Melting Nickels

I'm pretty sure Canadian nickels were pure nickel up until '81. Since they aren't US currency they're fair game to melt in the US. Melting them might be a problem for some folks though since pure nickel melts at 2650 degrees.
 
I have $4 worth of nickels in a crucibul all stuck together with flux but couldnt get them hot enough to melt. I guess I need to turbo charge my forge and try it again.
 
Just so you know, at the time of your original post it was still fine to melt nickles. However this last year they passed a new law and it's illegal to melt pennies and nickles now because they're worth more as scrap than they are face value and people were buying them to melt down.
 
Bruce Bump said:
I have $4 worth of nickels in a crucibul all stuck together with flux but couldnt get them hot enough to melt. I guess I need to turbo charge my forge and try it again.
Click to expand...

I used a tig welder at work to melt some 1950's and 1960's nickels a few years ago. I used an oxy acetelene torch in a metal smithing class in college.

another good source for nickel silver, is silver plated flatware. cheap at garage sales and flea markets.
 
Bruce Bump said:
I have $4 worth of nickels in a crucibul all stuck together with flux but couldnt get them hot enough to melt. I guess I need to turbo charge my forge and try it again.
Click to expand...

I used a tig welder at work to melt some 1950's and 1960's nickels a few years ago. I used an oxy acetelene torch in a metal smithing class in college.

another good source for nickel silver, is silver plated flatware. cheap at garage sales and flea markets.
 
I think they just change this and nickels and pennies are no illegal to melt down as their metal is worth more than their face value. The question is when did you melt them. I got into this when asking about using quarters to make makome. That is legal, but so far I have either got a poor joining or splattered the stack all over
 
dolpin2 is right. thats why canadian money wont work in our pop machines. a magnet will catch them as they would steel slugs. i probably have a bunch of them laying around somewhere if i look.
 
This is an ingot I made from nickels that I melted with my inert gas arc smelter.
Some day I will forge it flat and use it for a guard.

ferro-nickelalloy001-web.jpg
 
Last edited:
ib2v4u said:
I think they just change this and nickels and pennies are no illegal to melt down as their metal is worth more than their face value. The question is when did you melt them. I got into this when asking about using quarters to make makome. That is legal, but so far I have either got a poor joining or splattered the stack all over
Click to expand...

Jim I have done this,,I stacked about 5 quarters in a pair of flat tongs.You have to really watch the surface of the coins,when it gets a glassy look,take them out of the forge and tap the top of the tongs lightly with a small hammer and if it's the right temp they stick,but every time you forge to shape ,get the same glassy metallic look.Kind of like when you forgeweld.You can also drill grind,or twist to get a different look.Butch
 
I have been using a small graphite mold that I machined out to make quater mokume. I clamp the tongs on and stick it in the forge until I see some liquid forming around the edge of the quarters. Then I take it out and give it a light tamp with a 1" chunk of round bar and then repeat the process. I also put a layer of nickle silver powder betwen each quarter to fill the voids. So far I have had great sucess using this process.

Even if they completely melt you still will have a cupr-nickle slug to use.

mokumecrucible-web.jpg


mokumecloseup-web.jpg
 
Good stuff guys! What if I want to melt nickels in my forge. Whats the best way to do that? Stainless steel or graphite crucible? Do I need flux? My forge only goes up to 2400f Do I need to supplement with a torch maybe?
 
Graphite can take the heat and they will not stick to it either. 2400 is more then enough to melt cupro-nickel.
 
I believe nickel 400 is the same 75-25 mix, expensive though. Nickels may actually be cheaper. I use a material that is 60 40 mix and it looks really cool. Takes a blue hue when polished well, and holds up really well. It is cast so you can see some of the casting crystal growth. You may also look into a 90-10 mix used for propeller shafting. Much more scratch resistant and much harder to work. Monel is the trade name for cupra-nickel.

Chuck
 
A C Richards said:
I believe nickel 400 is the same 75-25 mix, expensive though. Nickels may actually be cheaper. I use a material that is 60 40 mix and it looks really cool. Takes a blue hue when polished well, and holds up really well. It is cast so you can see some of the casting crystal growth. You may also look into a 90-10 mix used for propeller shafting. Much more scratch resistant and much harder to work. Monel is the trade name for cupra-nickel.

Chuck
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I think I read where due to increasing metal values that the metal in a nickel is now valued at about 7 cents. Thats why you are not supposed to melt them down. Pennies "bullion value" is a bit over a penny and everything else is way under the monetary value.

http://www.moneyweek.com/file/23192/why-its-now-illegal-to-melt-down-us-coins.html
 
A C Richards said:
I believe nickel 400 is the same 75-25 mix, expensive though. Nickels may actually be cheaper. I use a material that is 60 40 mix and it looks really cool. Takes a blue hue when polished well, and holds up really well. It is cast so you can see some of the casting crystal growth. You may also look into a 90-10 mix used for propeller shafting. Much more scratch resistant and much harder to work. Monel is the trade name for cupra-nickel.

Chuck
Click to expand...

Chuck would you tell more about your 60 40 mix? It sounds interesting. Do you blend it yourself? Where do you buy the stock?
 
if you were going to melt them and pour them into a mold..what would you use for a mold?...could you use damp silica sand?
 
Look at those post dates. :eek:
This thread started at 1:52 AM in 2005, was resurrected at 12:52 AM on 2007 and comes back late at 12:49 AM at night in 2008.:D
Sleep deprivation must be a factor ?

Sand casting might work, but a cristobalite (investment) mold would be better.
Stacy
 
Its alive again! I've missed this old thread. Thanks for bringing her back again for another roll.
I still have that graphite crucible with about a pound of stuck together nickels. How hot do I need? I forgot.
 
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