Copper casting

[CANNONMAN]

I'm the kinda guy who stops in the middle of the hwy to pick up a wheel weight to add to my lead supply. Now most weight are steel and a lot of pick'n places are forced into some type of recovery. Add in the Gov'ment and who knows what's going to happen to us casters? I hear more and more about copper and have amassed a fair quantity. Any advice on how to pull copper from electric motors and any suggestions on casting this stuff? I wouldn't want to get in trouble putt'n lead back into the ground from whence it came! I do believe the EPA will be looking at us the same way the IRS is looking at your health care. Besides, my lead cannon balls literally explode on impact. I think I would get some very interesting terminal ballistics with copper. As always, Thanks!

"Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal." E.J. Cossman

 

[4v50 Gary]

Electric motors generally have copper wire that can be unwrapped.

I'd look into the local community college for a bronze casting class. It may be in their art department. I'd like to take one just to learn the stuff to cast a brass/bronze cannon --- you know, just in case the British want to go another round.

 

[damoc]

wow if you ever do work it out let me know where you are fireing ill go out with my metal detector and get rich.


I would love to know how to cast a cannon as well even a small one
ive done some very small brass casts in a forge but the fuel and handleing
requirements to forge something cannon size is overwhelming.

cannonman in case you didnt get my little dig why would you want to shoot
away a precious metal? honestly even shooting lead in those quantities gets expensive.

I think many of the early cannon balls were made from steel? that may be a better choice.

cheers

 

[damoc]

as far as pulling it copper from motors some will just unwind others will need to be burned first
others may be snipped apart with a angle grinder if all you want is the metal value

 

[CANNONMAN]

The future of lead

I would harvest my lead cannon balls if the wouldn't shatter. Copper, I figure is gonna happen one way or the other. How much fun to go cannon ball hunting to recast or reshoot if copper holds up. I'd love to shoot steel but, 3" balls... well there are a lot of problems. 4v50, I'll send you one of the windings if you think you could figure an easy way to unwind one. I tried several aggravating methods that did not work. The last thing that didn't really work for me was a cutting torch. It didn't work. It was messy, and cost a bit for gas. I know there are areas where shooting lead is already banned.

"Success is more in my attitude. Aptitude is how I make my living." CANNONMAN

Ps, First attempt at loading a file. I'd like to show you folks a few of my favorite cannons. hope this worked...

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I had a very rudimentary sand casting class in 8th grade metal shop. While much of my schooling in such fields failed to accumulate in the gray matter, the molasses and sand, making molds and sprues stuck in my mind for some reason. Over the years several times, we cast small things at home with lead and aluminum. Been thinking about doing copper.

I actually melted aluminum cans in a wood fire and poured the aluminum into a small sand mold. It was only a cast of a small figurine, but it worked quite well and the 8 yr old that was visiting was thrilled with it. I also have a bucket of high temp casting plaster and made cast monogrammed pewter napkin rings for the MIL a few years ago.

The idea of casting a cannon has intrigued me for years. But casting a thunder mug would probably be much easier. Just take an old beer stein and fill in the interior with clay for a model. The problem is the hot molasses smell always makes me hungry for shoo fly pie.

 

[damoc]

well if you get around to trying steel some of the mines used them for a giant ball mill
so that may be a source.

As Zimmer said aluminium is pretty easy to cast and is plentifull but of course its light
as compared to lead,brass and steel which in some cases could be fun I wold think of it as my cannon plinking round.

whatever you do dont waste good copper/brass PRETTY PLEASE

another point about brass and copper casting the fuel cost will be mch higher than
lead or aluminium so that is also something to consider

 

[4v50 Gary]

I don't think Cannonman or anyone else here will waste bronze, brass or copper. That stuff is like lead: poor man's gold! Actually, the increase in metals price is actually a reflection of the weakening of the federal reserve note and the policy of quantitative easing, but that's not an appropriate subject for this forum.

 

[Busyhands94]

I've made a "white trash furnace" before. What I did was built up a dirt mound about three feet high, dug a hole in the center. I ran a 2" steel pipe down into the hole from the side, sort of like a giant corncob pipe. Got some hardwood charcoal and a shop vac and attached the hose to the reverse end (the one that blows air out) and duct taped that to the steel pipe. I filled the center hole with the hardwood charcoal, poured some lighter fluid on it, let it burn a minute or two and turned on the air pump.

With this setup I've melted aluminum, copper, brass even a file I was trying to anneal but left in for too long. Keep feeding the thing coal, and it'll keep on melting.

For a crucible you'll want to go with ceramic or do as I did, get some large iron pipe nipple and buy and end cap for it. Weld a few feet of 1/2" rebar onto it for a handle and there you go. It should work for everything that melts below iron or steel.

Be careful and have fun melting stuff!
~Levi

 

[Field Tester]

Electric motors generally have copper wire that can be unwrapped.

I'd look into the local community college for a bronze casting class. It may be in their art department. I'd like to take one just to learn the stuff to cast a brass/bronze cannon --- you know, just in case the British want to go another round.

Gary,

That last line had me in stitches!

 

[DaveP (UK)]

Gary,

That last line had me in stitches!

Umm, Why?

 

[desidog]

What's the going rate for copper?

One of the houses i designed was burglarized mid-construction, and all the newly installed copper wire was ripped out; i presume for scrap value.

i'd think that casting concrete or plaster balls would be a lot easier; and the impacts more identifiable.

Are you looking to get multiple shots out of one ball?

 

[kBob]

The only way I know to get good and no void casting with copper is with a centrifuge. This is what one local jewelry maker does. Scare the beegebers out of me to be slinging molten copper around.

I am thinking stock pilling lead makes a lot more sense.

-kBob

 

[BCRider]

Copper casting is a whole other level. You ain't gonna do it with a little plug in melting pot like we do with lead.

If we end up having to go to some other metal for muzzle loading I doubt that it'll be copper either. Copper is fine for sabot hunting and the like but good luck trying to shave off a ring in our C&B revolvers or impressing the rifling through a patch for round ball down the front of a muzzle loader. It's simply too hard a metal even in the softer pure form.

And at present copper still costs WAY more than lead. If you manage to scrounge copper then trade it in for the scrap value and use it to buy lead from the metal suppliers. Even with the scrap price to full store price on lead you'll still come out ahead on a pound for pound basis.

Hey, the very earliest cannons didn't use cast iron balls either. Iron was too costly in those days to simply throw it at the enemy. Instead rocks were chiseled to be roughly round and then shot from the very early bound wood cannons and mortars. Later that turned into chiseled round rocks shot from the early steel and bronze cannon and mortars. It was only quite a bit later on that cast iron balls were introduced.

And finally, just to add. Isn't one way of killing off a bothersome tree to spike it with a few copper nails? So what's it going to do to our forests if we go out and start sticking copper bullets into the trunks during plinking sessions or when hunter's rounds penetrate the animal and bury in the tree behind?

 

[CANNONMAN]

Rock cannon balls

Here's some cannoneering. In them early days of shooting cannons at each other. [Can you imagine shooting cannons at each other?] They all liked iron balls. Lots of great ballistics, lots of damage. Problem was, and this also goes to the question on if I would re-use copper balls, that the other guy could go get the ball just shot at him and send it back in the same manner in which it was delivered. The Rock balls would shatter on impact and render them useless. [Except for those who enjoyed large three dimensional jigsaw puzzles.] I thoroughly enjoyed finding Easter eggs and I just know how much fun it would be to go hunt copper cannon balls. "Hey Cannonman! Whatcha do'n this weekend?" "Well the guys are gett'n together for a BBQ out at the cannon range and then were going on a copper cannon ball hunt." I am probably going to be locked up in the funny farm for this one.

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." A. Schweitzer

 

[4v50 Gary]

that the other guy could go get the ball just shot at him and send it back in the same manner in which it was delivered.

The Chinese had trebuchets too and they'd tie ropes around the rock. After it hit the enemy, they'd drag it back, damaging things or crushing the unwary along the way. There was an incident in the Three Kingdoms where one nation was out of arrows. They duped the enemy into firing volleys at them and collected the arrows for themselves.

I wouldn't shoot copper as it is too expensive.

 

[CANNONMAN]

Uncle!

ok, you guys win! I won't shoot my copper... I'm a gonna melt down all that silver eye been sav'n. Hunt me sum vampires!

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory." I. Bergman

 

[BCRider]

....I'm a gonna melt down all that silver eye been sav'n. Hunt me sum vampires!

Um... perhaps go after the werewolves. You might have better luck.....

 

[kBob]

Yes, for vampires you might want to build a flechette round of bundled #2 Yellow Fabers.........Use a little duct tape for the fleching. Don't forget to load half of them backwards...... and watch "Love at first Bite" before hunting Vampires.... it's the cape I am sure......

-kBob

 

[ofitg]

A lot of people shoot cans filled with concrete..... you still get the deep-pitched "boom" from the cannon, and that is half of the fun anyway. Accuracy will suffer, but you might not even notice unless you have good sights installed on the barrel.

 

[Pancho]

Has anyone considered casting cannonballs out of concrete? It may be a brain fart, I've had more than my share.

 

[Patocazador]

There was an incident in the Three Kingdoms where one nation was out of arrows. They duped the enemy into firing volleys at them and collected the arrows for themselves.

Remember the territorial "war" that Belize and Guatemala had about 40 years ago? They had to call a truce because both sides ran out of ammo.

It is now illegal for recyclers to buy copper in Fla. unless you can provide a legit paper trail. You can buy it from them, however.

 

[Jim Watson]

My only expedition in the field was with a battery of CW reenactors practicing for a live fire match.
Their main gun was a 20 lb Parrott, loaded with a cast zinc cylindro-conical projectile having a pre-engraved copper gas check screwed to its base. They mined the berm for their zinc after shooting.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

When I lived in Arlington VA 30 years ago, thieves stole the copper gutters off the Baptist Church on the corner, stole the brass plaque off the corner stone and the cast aluminum sign in the front lawn of the church. They also stole a few bronze veteran markers in the cemetery. Figured it was Atheists that done it.

A buddy had a really nice looking brass plaque mounted to the brick facade of his house. "On this site, April 23, 1834, (print got smaller)absolutely nothing occurred" I gotta make one of those. Some folks in the neighborhood actually thought his house was a historical site, having never read the plaque's smaller print.

 

[72coupe]

These little cannons shoot an iron projectile with a brass driving band out of a steel case. Accuracy is quite good but the range is only about 8 miles.