Smelting, Fluxing and Copper. Oh my!

[mrbillbus]

So I have been reading here for the last month or so and now have a question. There seems to be general agreement that most anything with carbon in it will "work" as a fluxing agent. I have also read that copper responds nicely to being in the pot while lead is being smelted (copper jackets come out cleaner than they went in). On a scrap metal site I visit they say burning the insulation off of copper wire is a no no because it lowers the value of the copper.

So, if I put some copper wire scrap in the pot of lead would: 1) the insulation burn off? 2) the copper still be "bright"? 3) the smelt be damaged (or helped)?

My initial assumption, based on what I have learned here, is that it would be a positive to the copper while being neutral to the lead.

Shoot my idea down please before I waste time on this.

Bill

[VA Shooter]

Thats a good ? I have wondered that myself

[sqlbullet]

I wouldn't waste my time.

I have been told that properly fluxed copper will disolve, but I have yet to see this happen. And, it doesn't ever come out of my pot "bright".

So, my experience is the insulation will melt, the copper will be silver, black and copper colored, and it won't make any difference to the lead at all.

[P.K.]

I wouldn't waste my time.

I have been told that properly fluxed copper will disolve, but I have yet to see this happen. And, it doesn't ever come out of my pot "bright".

So, my experience is the insulation will melt, the copper will be silver, black and copper colored, and it won't make any difference to the lead at all.

I'll second this. My goto WW is the sticky, the insulation will be dross in the pot.

[dragonrider]

It's gonna stink some for sure, and most likely will coat your pot with a nasty black scum. I would not do it myself.

[billyb]

My son- in- law works in the recycling indistry here. He told me that the metal recyclers would not take the copper wire that had the insulation burnt off because of epa regs. Bill

[tomme boy]

Dip it in muratic acid. Thats what we used to do to the copper wire we burnt the insulation off of an turned in.

[grullaguy]

The polyvinyl insulation on wiring contains these little things called PCBs.

But hey, you want to live forever?

[mrbillbus]

The polyvinyl insulation on wiring contains these little things called PCBs.

But hey, you want to live forever?

I plan on living forever, just not here. ;-)

Thanks for all the input. That was why I asked before I tried anything.

Bill

[Sonnypie]

The smoke from the insulation would gag a maggot.
Not to mention likely poison you, and anything living downwind.

Just say NO to this idea. [smilie=s:

[evan price]

Shiny range scrap FMJ boolits go in the pot, dull, blackened, brownish copper scrap comes out. Might still have a light skim of lead on the inside. You're not getting shiny copper price for anything that's been heated to anneal temperature.