Spindrift
Well-Known Member
In my casting- and smelting area, I have a growing heap av slag. This obviously contains quite a lot of metal, as it is heavy. And in theory, it should be richer in the alloying compounds than the alloy from which it is skimmed (because of the oxide layer/incomplete flux reduction). Therefore, I have wondered wether it is possible to salvage the metal contained in the slag.
Today, at the end of a little smelting seession, I tried to melt the some of the slag to see if I could segregate the alloy contained within. Melted it on a burner, and used a gas torch to heat the top layer. It segregated nicely. The salvaged alloy has a «pencil hardness number» of 20-22, while the original alloys from which the slag was skimmed was BHN13, and 18.
Maybe I am to impatient when I flux and skim my melt, throwing away antimon/tin before it can be reduced back into the melt....
Anyway, salvaging the alloy contained within my slag heap seems to be both simple and quick enough to be meaningful.
Today, at the end of a little smelting seession, I tried to melt the some of the slag to see if I could segregate the alloy contained within. Melted it on a burner, and used a gas torch to heat the top layer. It segregated nicely. The salvaged alloy has a «pencil hardness number» of 20-22, while the original alloys from which the slag was skimmed was BHN13, and 18.
Maybe I am to impatient when I flux and skim my melt, throwing away antimon/tin before it can be reduced back into the melt....
Anyway, salvaging the alloy contained within my slag heap seems to be both simple and quick enough to be meaningful.