Scrapping a Stove for Copper and Pouring an Ingot! How Much?

[@mollynakamori]

I really liked this, Thub. I had no idea modern electric ranges were so complex. It also surprises me that scrap yards accept stuff with such an eclectic mix of materials. Loved the NiChrome zigzags.

[@thubprint]

It’s pretty fun to check out what these things are made of, but I’m gonna be in over my head with the newest tech pretty quick lol. Lots to learn! Including in this one, another commenter just explained that nichrome specifically isn’t magnetic, so I was wrong about that and it’s some other similar alloy. Such an annoying group of metals! 😆

[@mollynakamori]

@@thubprint - I know someone with a birthday coming up soon, so I went looking for a test kit that would cover a bunch of metals. No such thing exists unless one wants to get into spectrometry. :( The search for the perfect pressie continues!

[@MattsAwesomeStuff]

Appreciating the increase in production value you've shown lately. I know it's more work, so, yeah, it does make your videos better. Better angles, better lighting, better framing, better cutting. High density content. You've refined this process like you're refining your scrap :p

[@thubprint]

Thanks so much! I know these vids are a bit of a departure from what I’ve been doing up to this point but I’ve got the equipment and it’s really fun to try making the best quality I can. Running around with a GoPro on the face doesn’t offer the same opportunity for crafting angles and lighting aha

[@veloxdrake1025]

The funny thing is I found one of those torches you used to melt your copper in one of my favorite scrap locations. It's within walking distance to my house and always has cool things being thrown out, often I don't even scrap them but reuse them. One of the items was a very nice lantern that is hanging up in my living room now. It's not an antique or anything but I like it all the same.

[@matthewjones2393]

Cool, always better to reuse stuff rather than scrap it if you can!

[@veloxdrake1025]

​@@matthewjones2393 Definitely. I can't tell you the number of washing machines I've brought home and found they still work, there's one on my porch right now I'm probably going to scrap even though it works just for the same of time, I don't feel like having 60 people blow up my inbox trying to haggle or come to my house and waste my time. Same with old CRT TVs I don't really like wasting the space for them but it tends to be they work and people just upgraded, I have a group of retro game enthusiasts (myself among them) who swear by using CRTs for older games, they are getting harder to find as time goes on but they are out there and there is a niche market :P

[@thubprint]

I love outfitting my house with items I’ve found/repaired/repurposed! It brings me joy seeing all the little ways I didn’t support rampant consumerism and saved money. Very punk rock 😁 I have limitations as well, I can’t save everything and often scrapping something out is the appropriate choice even if the item theoretically works, but I try my best. I love my retro gaming crt too! I should do a crt scrapping video and list all of the desirable ones, it hurts to think of how many high quality sets get scrapped because people don’t know the difference

[@ironangel667]

Silver is soft like aluminum but dense like lead. If it cuts easlily but is heavy then there's a chance its silver or some manner of compound.

[@zlatanmorrison8182]

Steel is the meal with that one still :) thanks for the video Thub, dismantling of such an everyday appliance turned out to be very interesting indeed!

[@thubprint]

It was a lot of fun to do! I just really enjoy setting up the camera and the lights and everything 😁

[@joelluna5124]

Thank you & you're videos. I took out the Cooper out of my mini fan that doesn't work anymore.

[@thubprint]

You’re welcome, thanks for being here and saying hi! Might not be a lot of copper in smaller items but it’s fun and it all adds up

[@qwertykevin1]

Such a well edited video. Love the content!!

[@gravitybear]

Nice! I recently replaced my own stove, and rest assured, I stripped the old one down for the good stuff!

[@dr.a006]

Ha! I did the same. The house we moved into had an older one, it went bad so I scrapped it out😃

[@thubprint]

Hey it’s loads better than paying to dump it at the landfill! Not a whole lot to them besides the cord though

[@dr.a006]

@@thubprint basically I’m mining for silver and gold. Scrap metal is the “byproduct”, but there’s always several silver switches in ovens and washers/dryers, etc.

[@gravitybear]

@@thubprint I had a gas stove, so there was more aluminum and brass inside for the gas valve, but yeah. Store asked me if I wanted them to take away the old one for $30, and I was like, "Yeah, no. I got it."

[@MarkH10]

Clear lesson. Not enough money is stoves.

[@silver_salvage_savage]

Not 1. But if you pile up those goodies, they add up fast after a few appliances

[@theodorelueker5057]

Try to weigh some of this first and see how much extra you make rather than just straight scrap. It may not be a huge difference but I'm glad you make these videos and allow us to take the journey with you. Oh look you weighed it at the end.

[@walsakaluk1584]

I've got a stack of Cu in my shed. All sorts of new and used insulated conductors, pipes and bussbars. Job remnants and stock I no longer need....retired, not dead.

[@eugene251]

Great work as always

[@johnchristie1423]

Stove element went for 15 cents a pound last week, Clean Stainless was 40 cents. Thanks for the review of a new stove take-down

[@thubprint]

Oh did you take in a load? It’s a bit of a point of frustration for me, I know there’s value there but they really don’t seem to add up fast enough to bother with

[@johnchristie1423]

@@thubprint just 40 or 50 elements and a dish washing heater or two. Everything has gone down 25% last week.Enjoy your unique " what's it really worth"

[@Alpemomi]

That was awesome! Thanks for that and particularly the chart at the end, with conversions.

[@chriscomchi4042]

Just a friendly smelting heads up… tin turns to Vapour at copper smelting point if not careful should really be using a fume hood or smelting outdoors when smelting brass/tin coated copper

[@Xizilqou]

This video has so many awesome sound effects

[@daniellebarnhart8985]

Absolutely love your videos !

[@thubprint]

Thank you so much 😊

[@richavic4520]

Your weekly ASMR video. I like it.

[@thubprint]

I think they’re coming out great!

[@bangbangdodo]

I always wondered if the insulation in the stove top (where the "fun stuff" was :D) is harmful if inhaled. Since I could not find information online on what this stuff is made of I tend to keep away from scrapping stoves as they are almost always insulated with glass wool, too.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Not much in there for me. Interesting using a cutting torch to melt copper. I like how you show both the good and bad tho. Most people would have cut out the issue with too much copper at one time.

[@boblamb8421]

I used to strip things down completely but discovered the yards around here won't buy most of it. There is some good cast aluminum in new washers and driers but the motors are small and cumbersome to remove. An aluminum pulley I ran in to on a new machine had a lock tighted allen head bolt that refused to break loose until heated but was it all worth the time. Not for what they are currently paying. The yards around here will buy insulated copper wire. It takes so much to make a pound and then there is storing the stuff until enough is collected to make a trip burning 5 buck gas worth it. Scrapping used to be fun when there was something to gain.

[@walsakaluk1584]

How do you scrap LAN cabling?

[@jonathanlincoln7381]

Great job 👍

[@illdistrict2889]

So... Basically, cut the cord off and scrap it as is! Thanks for the video!

[@uniquethrowbacks9576]

I hope you can disassemble a stove from the 1950s I found a lot of copper and aluminum but may have missed some 🤔

[@bigredbullion3883]

Great video

[@Jason1975ism]

The solder in those boards is lead/tin and sells for $1.50 a lb in the U.S. Cook the boards over a fire pit dug in the ground. Just use any scrappy wood, let it burn up to red coals, and feed the boards in. The solder will sink to the bottom of your pit and you collect it. I bet you can get a few hundred pounds in a year.

[@devind2915]

Tin solder is like 6-8 dollars a pound in the US, even up here in alaska where we get less than the lower 48 my scrap yard pays 4.50 a pound for it. I collect it off other stuff but I don't burn my boards because depending on the quality of the boards my yard pays .50 to 1.00 a pound for them so it's worth it to just sell em after popping off the ram chips and and high yield gold parts.

[@charlesinscore4107]

Watch MBMM . Milling the bare board produces 60% copper from the green boards.

[@Jason1975ism]

@@devind2915 I actually looked up price before I commented and my local yard is paying $1.50 a lb. for lead/tin solder. I was referring to bare boards and those tiny boards with little in them to be melted. Obviously, I didn't mean toss whole boards in. It's actually a very regional thing as to what yards will buy. My yard refuses tire weights or any burned copper. They also refuse used fishing weights and bullets. Why? You gotta ask them.

[@Jason1975ism]

@@charlesinscore4107 Those green boards are fiberglass... How are you getting copper from fiberglass boards?

[@charlesinscore4107]

@@Jason1975ism after depopulating the board. Under the thin green film is a milled thin copper sheet. They start as composition board covered in copper. Then the circuit pattern is milled. Then tin dots at circuit connections. Then covered with the green liquid. These boards are usually wasted. But conex's of them get shipped abroad. Hammer milled. Then sorted on a shaker table. According to a KZbin by Jason at Mt Baker mining and supply. There is %60 by weight copper in a board. It's a very interesting vid. Thx , Chuck

[@madelinerose5326]

Good video. Now I know that I really don't care for the glass top stoves. Just like my old electric style top. Be safe.

[@MrChunkydunk]

Great video. I just got a opportunity with a local appliance company to get old appliances they take out. But the bottom just fell out on scrap here.

[@thubprint]

Yeah I’ve noticed scrap prices have been tanking here as well. It was a good run! That’s the nature of it though, up and down all the time

[@TheUltimateRecycler]

I missed hearing your sign-off line Thub! Nice vid though - and great to see you are enjoying your new-found melting tangent! 👍😊

[@iffy9776]

I'm always surprised at how thick the electrical cord for dryers and electrical stoves are in Canada and the US. Here in the UK they are thin.

[@thubprint]

Really? Huh.. That does seem odd, I’m sure they don’t run on lower voltage, your house plugs are 230v afaik right? We have special high voltage plugs just for the stoves and dryers, everything else is 110v. You have much faster kettles though!

[@rodgersmith3053]

I assume it's because most of our US,CAN high draw appliances use both 110-120 and 220-240v so we have 2 hots at 120v to neutral for stuff like the tiny light bulb in the back of the oven but the elements use the 2 120v hots 180degrees out of phase to get 240v ish but each individual hot wire is only 120 to ground(neutral) I've probably butchered this explanation but i think the the wires are thick because we dont have more than 120volt on a single wire for "safety"

[@RobbieBeswick]

interesting to see how a cooker i built and whats inside but i think this would be impractical for most people, well for me its far too much insulation/plastics i'd have to get rid of

[@handduggraverdronline]

Put in garbage isn't that much

[@thubprint]

Oh 100%, it’s quite a bit of work to separate every little bit like that and not a great way to spend time if trying to maximize profit. I just trust that people can decide what’s best for them depending on what they’re trying to get out of it

[@davidgelinas4776]

Looks great

[@Resto-Scraps]

Howdy Thub... Try a "rosebud" it's a heating torch should give u the extra heat u need. It looks like u have Harris torch 72-3 I think. Great video dude!

[@lloydscharf6897]

A propane rosebud would reduce your cost too. LL&P

[@bland9876]

My question would be why didn't the company that put the new stove in take the old stove with them?

[@garrettsaulnier2651]

Had absolutely no idea that stoves had copper.

[@thomasheman5219]

Hi, watch out, Those stove top burners look like they were packed in "Asbestos". Ouch!!! Thanks, The Bobbyman

[@richardwarnock2789]

Thub oven is done!!!; )

[@CruiserMac]

I have to start pouring one of these days, just need to make some tongs for my crucible. First I have to clean things up in the shop though ...haha.

[@thubprint]

It’s fun! Sure wouldn’t want to do it with a cluttered space though, spills would be a bad time

[@CruiserMac]

@@thubprint Very bad !

[@frpman80]

We need more videos i love the way u explain things and we need some vids with wub

[@thubprint]

Well it’s summertime! I’m sure he can make some time to do some cameos

[@williammeeks1283]

Another awesome video thub.

[@thubprint]

Thank you!

[@CaptainAaron]

i hope that white crumbly stuff isn't asbestos!

[@thubprint]

It’s almost certainly not, but any high temp insulation is harmful and should be handled with a respirator

[@twbishop]

NiCr can be separated into NiCl2 + H2 and CrCl3 + H2 with HCl. both metallic compounds are salts. as with torches, safety first with chemical reactions.

[@noobmusic23]

This is cool! I totally would have repaired the appliance and sold it for hundreds of dollars

[@thubprint]

Appliance flipping is definitely a sort of secret goldmine, good money in them and usually not as hard to fix up as a lot of people think!

[@cdcVintage]

Did that stove just quit working? Great video.

[@dr.a006]

I’m waiting to get enough silver switch buttons to refine and make a SILVER ingot! I got a couple buckets of switches and breakers to process. Kinda tedious.

[@thubprint]

What’s your refining process going to look like, have you figured something out yet? I’m not comfortable just melting them because of the other contents in the alloy

[@dr.a006]

@@thubprint gonna stick to the simple things first: silver contacts with nitric acid and eventually gold fingers with AP solution, etc. I dissolved a batch of contacts a couple years ago in nitric acid and started precipitating some with copper. Learned a few better things since. It’s still sitting in solution in bottles safe in a bin outside. Also trying to find time to do it. It hasn’t gone anywhere. Atoms don’t disappear. 999Dusan and Sreetips seem to have it down safely and reading the Gold Refiners Forum to make sure I do it right, safely and disposal at the end. It would be cool to get some Ag and Au in the end. Not gonna retire off it, but learning a new hobby hopefully with results! Drums and scrapping and family and two dogs and a thousand other things take up all the time!😅👍

[@AsphaltDriip]

I’m new to this ur videos are helpful thank u

[@Gigachadly]

So I'm curios what made you start melting these ? I remeber in previous videos you advised against it saying scrap yards wouldn't buy it, has that changed?

[@thubprint]

No my thoughts there haven’t changed at all, I still think it’s a waste of time and fuel and makes it more difficult to sell. My only reason for doing it is to give a clear visual representation of the recovery volume in each appliance.

[@marlinblanco9285]

And you can get electric furnace if you prefer electric they’re more expensive than the gas one though

[@ssajle]

Great video! Im just curious.. does the amount of fuel used to torch the copper exceed the value of the copper ingot?

[@thubprint]

Well I was using acetylene still on this one so I would guess yes

[@thobiasvernede7058]

I started scrapping recently but I can’t find any place with old stuff to scrap

[@whatarewedoing0]

what makes you think those connectors werent brass? i bet almost all of them were if not all of them, gotta scrape em lol

[@donvoll2580]

Good day from Ontario, Interesting video. So is that copper considered bright brite. Thanks

[@TileReseller]

I heard that scrap yards are reluctant to take home made ingots because they can’t be sure of what exactly is in them. Any truth to that? I guess relationships go a long way when it comes to that? Also if you haven’t already you should reach out to a few kiln companies and see which one wants to be the brand you use! I would think with over 70 K subs it should be free and maybe even a paycheque

[@thubprint]

Well I emailed one well known brand haha, haven’t heard back from them 😅 I haven’t tried selling any diy pours to the yards yet, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem for me. They’re small bars and my yard knows me pretty well. If I was the one running the place and some random new face showed up with a truckload of loaf pan copper bars to sell I sure wouldn’t just take them at their word

[@JFDhater]

in Saskatchewan, we have 3 major scrapping yards that will buy metals, and all are hesitant on buying ingots for that specific reason. all have honoured me by buying ingots IF I can prove to them at the drop off that the ingots are what I say they are. (eg. using XMF reader). not a lot of people can afford one of those, or does it even make it worth the $$.

[@daleshelden8394]

Paycheck

[@TileReseller]

@@daleshelden8394 spelt both ways. Paycheck favoured by Americans, paycheque favoured by Canadians. Murika 🤘🏻

[@georgepaust8416]

They use an X-ray gun. It has a little screen that gives a metallurgical analysis almost instantly. They can read ingots effortlessly.

[@thomasmills3934]

Guys. Dont melt copper. Most yards where i live will not even take it if you have melted and cast it yourself...

[@DianeLong-fv4vm]

How do you go about scraping circuit board 🤔

[@jarredmansell5306]

Hey mate. If you get hold of 2 air conditioners that are the same could you please completely strip 1. Strip the copper out of the radiators and the compressor and everything. And then semi strip the other one and compare the price and time difference? Pretty please. Much love from Down Under

[@kevinhaid6211]

My yard gives a hard no on ingots, even for people they know. They’ve been burned too many times in too many ways :/. Would be nice though, love melting down cans and such lol.

[@BTCtrees]

So interesting, I'm about to get a restaurant stove to get fiddly with

[@jerramiemiller]

you can remove that cooled flux with hard mallet. it should shatter the glass like structure

[@afineliner740]

Very enjoyable. Those other grey wire connector ends that you said were not brass, what do you think they are ? I thought they were plated brass., they are non-magnetic. 👍

[@thubprint]

I’m not actually sure! They aren’t magnetic but they didn’t show brass when filed. It would be really strange to use steel for a connector though

[@al9929]

Roughly a third or half of the connectors I get from stoves (all seem to be made in Mexico now) are steel. They are magnetic. I usually run the magnet over my brass pile before I take it in, to avoid the embarrasment.

[@joshp6061]

That wire/banding you pulled from the burners is probably not Nichrome if it’s magnetic. Nichrome has enough chromium to make it non magnetic just like stainless steel. It’s some other iron chromium nickel alloy most likely

[@thubprint]

I looked that up and I feel a little silly now 😅 seems that nichrome is known for being non-magnetic. So many different alloys around! Probably not worth fussing over though, takes a long long time to start measuring it by the pound

[@joshp6061]

@@thubprint I think it’s neat to just collect

[@rickengle7208]

Can't believe you mixed tinned copper with that regular copper. People doing stuff like that is exactly why scrap yards generally don't like copper ingots.

[@thubprint]

I didn’t think the percentage would make a big difference but you’re right, and I’ve found a method I’d like to try for removing the tin plating next time

[@themoddingmuffin148]

Nooo any working appliances you resell

[@hunterloyd7802]

I was really disappointed by that copper number a lot of work for not much. Would love to melt some copper and make myself some bars like you did.

[@billydonnelly7378]

The digital board is worth $50-100 on ebay if good and you can sell the knobs to!

[@TedWrayArtist]

Is it worth while to try harvesting scrap metal from an old microwave oven?

[@garywheaton-lifewithgaz50]

microwaves are great for copper

[@sterlingsilver9255]

Next time take a picture and put it on kijiji, that's the cleanest free stove I've ever seen, at 200 bux used your 300 bux cheaper than most used ranges.

[@llamacebu216]

The money you made, you used for thr oxy/ace

[@adey88splace]

Those are interesting: yoink!

[@handduggraverdronline]

I strip everything 20 ga and up

[@vincedibona4687]

Hey, Thub, could you do a breakdown on some parts/pieces that need a little breaking down of their own to get the good bits? I keep hearing their is silver in microswitches but I broke one open and I see copper stuff, lots of little bars that look silverish, and then the pieces that have the contacts on them, which look like they can be either brass, copper, aluminum, stainless, or possibly a cotes metal. Halp!!! And also maybe show some microswitches out of computers, show that unless you really have nothing else to do, they just ain’t worth it!?!?! Just a suggestion, now to go watch your latest VJO!

[@vincedibona4687]

Maybe I should have watched the video first…. 🤦🏻‍♂️😂🤪

[@thubprint]

Lollll ahaha, I gotchu buddy 😜

[@SeanSenior-f8b]

I like the vids. But could you please convert to pound sterling we don't do euros Iol.

[@buddy36265]

Sweet early love your face Drake

[@thubprint]

Happy to have you here Christie!

[@JC-uv5bj]

How do you know what type of metal do you have?

[@JOEY22445]

Me and a friend was talking about getting a small forge to melt our cans down to make more room till prices go back up because they have tanked. Should we ask the scrap yard if they will take aluminum ingots? Also what category would they place it in if they accepted them? He thinks it will be in the cast aluminum category which is 18 cents less then a pound of cans. If that's the case it may not be worth it.

[@thubprint]

I would ask the yard because each one will probably have their own thoughts on it. You probably wont get the best price though because although the ingots are “cast”, the aluminium itself is not the same. There are many alloys of aluminium depending on what the intended use is. Cans are alloyed for cold-working and are different material than the alloys used for hot-working like casting or extrusion. The yard wont know which it is by looking at your ingots so they’ll have to default to a lower grade.

[@thubprint]

Also the loss is pretty significant on aluminium when melting because of how aggressively it oxidizes, much worse with thin material like cans. If it was me I’d do some quick math to determine how much more you’re actually going to make by holding onto them and let that be the deciding factor. Probably find you’re better off to just take them in now

[@JOEY22445]

Thanks for the insight. I learn something new every time I watch your videos. :)

[@MeatyFeet1]

Great video format!

[@kyronwagner9015]

First time watching your channel is it worth your time to pull apart each little component of a oven or is it more for us the viewer? Anyways it was interesting

[@thubprint]

It is absolutely not worth it in terms of profit haha 😆 I decided to make videos in this series trying to recover as much as possible and finish with a bar of “all” the copper in the thing, then leave the viewer to decide on their own what is worth the time. The copper and silver from those small components is worth pennies.

[@peterrobbins2862]

Get yourself a good cordless drill driver and a 150mm Phillips NO2 bit

[@nickbryantfyi]

how much money do you make from scrapping stuff? Do you just get stuff on the curb? It seems like a really fun hobby. Sorry for the noob questions, im new to your channel. Could you point me at any resources for getting started? I have a stove in my yard im thinking of trying to copy what you did here.

[@thubprint]

Check out my scrap for beginners video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/honGl4OYpa1jmas It’s not easy to make full-time income from scrap but it makes a good side hustle. Having a truck or a van or a trailer is a big help though, the most consistent money comes from the steel. A couple hundred bucks a month is easy to do casually, a hundred a day is doable with a truck. Networking is important to make okay money consistently, and pouring ingots only costs money

[@sonnyc3826]

the only thing i take form fridges or this stuff is the compressors and the coils if there is any and the copper at the bottom thats about it ...i take things apart once if i dont find alot in it i dont do it agian...microwaves i never bothered as i heard they were dangerous but i just watched the microwave video so i might try ..not sure usually i just throw them out whole.. i look for rarer metals but spending an hr doing soemthign for 5 bucks is a waste to me..i like the compressors though they can be neat to find or take apart.

[@rhysjackson6139]

You didn't remove the fan motor

[@thubprint]

Oof 😅

[@brittanyrondeau2423]

How did you build that tool to remove the casing from The Wire

[@jessaustin1122]

Wondering the same

[@handduggraverdronline]

#2 tin copper is still #2 copper regardless

[@thubprint]

That’s what they give my at my yard!

[@thesweetone]

The ceramic heaters are foot to make your own forge as the heating element

[@thubprint]

That would be an interesting use for them! Certainly worth a try

[@jakertheelaborater2573]

How do you easily remove the silver buttons?

[@thubprint]

Jar of hydrochloric acid with a splash of hydrogen peroxide will dissolve the copper/brass/solder away from them and leave just the silver buttons. They call it AP solution if you want to explore it 👍

[@jakertheelaborater2573]

@@thubprint there is solder holding them on? Can you pop them off without tearing them to tiny pieces?

[@black88coupe]

Is it really worth going through all that to make an ingot? They look neat but it just seems like it takes too much of my time and would cut into my profits. Can someone please enlighten me?

[@thubprint]

If by worth it you mean from a profit perspective, absolutely not. Ingots are 100% a waste of time and fuel for a scrapper. It’s worth it for me in this video series because it’s a clear visual representation of the yield from one appliance

[@black88coupe]

@@thubprint sounds good. 👍👍👍

[@peterhunt875]

I was thinking the same, good for views and content

[@steveciarico9824]

If you set the melt dish on firewool you would not have an issue with heat dissipation

[@joeigneczi2524]

So what do you do with the tinned copper wire I’ve got a whole tool bag worth of the tinned copper wire I’m just letting it sit for now

[@devind2915]

You just sell it to the scrap yard, it's still #2 copper.

[@joeigneczi2524]

@@devind2915 but that's where it confuses me because my local yard will only count it as brass scrap for some reason

[@thubprint]

Brass scrap? That’s an odd choice! I’ve read that you can dissolve the tin coating off with hydrochloric acid so I’m planning to try that on the next one of these vids but I doubt it’s worth doing for the difference in the scrap price I typically just keep it separate and mine gives me #2 bare copper wire

[@susanhafner6906]

Here in Alaska they will not take ingots Cause you can’t prove what’s in them friend of mine made a whole bunch of copper ingots and he had to take them all back home they would not take them

[@30AndHatingIt]

You didn’t subtract from your profit the fuel expended melting the copper down.

[@A-a-ron666]

Don't smelt the silver buttons. They contain cadmium as well. The gas that comes off the smelt would be pure cancer. Nitric acid is the way to go to refine those.

[@magnusE7]

Strange that you have the controls in the back so you have to lean over the hot or burning stove to turn it off!

[@lohrtom]

That was damn interesting

[@richardshellhammer9797]

When you melt the copper it goes from bare Brite to #2 why do you do it?

[@thubprint]

So a lot of people seem interested in pouring their own lumps of melted copper these days but for me, I just wanted an easy visual representation of how much can be scrapped out of various appliances. There is no benefit to melting it, other than a point of comparison.

[@luvsmokeyyd7278]

So doing this will get you more money?

[@thubprint]

Oh absolutely not! If the goal is making more money from scrapping out an appliance this is definitely a huge waste of time

[@LimeHax]

What is the powder you drop into the melting dish?

[@georgemiliotis9389]

Borax is used to purify in smelting

[@LimeHax]

@@georgemiliotis9389 I didn't know that, thanks telling me! :)

[@hercules5549]

Did you lose your screw gun?

[@thubprint]

Nope, it’s fine. I just find the sound it makes a bit obnoxious in the context of these quieter videos so I thought it would be nice to try stick to hand tools when possible

[@giavroumsas6329]

What was that powder you add inside ?????? 😅

[@thubprint]

Oh, that was borax! Sodium borate, it performs well as a flux which is just to give foreign contaminants something to bind to and then they get stuck on the crucible walls or trapped in the glassy cooled borax itself. I use simple candle wax in melted lead or pewter for the same purpose, but the high heat of copper needs something more robust.

[@KillerKolt44]

Yeah I think I would just cut the cord. And maybe if I have time take the back plate off plus wire and leave the rest on the curb. Would grab oven racks also

[@thubprint]

Well that’s really what I’m trying to show with these vids, I don’t feel justified in telling people how they should do things but I’d like to go through the whole piece and leave deciding what parts are worthwhile to the individual