Adding Copper Sulphate.

[autopilotmp]

Okay gave it a shot today.
12# pure on
3 newer pennies cut in half
Melted it all up then added 4 tbsp zep (1tbsp at a time)
Scraped and skimmed the crud
Fluxed well
Added 12# coww
Stired and fluxes with saw dust and wax
Poured into ingots

Emptied my Lee pot and filled with this new mix
Added 3" solder
Cast some air cooled and water dropped from a noe brass 5 cavity 225-70 mold for my Ar.
Ran the pot at 750°
First time with this mold and things went well.

[JBinMN]

I am a bit confused about the "pennies" deal. If the pennies are coated with copper & copper melts at close to 2000F, how is anyone getting the copper in the pennies to melt & disperse into their alloy mix at temps around 700-800F. ?

I "get" the copper sulphate stuff being added, but the pennies still have me wondering. They melt? I figured they would just sit on the bottom of the pot...

[Rcmaveric]

Pennies are just for the zinc content. That copperish coating isn't much more than plating. So its super thin. I don't like handling new pennies. They feel like fake kid toy money. Most people cut the pennies to help them melt into the alloy. Once the zinc melts it most likely dissolves the copper plating like spit on candy. There are a few different metals that zinc will eroded/dissolve once molten. Molten zinc will dissolve allumium and steel once molten. Like sugar in your hot tea. This is just a hopthesys at the moment. Someone melt a penny and see what happens. I have been toying with the idea of adding copper to my alloy via this method. Need to find me some root killer. Don't quite understand the math ratio yet.

If i under stand this correctly Tin is a one for one swap with Copper, but copper is a one for two swap with zinc? So if i have 20lbs of lead and i want to make an alloy of .3% copper. .3% is equal to .003 which makes .3% of 20lbs is about .9oz. So would that mean i need to add either .9 oz of tin or 1.8 oz of zinc to sacrifice for copper to get the desire .3% ?

[JBinMN]

Thanks for helping me to understand about the pennies.


I think I understand about that the zinc helps get the copper dissolved into the alloy instead of it melting. At least that is how I understood what ya posted...

I don't think I want any zinc in my alloy mix. Unless there is some contaminant wise in the COWW/SOWW I use with the pure lead & tin right now... Not wanting to add any ...I think I prefer to keep it out.

I will just continue to read about this. I do not intend to try until I know a lot more than what I have read so far.

Thanks again!

[Traffer]

I am curious as to how the big alloy companies (smelters) put 3 or 4 percent of copper in a tin/lead alloy? Anyone know?

[popper]

JB - works the same with tin too. But tin is more $$.

[JBinMN]

JB - works the same with tin too. But tin is more $$.

Thnx!