red flags. Did anyone say water?

Getting started and getting hurt is easy, learning to cast well is a long, long process.

I figured you hadn't watched it. It's all good.

Did you take a look at my blueprint? Any experience you have is more than mine.

[Elthy]

Where do you get cheap aluminium to melt? Soda cans are not an option in germany since you get money back when you recycle them.

[Flymetothemun]

Where do you get cheap aluminium to melt? Soda cans are not an option in germany since you get money back when you recycle them.

If there are any welding or technical schools around, you could try asking them if they have any bits of aluminum laying around that have already been welded/used to uselessness or that they aren't using. Sometimes they might have to pay to have the stuff taken away to the dump or the recycling facility so you'll be saving them some money if they do have to pay. You might have to cut off the weld itself with a hacksaw, though, but a hacksaw's cheaper then going to a stockyard and buying aluminum block. You might also try looking in the dumpsters of workshops or fabrication shops, or even asking if they can save any useless aluminum they generate from manufacturing processes for you to pick up every month or so. Sometimes there are little bits of aluminum channel or whatever that aren't able to be used effectively so they throw them out. You should really test if it's aluminum though, if it's really light and not magnetic it's most likely aluminum. it might also be nickel, but nickel's heavier than aluminum.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Flymetothemun