# Raw material ??



## ksor (May 21, 2009)

I'm a complete newbie to this casting - the only things I have casted is lead for my fishing rod years back.

Now I seldom go fishing and take a beer instead and I have got a lot of these beer cans - can they be used as raw materiel for casting a flywheel or stuff like that for models ? :-\ :-\ :-\ :-\


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## 2manyhobbies (May 21, 2009)

Usually flywheels are made of a heavier material than aluminum such as cast iron or brass. As for can material being good to cast an engine frame or cylinder with I do not know, you may want to pose this question in the home foundry section. With that said don't stop drinking beer just because you can't make a flywheel out of the can :big:
Cheers
Brad


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## wmf138 (May 21, 2009)

Dont have that problem here in South Australia 

we down here take our cans to the recyclers and get rid of them 

Oh we get 10cents a can for them 

10 for a $1.00 au or 45p i think 85c US 

not bad

Wayne


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## Majorstrain (May 21, 2009)

I've been told that cans can be used as a material source. But because their surface is so large compared to their thickness, you end up loosing %50 to dross.

Cheers
Phil


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## PTsideshow (May 21, 2009)

yes and no, First the cans are coated both inside and out with a plastic type coating, one to keep the product fresh and the other to keep the printing ink on the outside.

No going along with keeping them clean and free of trash and moisture inside. If they are crushed water or other liquid can be trapped inside and water expands something like 1,100to 1,200 times when changed to steam.

And if you weigh them you will see that even for a small casting you will need a boatload.

Plus the fact that the smoke and fumes from the coatings may be toxic!

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/forums The guy that started the above forum. Started by beverage cans and aluminum lawn chairs.

Biggest reason is the old Time, Fuel, Money equation.

Takes to much time, you use to much fuel and you waste to much money.


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## bentprop (May 21, 2009)

If you have any computer hard drives lying around,the main frame of these uses a high grade of alloy,which apparently works very nicely as casting material.That's the only reason I kept those bits!
Cans are ok,but you need a LOT of cans to get a reasonable amount of metal.


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## PTsideshow (May 21, 2009)

With any scrap like the hard drives when you strip them down make sure you get all the steel pins,axles and screws and any other things that make up the hard drives. Any foreign matter in the melting pot can cause unwanted fire works, No moisture, oil or grease, contrary to popular belief it doesn't just burn off. Any material in the mix can cause a number of problems, plus the possibility of eruption of molten metal. 

Don't jam the metal in there the crucible can break as the metal melts, if it packed in to tightly. You need to have some good circulation. And when adding metal to the melt, slide it in instead of dropping it in or throwing it in. And make sure it is dry!
glen


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