zink melting probs

[troy_mclure]

ive got 2 large zink annodes i am trying to melt down into ingot size.

ive cut them in 3rds, and piled all the "saw dust" in my pot.

i use a large steel pot, with a crawfish cooker as a heat source.

i have melted antimony with this rig before.

but i cant get this zink to melt, even the shavings dont melt.

the temp in my thermometer is maxing out the dial at 1k degrees.

i even put a hunk direct on the flame, it got softish after 40mins, but not too much.

any ideas to get these melted down?

[sagacious]

Doh! Do you have pure zinc anodes?

Some zinc anodes are designed to maintain a streamlined or fixed shape while they dissolve into a spongy block on the inside. You may have that type of anode, and it may not work for pouring bullets. Sometimes you can get free zinc anodes at a marina or shipyard, but you need to be sure to get the ones that are half-dissolved and powder-blue or gray colored, and not the old fixed-shape ones that are usually blackish-- the fixed-shape ones are not amenable to melting.

A pure zinc anode will melt easily at just under 800*F, and the melt will have a silvery-blue color. Broken chunks of pure anode zinc will have a distinct crystalline bright silvery-blue color. If your anodes do not melt at 800*F, then you probably do not have pure zinc anodes. Good luck.

[troy_mclure]

they are brand new, unused. they are supposedly pure.

[chris in va]

Anodes can be made of zinc, aluminum and magnesium.

I would think a direct flame from a propane torch would melt it pretty darn quick. If not, probably made of something else.

Try melting a modern penny...they're 97% zinc.

[sagacious]

If they're not melting at antimony melting temps, then they are something other than pure anode zinc. Direct heating for 40 minutes in the flame of a crawfish cooker should have not only melted, but actually vaporized pure zinc. Either you're not getting enough heat to to the metal, or it's not pure anode zinc-- there are very few other options for why it's not melting.

Heat some of the zinc in the pot to melting with a propane torch to form a heat-sink to help transfer the flame's heat to the bulk zinc blocks. That may be all you need to get started. Good luck.

[melchior]

"Try melting a modern penny...they're 97% zinc."


Hmm. Does anybody know whether 3% copper is too much to make a good cast Boolit?
It's pretty easy to collect a lot of pennys

[sagacious]

"Try melting a modern penny...they're 97% zinc."


Hmm. Does anybody know whether 3% copper is too much to make a good cast Boolit?
It's pretty easy to collect a lot of pennys
It is possible to melt a big pile of post-1982 pennies and pour the zinc, but it's much easier to take those pennies to a marine boating shop and trade them for a large pure zinc anode. Good luck.