How can you melt aluminum?

How to cast an aluminum part at home

For many, the term “foundry” is closely associated with back-breaking labor and specialized professional skills.

 In fact, casting a part from the required metal is possible for the most ordinary person without professional training at home. The process has its own subtleties, but it can be done at home with your own hands.

Outwardly it resembles the production of lead weights for fishing. Features of the aluminum casting process are related to the technical characteristics of the material.  

How to cast aluminum

Characteristics of aluminum. Aluminum is one of the most common metals.

It is silver-white in color and lends itself quite well to casting and machining. Due to its characteristics, aluminum is equipped with high thermal and electrical conductivity, and also has corrosion resistance.

Technical aluminum has a melting point of 658 degrees, high-purity aluminum has a melting point of 660, and the boiling point of aluminum is 2500 degrees.

For aluminum casting, home heating devices are unlikely to be useful and will provide the required temperature. It is necessary to melt aluminum by heating it to a temperature of over 660 degrees.

Aluminum casting: choosing a heat source

The following can be used as a heat source for aluminum melting:

• A very effective method is achieved using a self-made crucible muffle furnace. A crucible (a necessary tool for melting aluminum) is installed on the working surface of this furnace, and raw materials are added to it. Using a muffle furnace you can cast aluminum very easily.
• Do-it-yourself muffle furnace for melting aluminum, here!
• To obtain the melting temperature of aluminum, the combustion temperature of liquefied or natural gas is sufficient; in this case, the process can be performed in a homemade furnace.
• With a small volume of melting, you can use the heat obtained by burning gas in a household gas stove.
• The required temperature will be provided by gas cutters or acetylene generators, if available in the household.

Aluminum preparation

Despite the fact that the melting process will be performed at home, it must be handled responsibly. The metal must first be cleaned of dirt and crushed into small pieces. In this case, the melting process will go faster.

The choice is made on softer aluminum, as a purer material with fewer impurities. During melting, slag is removed from the liquid surface of the metal.

Sand casting

Several technologies are used to produce casting parts. The simplest is sand casting:

• If you need to make an aluminum part of a simple shape, then open casting can be done directly into the soil - silica. A small model is made from any material: wood, foam. Install in the flask. The soil is laid around in small layers and compacted thoroughly. Once the sample is removed, the silica holds its shape well and the casting is done directly into it.

• As a forming mixture, you can use sand combined with silicate glue, or cement mixed with brake fluid. The ratio of materials should be such that if the mixture is compressed, it retains its shape.

“Casting aluminum into an earthen (sand) mold at home”

For parts with complex shapes, a different technology is used.

Lost wax casting

This long-known method for making aluminum products at home can be slightly modified. The casting principle is as follows:

The model is made from low-melting material. It is placed in a certain shape and filled with plaster. One sprue or several are installed. After the plaster has hardened, it is dried well. At high temperatures, the low-melting material turns into a liquid state and flows out through the sprue. An aluminum billet is poured into the resulting mold.

The recommended material is wax, but it has one very big drawback. This is a high price for the material. But for small parts it will not cause much harm to the family budget.

Details of the process can be clarified in the video.

"High Pressure Aluminum Casting"

Thus, even the most ordinary amateur craftsman can make the necessary part from aluminum of various shapes.

How to cast a complex-shaped part from aluminum

Industrial enterprises often use metal molds. Aluminum casting molds can be made from a variety of materials. Most often, gypsum is used. Gypsum can be purchased at any hardware store at any price acceptable to you. It is recommended to use sculptured or white plaster.

An excellent option is sculptural, which is marked G-16. Due to the high price, it can be replaced with G-7 - ordinary white plaster. It is strictly forbidden to replace it with alabaster, despite the fact that they are often interchangeable in construction work.

Let's look at a simple way to cast an aluminum part with your own hands at home.

To cast an aluminum part we need:

• melting vessel;
• scrap metal;
• melting mold.

Main stages of the process:

1. Prepare a vessel for melting (you can use a vessel from part of a steel pipe).

2. We make a mold for melting. If the part has a complex structure, then the shape may have several components.

In our version, the form will consist of two parts. First, think about how to simplify the part for convenience (we recommend strengthening the holes with tape).

The mold is very easy to make from sculpting plaster (do not use alabaster!). You can use plasticine.

3. Before pouring plaster, you should lubricate the container with oil so that the plaster cannot stick to the container.

4. Carefully pour the plaster, shaking the mold periodically to release the bubbles.

It is important to know: the hardening process of plaster is quite fast, so be careful and try to install the model in plaster in time.

In addition, it is recommended to install an object (for example, a small stick) in the plaster, which will become a channel for pouring our part.

5. A primary layer is required for the upcoming filling.

Take a drill and make 4 small holes, treat the shape with oil. This is necessary to ensure that the finished mold parts lie as stable as possible during the casting process.

6. Fill the second layer.

7. After hardening occurs, you need to carefully remove the mold from the container and separate the halves.

8. Before casting, we treat the mold with soot to avoid sticking of liquid aluminum. The form must be dried. The natural drying process takes place all day long. It is advisable to dry the gypsum blank in the oven. Start at a temperature of 1100C - one hour and two hours at a temperature of 3000C. It is necessary to provide holes in the plaster for pouring aluminum and removing residual air.

This is how we melt aluminum.

9. Then we place the liquid metal in the mold and wait for it to cool completely.

As a result, we obtain the desired workpiece, then we grind it and make special holes.

Burnout casting: technology features

Manufacturing a part from aluminum using burn-out casting has its own characteristics, which will be discussed below. The work is performed in the following sequence:

• Foam plastic is used as a material for the model at home. Using cutting elements and glue, make a figure that resembles the required shape in outline.

• Prepare a container for making the model. You can use an old shoe box. Mix alabaster with water. Pour the mixture into the box. Place the foam model. Level it out. Give the material time to harden well. Due to the rapid hardening process of alabaster, perform the work at an accelerated pace.

• Remove the box. Heat the mold in the oven to dry the alabaster and remove any remaining moisture. Otherwise, all the water from the alabaster will enter the aluminum and turn into steam, which will lead to pores in the metal and aluminum splashing out of the mold during work.
• Melt the aluminum. Remove molten slag from the liquid surface. Pour the metal into the mold in place of the foam. Due to the high temperature, the latter will begin to burn out and aluminum will take its place.

• After the metal has cooled, break the mold and remove the resulting cast aluminum model. You can watch the process in more detail in the video.

Safety precautions and workplace preparation

High-temperature work is characterized by harmful fumes and is accompanied by the release of smoke, so they must be performed in the open air or in a forced-ventilated area. A side-flow fan must be used.

The casting process is accompanied by splashes and flows of molten metal are possible. The workplace will need to be pre-covered with a sheet of metal. It is not recommended to carry out work in a residential area - it is unsafe for others.

Basic mistakes when casting aluminum

Before casting aluminum at home, pay attention to the main errors that are observed when performing work:

• When making plaster molds, it is necessary that all moisture evaporate during the drying process. Otherwise, when filling the mold, the water begins to evaporate, turns into steam and may remain inside the aluminum in the form of pores and shells.
• If the heating is insufficient or if the aluminum has time to cool before starting work, the metal will not fill the mold well and distant areas will remain hollow.
• Do not cool metal by immersion in liquid. In this case, the internal structure of the material is disrupted.

Interesting facts about aluminum

Aluminum can bend like paper or be as hard as steel. Aluminum is everywhere, even inside us.

Every adult gets about 50 mg of aluminum every day through food, this is not some kind of diet, it just cannot be avoided.

Aluminum is the most common metal on the planet. Its content in the earth's crust is 8%, but it is not easy to extract, at least in its pure form.

Unlike gold and silver, aluminum is not found in nuggets or whole veins. Aluminum is 3 times lighter than iron or copper.

Aluminum in its original form does not look like metal at all, this is all because of aluminum’s special “love” for oxygen.

In fact, the first use of aluminum in history occurred when Eastern potters added aluminum-rich clay to their wares to make them stronger..

Sufficient for the production of beer cans, strong for racing cars, flexible for the skin of airplanes, capable of being turned into anything, aluminum is an indispensable material for the modern world.

And these are not all the features that this useful metal stores.

Selected for you:

Source: http://stroysvoy-dom.ru/kak-otlit-detal-iz-alyuminiya-v-domashnix-usloviyax/

How to melt aluminum at home into different shapes

Aluminum is a metal that is widely used in industry and everyday life.

It is used to produce not only aircraft and ship parts, but also dishes and other utensils. Therefore, there is often a need to independently manufacture aluminum parts that have failed.

The ability of aluminum to melt at relatively low temperatures makes it possible to produce cast products from it in artisanal conditions. In order to independently produce cast aluminum products, you need to know the behavior of this metal at high temperatures and its physical and chemical properties.

Characteristics of aluminum

The melting point of aluminum depends on the purity of the metal and is approximately 660 °C. Its boiling point is 2500 °C.

Aluminum is distinguished by its lightness and ductility, so it bends well and can be processed by stamping.

This metal is an excellent conductor of heat and actively enters into a chemical reaction at high temperatures with atmospheric oxygen, forming an oxide film on the surface. It protects aluminum from further oxidation, but when scrap melts, it significantly affects the composition of the alloy. During the metal smelting process, the structure of aluminum changes.

When it cools sharply, internal stresses and shrinkage of the resulting alloy may occur. This must be taken into account when working with aluminum at home.

Technologies for home aluminum casting and necessary equipment

The principle of casting aluminum at home should be based on the technology for its production in production, adjusted for conditions that can be used at home.

Aluminum products are produced by casting in several ways. In domestic conditions, the most common and convenient method is the technology of casting molten aluminum into specially made molds.

Therefore, to carry out the process, two things must be ensured:

• build a furnace for melting aluminum scrap;
• create the desired shape to produce a cast alloy or a separate part.

The casting process must include several stages:

1. Preparation of aluminum scrap, including cleaning from dirt, impurities and various fillers, as well as grinding it to a small size.
2. Carrying out the smelting process in the planned way. When the metal is completely melted, slag formations must be removed from its surface.
3. Filling the prepared mold with liquid aluminum melt. After solidification, the ingot is freed from the molding mass.

Let's consider how to melt aluminum at home, what designs of furnaces for melting metal can be used, as well as options for making molds yourself.

Homemade furnaces and methods for melting aluminum

In order to melt aluminum, you need to heat it to a temperature close to 660 °C. It is impossible to reach such a temperature on an open flame of a fire. Therefore, a closed space is needed, which a homemade stove can provide. It can be heated by burning coal and wood or using natural gas.

You can also use an electric muffle furnace if you have one on the farm.

With a self-made stove, forced ventilation must be provided to maintain the combustion process.

1. The simplest version of a homemade fireplace can be made from old pots.

Its design is as follows:

• As a frame, use a steel container, for example, an old pan, on the side of which you need to make a hole to supply air through a connected metal pipe.
• Air can be forced through the hose using a vacuum cleaner.
• Coal is placed inside the device.
• Then the coal is set on fire and air is supplied to keep the fire from going out.
• A container for melting aluminum is first placed inside an improvised furnace structure and lined with coal on its sides. When it burns, uniform heat distribution is ensured.
• To prevent heat from being lost to the surrounding air, the top of the “pan” stove should be loosely covered with a lid, leaving a small gap for the smoke to escape.

An ideal design would be a firebox with an oval arch made from a masonry mixture used for heat-resistant bricks. You can use a flower pot of the desired size as a frame to create an oval vault.

After the mixture dries, a good firebox is obtained that can withstand several heats.

2. The second version of the furnace involves using the flame of a household gas burner to heat aluminum.

It can only be used for piece products made of aluminum weighing no more than 150 grams. An imitation oven is created by using two containers inserted into each other with a small gap. These can be ordinary cans from canned food.

The outer jar should be larger. A hole with a diameter of about 4 cm is made in it to ensure the supply of flame to the inner can.

The flame jet should be directed towards the opening of the can. Only the inner container is heated directly, and the outer one serves as a shell that retains heat. The top of the structure must be covered with a simulated lid, leaving a gap for the removal of combustion products.

This design is disposable and can only be used for one melt, since the tin is thin and can quickly burn out.

Methods for creating a mold for casting aluminum

One of the main tasks of home aluminum smelting is preparing the mold into which the molten metal is poured. There are different options for pouring aluminum melt. The main ones are open and closed casting methods.

Open casting

The simplest is to pour the liquid metal into a handy form, such as a metal mug or can.

After the alloy has hardened, the blank is removed from the container. To facilitate this process, tapping is performed on the form that has not completely cooled down.

If you do not need to give the casting a clear shape, you can simply pour the liquid melt onto a prepared combustion-resistant surface.

Closed form

If it is necessary to obtain a complex casting, a mold is first made for it that meets all the parameters of the part. To ensure strict compliance of the product with the specified parameters, it is made from composite molding parts.

Materials for casting molds

With the open pouring method, the simplest material that is always at hand is often used, this is silica. First, the earth is laid with layer-by-layer compaction. A casting model is placed between the layers, which, after careful compaction, leaves an imprint in the silica. This mold is carefully removed and aluminum is poured in its place.

Some craftsmen use river sand with the addition of liquid glass when preparing the base of the mold. A mixture of cement and brake fluid is also sometimes used.

Plaster molds

When making a model of a complex shape, gypsum is often used, which can mainly be used for a one-time casting process. When casting aluminum into a plaster mold, paraffin or foam plastic is used as models.

The wax model of the product is filled with plaster and, after drying it at high temperature, it is melted and drained through a special hole.

If the model is made from foam plastic, it is filled with gypsum mixture and left in it until the mold completely hardens. Hot aluminum melt is poured directly onto the foam. Due to the high temperature of the metal, the foam melts and evaporates, and its place is taken by an aluminum melt, taking the shape specified by the foam.

When using polystyrene foam as a model, work must be carried out in an open space or the room must be well ventilated, since the combustion products of polystyrene foam are harmful to humans.

Typical mistakes and tips for proper casting

1. When working with plaster, you should avoid common mistakes. Despite the fact that plaster molds are a convenient way to cast the desired configurations of parts, this material is very sensitive to moisture. During normal air drying, it remains part of the gypsum. This is detrimental to the quality of the aluminum casting, as it can cause the formation of small shells and bubbles. Therefore, plaster molds need to dry for several days.
2. The metal must be hot enough before pouring to fill the entire mold before it begins to harden. Therefore, after reaching the melting temperature, taking into account the rapid cooling of aluminum, there is no need to delay pouring it into the mold.
3. It is not recommended to immerse the resulting casting in cold water to speed up the hardening process. This can disrupt the internal structure of the metal and lead to cracks.

Source: https://plavitmetall.ru/obrabotka/lite-alyuminiya-v-domashnix-usloviyax.html

Melting aluminum

Aluminum and its alloys are used in almost all areas of industry, as well as in the manufacturing of household items.

At room temperature, a thin film of oxide (A12O3) forms on aluminum, firmly protecting it from subsequent oxidation. The oxidation time of aluminum increases sharply with increasing temperature.

It is for this reason that in the process of melting aluminum and its alloys in melting furnaces, the surface of the melted material and the mirror of the bath are very quickly covered with an oxide film.

Furnaces for melting aluminum

Often, reverberatory (hearth) furnaces are used in the production of secondary aluminum. This type of furnace for melting aluminum has a large number of modifications. However, all of them are adapted for a standard reverberatory furnace, for special working conditions and a special charge.

Crucible furnaces are no less popular, especially in small industries. Secondary aluminum production often uses rotary furnaces as melting furnaces, especially in order to melt scrap with a high specific surface area, for example, aluminum shavings, as well as very dirty aluminum scrap.

All secondary aluminum producers are divided into two categories:

• companies creating casting alloys for aluminum casting manufacturers
• companies that create aluminum for steel deoxidation. 

Both categories of companies use “old” scrap and production waste from foundries as raw materials. At such plants, in addition to introducing alloying components to refine a certain alloy, they use equipment to purify the aluminum melt and eliminate unwanted chemical elements and other impurities. Rotary melting furnaces are used by these aluminum scrap processors.

Aluminum melting in foundries that produce aluminum castings from recycled aluminum is carried out mainly in crucible furnaces - gas and electric, induction and resistance, both for melting and holding aluminum, as well as for pouring molten aluminum into prepared molds.

The melting point of aluminum oxide is approximately 2050 ° C, which is almost three times higher than the melting point of metallic aluminum. Today, the most popular is the smelting of aluminum in flame reverberatory furnaces, which operate on carbon fuel, and in electric furnaces.

During the melting of aluminum in reverberatory flame furnaces and in chamber electric resistance furnaces, heating of individual pieces of the charge starts in the region of the highest temperatures, i.e. in the upper part. At the same time, the surface of the cage oxidizes at high speed and absorbs many gases.

Inside a channel induction electric furnace, the melting of pieces of aluminum is carried out in the region of highest temperatures under a layer of liquid metal, the surface of which is covered with a film of aluminum oxide. The region of highest temperatures in channel electric furnaces is located in a narrow channel and in the adjacent parts of the charge.

The metal on the surface of the shaft has the lowest temperature, as a result of which the resulting castings from channel electric furnaces contain a lower amount of oxides than castings from other types of furnaces.

Crucible induction electric furnaces have the same advantage, in which, according to technological requirements, a certain amount of liquid metal remains in the crucible at the end of each melt, approximately 20-35% of the capacity of the furnace crucible. An important property of liquid aluminum and its alloys is its ability to absorb gases, including features of hydrogen. In combustion furnaces, a lot of hydrogen collects in the flue gases. In addition, it can be introduced into smelting furnaces of all types as a raw charge.

Liquid aluminum is a good solvent for many metals, such as iron. In this case, brittle compounds FeAl2 and Fe2Al7 are formed, which reduce the quality of castings.

Melting aluminum at home

It is very sad if small but important functional components in a house break down, for example, guides for roller shutters or sliding doors (they can burst), fittings, etc. Most often, such elements are created from aluminum. Finding a replacement for them is problematic, and sometimes a breakdown in the functionality of a door or window needs to be eliminated immediately, at least temporarily.

If you have experience in soldering, you can fix most of the breakdowns of aluminum fittings or profiles yourself. The main problem is obtaining the working material, that is, molten aluminum, with which the broken parts will be soldered. Many people do not know what the melting point of aluminum is. It is about 660 degrees. A standard gas stove is not capable of heating metal to such a temperature.

What to do? First you need to purchase an aluminum ingot, but you can also use scraps of an old profile. To melt aluminum you will need a portable gas torch or blowtorch. Different models of these devices are capable of giving temperatures in the range of 1000 - 1300 degrees. The prepared material must be placed in a refractory container, for example, made of stainless steel.

In addition, we need a calcined steel plate or another container into which we will pour the molten metal.

Sequence of work:

• creating a small “well”. You will need to place a melting container on top
• lighting a fire in the “well”. This is necessary to maintain the container in a heated state after using the burner. A fire will also help warm up the aluminum from below.
• After the formation of hot coals, you can install a container with aluminum. The melting time of aluminum in this way is approximately 15 – 20 minutes. You can also leave the second container or plate to warm up here.
• Next you need to turn on the gas burner to maximum and heat the aluminum from above
• the melting of the metal begins almost instantly, but the goal has not yet been achieved. The task is to obtain uniform heating. To achieve this you need to shake the container periodically.
• during the smelting process, aluminum oxide is formed, which forms scale
• after this, the molten metal must be poured onto a calcined steel surface, carefully so that the scale does not spill out. Now the molten aluminum is ready for further work.

Density of aluminum at 20°C

Purity degree, %	99,25	99,40	99,75	99.97	99,996	99.9998
Density at 20°C, g/cm3	2,727	2,706	2,703	2,6996	2,6989	2,69808

Density of molten aluminum at 1000°C

Purity degree, %	99,25	99.40	99.75
Density, g/cm3	2,311	2,291	2,289

Dependence of the melting temperature of aluminum on purity

Purity degree, %	99,2	99,5	99,6	99,97	99,996
Melting point, °C	657	658	659,7	659,8	660,24

Source: http://mining-prom.ru/cvetmet/alyuminiy/plavlenie-alyuminiya/

Aluminum casting at home

remontoni.guru > Materials > Construction > Aluminum casting at home

There are several ways to cast aluminum in industrial settings. But if melting is planned in domestic conditions, then injection molding technology is unlikely to be suitable. The most suitable option is pouring molten metal into a homemade mold. This technology will be discussed. However, before learning the nuances of casting, it is necessary to understand some of the characteristics of aluminum.

• Characteristics of aluminum
• Melting aluminum at home
• Personal protective equipment when melting
• Casting shape
• Melting crucible
• Melting furnaces
• Melting with a blowtorch
• Step-by-step instructions for casting aluminum in a plaster mold

Melting aluminum at home

To obtain high-quality aluminum at home, fluxes are used, which help bind and bring unnecessary contaminants and impurities to the surface of the molten metal. It is better to use ready-made fluxes , but if it is impossible to purchase them, you can make them yourself. For this purpose, technical salts are used. The coating flux consists of the following components:

• 45% sodium chloride;
• 45% potassium chloride;
• 10% cryolite.

To obtain metal with low porosity, a refining flux is required. To obtain it, sodium fluoride must be added to the coating flux - 25% of the total mass.

Personal protective equipment when melting

The smelting process at home is unsafe. To prevent injury, it is recommended to use protective equipment. The raw materials for smelting may contain residues of dirt or paint, so it is necessary to protect the respiratory organs from their release due to burnout. Welding gloves will help protect your hands from burns. Goggles or a mask are suitable to protect your eyes.

Casting shape

To cast aluminum for solder, simply pour the liquid metal onto a sheet of iron and wait until it cools. But, to produce even a simple part, a casting mold will be needed.

The casting mold can be made from plaster. Liquid plaster is poured into an oiled mold, the model is placed in it and covered with another container with liquid plaster. Molten metal can only be poured into a dry mold.

It is necessary to insert some cylindrical object into the still uncured plaster to create a channel for subsequent pouring of molten metal into the mold.

After the plaster has completely hardened, the two halves of the mold are separated, the model is removed, and the mold is connected again.

Melting crucible

A crucible is a special container made of refractory material with a “spout”. If there is no ready-made crucible, you can make it yourself. A piece of pipe with a fairly large diameter will do. To make such a crucible you will need a welding machine and a grinder. The size of the crucible depends on how much metal needs to be melted.

Melting furnaces

The technological process of aluminum smelting is quite simple. Scrap aluminum is heated in a crucible to the temperature required to melt the metal, kept for some time in the molten state, slag is removed from the surface, then the molten metal is poured into a mold. The melting time depends on the temperature that the furnace can create.

A melting furnace is easy to make with your own hands. The base of the oven is laid out from bricks in the form of a well, in the lower part of which a fire will be lit. Steel rods are laid on top of the bricks, on which a crucible with aluminum scrap is placed.

Step-by-step instructions for casting aluminum in a plaster mold

• A crucible with raw materials is placed on top of the bricks. It needs to be warmed up for about 20 minutes.
• After this, the blowtorch is turned on at full power and the metal begins to heat up from above.
• After some time, the aluminum begins to melt. For more uniform heating, the metal must be stirred with a steel rod, while observing safety precautions.
• When the molten metal reaches a uniform consistency, it can be poured into a mold or poured onto a steel sheet if you need to obtain aluminum for soldering.
• After cooling, dividing the mold into two halves, we remove the cast part from it, which still needs to be further processed: cleaned and, if necessary, drill the necessary holes.

There is nothing complicated in the process of melting aluminum, so this does not require special skills of a foundry worker. All you need is skillful hands and desire.

Source: https://remontoni.guru/materialy/stroitelnye/lityo-alyuminiya-v-domashnih-usloviyah.html

How to melt aluminum at home?

The most common metal on Earth is aluminum. Aluminum objects are an integral part of any home interior and, unfortunately, they are the ones that break most often. That is why most often you may need knowledge of how to melt aluminum at home. And although this sounds daunting and seems like a very complicated process, it is not. The main thing is to know how to melt aluminum at home.

What aluminum should I use?

Before you start melting, you should pay attention to the characteristics of this metal. The melting point of aluminum is not quite high and is only 660 degrees Celsius. Whereas cast iron and steel turn into a liquid state at a higher temperature. Therefore, it is impossible to melt aluminum at home on a gas stove or burner due to the insufficient amount of heat.

To reduce the maximum temperature at which aluminum melts, it will be enough to grind it into powder. But here it is worth considering that aluminum reacts poorly with air and during grinding can easily cause ignition or simply oxidize. It is also worth monitoring the dryness of the added raw materials and avoiding the ingress of water.

Thus, it is worth noting that aluminum raw materials are not used for home smelting due to the difficult work with it. Solid aluminum products are best suited for melting; this minimizes its contact with air.

How to melt aluminum at home and how not to harm yourself?

To melt aluminum you need to know the following:

• You need a crucible for melting. It is a vessel made of refractory material with a spout. Actually, aluminum melts in it. The crucible can be made of cast iron, steel or graphite material. You can make a crucible at home from a steel pipe, but this is a labor-intensive process for those who know how to work with a grinder, a blowtorch, etc.;
• Melting furnace. It must provide a temperature sufficient for melting in order to quickly transform it into a liquid state, which is why a muffle furnace is more suitable for these purposes. You can also use a blowtorch or gas torch. True, in this case, for more efficient melting, it is worth further maintaining the temperature under the crucible over the fire;
• Casting shape. A necessary item if you want to smelt an item of even the most unusual shape. In essence, it is a form consisting of two parts with a cast of the required item inside and a hole for pouring aluminum inside. It can be made at home, or you can buy it ready-made; it is also suitable for reusable use.

If you decide to melt aluminum using a gas torch or blowtorch, you should stock up on bricks, firewood, pliers and a steel rod. First you need to prepare a well from brickwork, then a fire is lit in it, which should burn down to coals.

A vessel with aluminum is placed and heated for twenty minutes. After using a torch or soldering iron, you need to start heating the aluminum at the top, while stirring with a rod. The final stage will be pouring aluminum onto a sheet of steel, which must first be red-hot.

As a result, you get pure aluminum without impurities, which is ideal for soldering.

If you live in an apartment and you have no choice but to melt aluminum at home, then you will have to heat the mixture for a long time on a burner without a divider. In this case, it is necessary to periodically drain the already molten and liquid aluminum.

When it becomes clear how to melt aluminum, it is worth recalling the precautions when working with melting metals. Hands should be protected with welding gloves; welding goggles are ideal to protect your eyes. If you plan to work with aluminum or other metals on a regular basis, then purchasing a special metallurgical suit would be ideal. In any case, you need to protect yourself when working with hot metals.

Don't be intimidated by melting aluminum at home if you need to make an aluminum part. To master this type of foundry production, just watch simple training video courses or photos of the production process.

Source: https://anexmetall.ru/articles/kak-rasplavit-alyuminiy/

Casting aluminum yourself: soldering aluminum at home and types of muffle furnaces

Many people perceive the term "foundry" as something associated with large production and professional skills and abilities. But, in fact, casting a part yourself at home is possible even for the most humanist who knows nothing about casting technology.

How to cast an aluminum part

Metal characteristics

Aluminum is one of the cheapest, most common and accessible metals, which can be easily machined and cast. The main features of aluminum are high electrical and thermal conductivity, as well as increased corrosion resistance.

The boiling point of this silvery-white metal is 2500 °C. Pure aluminum melts at a temperature of 660 °C, and technical aluminum - at 658 °C.

Home heating devices are unlikely to be able to provide such a temperature, so it is better to use a crucible muffle furnace to cast an aluminum part.

Muffle furnace and its purpose

A muffle furnace is an indispensable device for heating various metals yourself at home. Such a device is capable of melting not only aluminum, but also copper and many non-ferrous metals, as well as drying and firing ceramic products.

Types of muffle furnaces

Muffle devices for melting metals are of the following types:

• vacuum;
• air;
• gas;
• electric.

By design they are divided into:

• tubular;
• vertical;
• horizontal;
• bell-shaped

It is recommended to use an electric heater as a heating element, since it is by far the easiest device to operate.

A muffle furnace consists of a heating chamber and a special heat accumulator.

Making a muffle furnace with your own hands

To make the device we will need the following tools and materials:

• wire;
• Bulgarian;
• brick (7 pcs.);
• protective glasses;
• hammer;
• metal bucket;
• piece of iron, etc.

Furnace construction stages:

• Prepare simple bricks that will serve as a temperature accumulator. Using a grinder, cut out a compartment from each side of the brick to create a working space for the electric heater.
• Wrap the bricks with wire for structural strength.
• Install a fireproof chamber, which can be used as a metal bucket or other container made of non-flammable material.
• The furnace body is made of metal sheet (1-1.5 mm).
• Since the working chamber of the device is pre-installed on bricks with a heat-insulating layer, the height of the bucket is calculated with some margin.
• To facilitate the process of twisting the sheet into a pipe, it is recommended to use special reinforcing rings.
• Then you need to connect the ends of the reinforcement so that you get the shape of a circle. A hammer is used for this purpose.
• The rings are installed on a rolled sheet and connected around the circumference. A metal bottom is welded to the lower ring.
• To install the working area, a special hole is made in the brick for the electric heater.
• The bricks must be numbered and laid close to each other, according to the numbering.
• A heating coil made of February or nichrome is installed. To prevent short circuits, the spiral turns are carefully wound at a short distance from each other.
• The elements of the device are fixed with a solution.

For greater functionality, it is possible to install two electric heaters , which can be turned on one after another or simultaneously. For example, for soldering a small amount of raw materials, only one lower heater is turned on, and if the scale of melting is large, two devices are used.

The muffle furnace with vertical loading is very compact, which allows you to store it in the country house, in the garage or on the balcony.

The principle of operation of the furnace is quite simple: the soldering container (crucible) with the raw materials placed there is installed on the working surface of the furnace where it is heated to the required temperature (660 °C). The heated metal is poured into a pre-prepared casting mold, which can be made from plaster or some other non-flammable material. To make the mold, it is recommended to use white or sculptured plaster, which can be purchased at any building materials store.

As mentioned earlier, to solder aluminum in a furnace you need a special ladle (crucible), which is made of a metal that has a melting point higher than that of aluminum or from a refractory material.

Porcelain, graphite, corundum, quartz, steel or cast iron are used to make containers for melting aluminum. The ladle can be purchased at a specialized store or made independently.

The size of the crucible is determined by the expected amount of raw material to be melted.

The metal must be laid as tightly as possible and slightly compressed. Since aluminum loses significant volume during melting, raw materials should be periodically added to the ladle.

Important . The added raw material must be absolutely dry, since even a small amount of moisture entering the hot aluminum can cause a sharp splash, as a result of which the metal splashes out of the furnace and can cause severe burns, especially dangerous if molten aluminum gets into your eyes.

Therefore, before starting work, you should take care of your safety: purchase safety glasses or a mask, or better yet, get a special fire-resistant metallurgist suit.

During the process of melting metal at home, an oxide film will appear on the surface of hot aluminum, and various slag will also form (old paint, dirt particles, etc.). Its quantity directly depends on the quality of the raw materials.

Before pouring the molten metal into molds, it is necessary to remove the slag using special devices. Then it is recommended to keep the aluminum in the oven for some more time to give the metal greater fluidity.

This will greatly simplify its further casting.

Casting an aluminum part yourself

Let's look at the easiest way to solder a part at home.

We will need:

• metal scrap;
• smelting ladle;
• molds.

Process steps:

• Prepare a container for melting aluminum at home. A piece of steel pipe can be used for this purpose.
• Make a mold. For parts with a complex structure, the form may consist of several elements. The mold can be made from plaster (sculptural). Do not use alabaster under any circumstances!
• To prevent the plaster from sticking to the mold container, you must first lubricate it with oil.
• During the process of pouring gypsum, the container must be shaken periodically to prevent the formation of bubbles.

Important . Since plaster hardens very quickly, try to install the model of the part in plaster as soon as possible. It is also recommended to install a small object (for example, a stick) in the plaster, which will serve as a channel for pouring the future part.

• Now the primary layer is poured: in order for the mold elements to lie stable during the casting process, you need to drill 4 small holes.
• The second layer is poured.
• After hardening, carefully remove the mold from the container and divide into halves. To prevent the metal from sticking to the surface of the mold, it should be treated with soot.
• Pour liquid aluminum into the mold and wait until it cools completely.

Thus, following the technology of casting aluminum parts at home, you can make any thing without resorting to outside help. It is only important to strictly follow all safety rules and regulations.

Source: https://stanok.guru/cvetnye-metally-i-splavy/alyuminiy/lite-alyuminiya-v-domashnih-usloviyah.html

Melting aluminum at home step by step instructions

Aluminum and its alloys are used in almost all areas of industry, as well as in the manufacturing of household items.

At room temperature, a thin film of oxide (A12O3) forms on aluminum, firmly protecting it from subsequent oxidation. The oxidation time of aluminum increases sharply with increasing temperature.

It is for this reason that in the process of melting aluminum and its alloys in melting furnaces, the surface of the melted material and the mirror of the bath are very quickly covered with an oxide film.

How to melt aluminum at home

01.04.2019

Aluminum is often used to make parts. Sometimes pieces of aluminum are melted to repair a defect and castings are made. You can melt duralumin fragments and unnecessary radio components. The review presents ways to melt aluminum at home, and what you will need for this. Experts will share their experience and tell you what properties of light metal need to be taken into account in order to melt the metal yourself.

Technology for melting aluminum at home

The essence of melting consists of several stages:

1. Preparation of scrap. The raw materials used are aluminum profiles, wire (preliminarily crushed with pliers), and used parts. The pieces should be small. Paint and inclusions of other metals are not removed from them; all this will be part of the slag.
2. Selecting a container in which to melt aluminum. A durable vessel made of steel (melting point 1300°C) or cast iron (1100°C) is suitable; use ready-made refractory crucibles.
3. Preparing the mold for the melt. At home they are made independently. The manufacturing procedure is presented below.
4. Melting scrap. The heat source is first determined.
5. Slag removal, casting production. The easiest way to melt is to carefully pour liquid aluminum into a prepared container or mold; the slag remains on the walls of the melting vessel. To prevent it from sticking, you need to cool it quickly.

In principle, the technology of industrial and artisanal casting is no different. The scrap is melted until it becomes fluid. After this, the melt is separated from the slag and poured into prepared forms. After the castings have cooled, they are broken.

It is important to determine what should be obtained from liquid aluminum as a result. Even if you decide to melt metal for the sake of experiment, the container or mold for casting still needs to be prepared.

Then it will be possible to examine the resulting ingot, check it for porosity, cleanliness, and uniformity of structure.

Source: https://svarkaprosto.ru/tehnologii/kak-plavit-alyuminij

Melting aluminum at home: step-by-step instructions. Technology for melting aluminum at home:

Aluminum is often used to make parts. Sometimes pieces of aluminum are melted to repair a defect and castings are made. You can melt duralumin fragments and unnecessary radio components. The review presents ways to melt aluminum at home, and what you will need for this. Experts will share their experience and tell you what properties of light metal need to be taken into account in order to melt the metal yourself.

Application

The mechanical properties of aluminum are not so good that it can be used in its pure form. Therefore, alloys based on this substance are most often used. There are many of these, you can name the most basic ones.

1. Duralumin.
2. Aluminum-manganese.
3. Aluminum-magnesium.
4. Aluminum-copper.
5. Silumins.
6. Avial.

Their main difference is, naturally, third-party additives. All of them are based on aluminum. Other metals make the material more durable, corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant and easy to process.

There are several main areas of application of aluminum, both in pure form and in the form of its compounds (alloys).

1. For the production of wire and foil used in everyday life.
2. Making dishes.
3. Aircraft manufacturing.
4. Shipbuilding.
5. Construction and architecture.
6. Space industry.
7. Creation of reactors.

Together with iron and its alloys, aluminum is the most important metal. It was these two representatives of the periodic table that found the most extensive industrial application in human hands.

Raw materials for smelting

If you have to melt aluminum at home, it is not used as a raw material due to the complexity of working with powdered metal.

You can purchase aluminum ingots or use regular aluminum wire, which is cut into small pieces with scissors and pressed tightly with pliers to reduce the area of ​​contact with air.

If a particularly high quality of the product is not expected, then any household items, tin cans without a bottom seam or profile trimming, can be used as raw materials.

Recycled raw materials can be colored or stained, this is not a problem, the excess components will come off as waste. You just need to remember that you cannot inhale the fumes of burnt paint.

In order to obtain high-quality aluminum smelting at home from recycled materials, it is better to purchase ready-made fluxes, the task of which is to bind and bring to the surface of the molten metal all impurities and contaminants. But you can make it yourself from technical salts.

The coating flux is prepared from 10% cryolite and 45% each of sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

Another 25% of the total mass of sodium fluoride is added to the refining flux to obtain aluminum without porosity.

Source: https://instanko.ru/drugoe/temperatura-plavleniya-alyuminiya.html

How to melt aluminum at home

Aluminum is a very common metal in both industry and households. It is not uncommon that when a part breaks, there is a need to smelt a replacement. Melting aluminum at home is attractive because it is possible at a relatively low temperature. To carry out the operation yourself, you need to know the characteristics of the metal when exposed to temperature and its physicochemical properties.

Characteristics

The melting point of aluminum always depends on how pure the metal is. On average it is 660 degrees, with a boiling point of 2500 degrees.

Lightness and plasticity allow it to be perfectly processed by various technological operations.

At normal and elevated temperatures, metal actively interacts with oxygen from the air. In this case, the surface is covered with an oxide film, which serves as protection from further oxidative processes. This must be taken into account, since during melting the composition and structure of the alloy changes noticeably.

Another important characteristic is that sudden cooling can lead to internal stresses and shrinkage of the resulting metal.

Features of the technological process

By and large, remelting aluminum at home should simulate industrial casting. Raw materials prepared for melting must be cleaned of dirt, foreign impurities and possible fillers. Large workpieces must be crushed to the required size.

Casting technology involves performing several operations. During preparation, the scrap is melted in a convenient way. After achieving fluidity, it is necessary to remove the slag from the surface of the melt. The final stage is filling the prepared mold with the molten composition. Disposable forms are broken down as they cool.

At the preliminary stage, it is necessary to decide what is to be melted and what should be obtained. Even if the aluminum alloy is to be melted as an experiment, some form must be prepared. Due to this, you can evaluate the result. The ingot will show its appearance, degree of porosity and purity. Any experiment can be beneficial.

What heat source should I use?

To smelt aluminum at home you can use:

• Homemade muffle furnace. A fairly effective method that allows you to easily melt aluminum.
• An ordinary homemade oven. The natural gas temperature will be sufficient for smelting.
• Gas burner/stove or blowtorch. A completely acceptable method for small volumes of melting.
• A torch or acetylene generator, if available, can also provide the required temperature.

Using a homemade smelting furnace

The easiest way is to lay several fire bricks in the shape of a hearth. It is convenient to use a metal container as a frame. A hole should be made on the side to connect the air supply tube. A suitable metal pipe will do. You need to connect a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer or other device that supplies air to it.

Charcoal is placed in the hearth, the fire is lit and air is supplied. The container in which the aluminum will be melted is placed in the furnace. It is also necessary to line the sides with coal. The best option would be to create a lid so as not to waste heat. You can only make a passage for smoke.

Application of kitchen stove

For piece melting it is not necessary to create your own stove. You can reach the required temperature even using household gas. Given the mass of aluminum blanks for melting, the procedure itself will not take more than 0.5 hours.

You can take any suitable container, for example a tin can. It houses crushed and cleaned aluminum. However, it will not be possible to melt aluminum simply by putting a jar on fire; the required temperature is not reached. To preserve heat, the following scheme has been invented.

A jar with a crowbar is placed inside another, larger one, on supports so that a gap of up to 10 mm is maintained. In a larger jar, 30-40 mm holes are prepared in order for the flame to fit. In this case, there is no need to remove the burner divider.

The resulting structure is installed above the burner. The burning flame will pass into the inside of the larger jar and heat the container with the metal. In this case, a large tin will act as a kind of shell that retains heat. a suitable lid is placed, but a gap is left so that combustion products escape. When heating, the intensity of the flame must be adjusted.

Using the crucible and auxiliary equipment

The previous method is good, but the jar cannot withstand more than one use and may burn out. In this case, there is a risk of metal spilling onto the burner.

To work in the furnace several times, it is recommended to prepare a special container - a crucible. It is made of steel. It is quite possible to use a piece of pipe whose bottom is welded. A good device can be obtained if you use a cut-off fire extinguisher or a small oxygen cylinder with an oval profile. In this case, it is worthwhile to provide for the presence of a side chute for draining molten aluminum.

This may require auxiliary equipment, such as pliers. The ideal case would be to use side clamps and lower fixed stops - analogues of industrial installations. You will also need a long spoon to skim off the slag.

How to make a casting mold

The main tasks when melting aluminum include preparing the mold in which the liquid metal will be placed. The melt can be poured in various ways, but the main ones are open and closed casting forms.

Open method

The simplest option is to pour molten aluminum into an existing container, for example, a tin can. After the metal hardens, the ingot is removed. To facilitate removal from a form that has not yet completely cooled down, it is necessary to tap slowly.

If you don’t need a specific clear shape, you can simply pour the liquid alloy onto a non-flammable surface.

Closed method

If it is intended to produce more complex shapes or ingots, then first of all a mold must be produced that meets all the characteristics of the part. To ensure greater accuracy, it is made of several components.

Materials used for molds
If an open method is assumed, then the simplest ingredient that can always be found is mainly used - silica. The soil must be laid using layer-by-layer compaction. A mock-up mold is placed between the layers, leaving an imprint after compaction. This model is subsequently removed and molten metal is poured in its place.

In some cases, river sand is used to create forms, to which liquid glass is added. Less commonly, cement mixture and brake fluid.

When it is necessary to create a model with a complex configuration, plaster is often used. However, it can mainly be used once. When aluminum is cast into a plaster mold, a paraffin or foam blank can serve as a model.

When using paraffin, the workpiece is immersed in plaster. In this case, it is necessary to leave a small hole into which the wax is poured after the mold hardens and reheats.

If foam plastic is supposed to be used, then it is poured inside a plaster mold, in which it remains until it hardens. Subsequently, liquid metal is poured directly onto it. Due to the temperature, it melts and evaporates, and the vacated cavity is occupied by aluminum. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that the work should be carried out in a well-ventilated area or in the open air, since evaporated foam vapors are harmful to health.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

1. The plaster mold is very convenient for casting the required configuration, but plaster is sensitive to moisture. If the mold is dried in the usual way, it may remain in the composition, which reduces the quality of the casting, as it contributes to the formation of bubbles and potholes. For this reason, drying must be carried out over several days.
2. The temperature of the molten aluminum must be sufficient so that it has time to fill the entire space of the mold before it begins to solidify. Therefore, after melting, you should not hesitate to pour it.
3. It is not advisable to immerse molded metal in water to speed up the solidification process. This leads to disruption of the aluminum structure and cracks.

Security measures

The operating technology involves the use of an open flame, which leads to certain limitations. Before starting work, it is worth preparing fire extinguishing equipment, checking the functionality and serviceability of gas equipment and ventilation.

Handling molten aluminum is dangerous. Therefore, work should be carried out taking into account safety precautions. It is imperative to use special clothing, eye and respiratory protection.

The following videos will show the necessary instructions and help you understand step-by-step algorithms for actions and operations with molten metal.

Source: https://oxmetall.ru/metalli/alyuminij/kak-rasplavit-alyuminij

How to quickly melt aluminum - Metals, equipment, instructions

Aluminum is a very common metal in both industry and households. It is not uncommon that when a part breaks, there is a need to smelt a replacement.

  Melting aluminum at home is attractive because it is possible at a relatively low temperature.

To carry out the operation yourself, you need to know the characteristics of the metal when exposed to temperature and its physicochemical properties.