Coin/Round Separating copper from zinc

[raje allday]

Well on top of getting into refining I like to coin hunt and go through lots of coin rolls someone else is posted about stacking copper in anticipation for possible stopping the vintage of pennies I've more been interested in separating the copper from the pennies and selling that I here it's not cost-effective... To Milton down and whatnot but I'm thinking about other ways such as hydro metallurgy or maybe if you can somehow hook them up to an electrolysis and plate it out use the actual copper pennies maybe slightly heat them up just till they get together and then use them as actual anodes or would they be the cathode I can't remember right now but I just like some information about that if anybody has any experience in doing this figure once I get like you know 50 lbs worth of pre-1982s that would be at least 40 pounds worth of copper. And I hear it's a three to one ratio so if I'm already doing it anyway as far as you know getting the pennies now I just save them up and triple my money on them instead of just returning them back to Banks or going to the grocery store 10 rolls of pennies before then paying the rest

 

[M.A. Buth]

Hey raje, before you get started, a crucial legal note: under U.S. law it’s generally illegal to melt down or deface U.S. coins. The statutes prohibit willfully mutilating or altering coins—even for scrap purposes—so if you decide to go this route, you could be breaking the law. It’s a good idea to consult a legal expert or check with the U.S. Mint if you have any questions about this.

That aside, if you’re looking for a simpler way to process your pre‑1982 pennies (which are mostly copper) without diving into complex chemical separation, here’s a straightforward method:

Melting Down the Pennies to Obtain Brass

1. Gather & Prepare:
Collect your pre‑1982 pennies and clean them as best you can to remove dirt and grime.

2. Furnace Setup:
Use a small furnace or foundry that can safely reach the melting temperature for the coins. A modest, properly ventilated setup is sufficient—no need for a heavy-duty system.

3. Add Flux:
When heating the pennies, add the appropriate flux. The flux helps prevent oxidation and assists the coins in coalescing into a uniform liquid. Note that this process won’t separate the zinc from the copper—instead, you’ll end up with brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.

4. Melt & Pour:
Once the coins are fully melted into a homogeneous liquid, carefully pour the molten metal into a mold to form ingots or bars. Your final product will be brass.

Brass is simply an alloy made from copper and zinc (sometimes with a few other metals mixed in). Because of the zinc content, brass generally fetches a lower scrap price than pure copper. For example, current US scrap prices for brass are around \$2.10 per pound, while pure copper might run about \$4.00 per pound.

Value Comparison (Based on 50 lbs)

- Selling as Brass:
For a 50‑lb batch, at about \$2.10 per pound, you’d get:
50 lbs × \$2.10/lb ≈ \$105.

- Extracting Pure Copper (for comparison):
If you were to go through a more involved process (like acid leaching and electrolysis) to extract nearly pure copper from the pennies (which are about 95% copper), you might fetch roughly:
50 lbs × \$4.00/lb ≈ \$200.

In short, melting down the pennies with flux to obtain brass is a simpler, lower‑investment route. However, keep in mind that not only does it yield a product with a lower market value, but the process of melting coins may also have legal implications.

Happy scrapping!

 

[raje allday]

Hey raje, before you get started, a crucial legal note: under U.S. law it’s generally illegal to melt down or deface U.S. coins. The statutes prohibit willfully mutilating or altering coins—even for scrap purposes—so if you decide to go this route, you could be breaking the law. It’s a good idea to consult a legal expert or check with the U.S. Mint if you have any questions about this.

That aside, if you’re looking for a simpler way to process your pre‑1982 pennies (which are mostly copper) without diving into complex chemical separation, here’s a straightforward method:

Melting Down the Pennies to Obtain Brass

1. Gather & Prepare:
Collect your pre‑1982 pennies and clean them as best you can to remove dirt and grime.

2. Furnace Setup:
Use a small furnace or foundry that can safely reach the melting temperature for the coins. A modest, properly ventilated setup is sufficient—no need for a heavy-duty system.

3. Add Flux:
When heating the pennies, add the appropriate flux. The flux helps prevent oxidation and assists the coins in coalescing into a uniform liquid. Note that this process won’t separate the zinc from the copper—instead, you’ll end up with brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.

4. Melt & Pour:
Once the coins are fully melted into a homogeneous liquid, carefully pour the molten metal into a mold to form ingots or bars. Your final product will be brass.

Brass is simply an alloy made from copper and zinc (sometimes with a few other metals mixed in). Because of the zinc content, brass generally fetches a lower scrap price than pure copper. For example, current US scrap prices for brass are around \$2.10 per pound, while pure copper might run about \$4.00 per pound.

Value Comparison (Based on 50 lbs)

- Selling as Brass:
For a 50‑lb batch, at about \$2.10 per pound, you’d get:
50 lbs × \$2.10/lb ≈ \$105.

- Extracting Pure Copper (for comparison):
If you were to go through a more involved process (like acid leaching and electrolysis) to extract nearly pure copper from the pennies (which are about 95% copper), you might fetch roughly:
50 lbs × \$4.00/lb ≈ \$200.

In short, melting down the pennies with flux to obtain brass is a simpler, lower‑investment route. However, keep in mind that not only does it yield a product with a lower market value, but the process of melting coins may also have legal implications.

Happy scrapping!

I have heard about de facing currency as being illegal but I mean with what's going on in this presidency I think they got bigger stuff to worry about.


I do like going to brass though it still pays pretty decent of course from what I heard right now a penny is worth three cents as copper so and that might not be financially feasible w gas and time brass is like half the price then and be looking at 1.5 cents per one cent put in