How to Smelt Metals
Smelting is the process of extracting metal from rocks known as ore. Extracting metals from ore has been essential for human development through the ages. Smelting is a simple process, using heat to melt the metal and a reducing agent to separate it from the rock. Different metal ores require different temperatures to melt, so smelting requires a fuel that burns as hot as possible, such as coke or charcoal.
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Things You'll Need
- Furnace
- Fuel such charcoal or coke
- Bellows
- Cast iron pan
- Sledgehammer
- Iron rod
- Metal ore
- Limestone
- Mold or crucible
Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Fill the furnace with fuel. Coke does not produce as much heat as charcoal but burns longer. Use charcoal if smelting a metal with a high melting point.
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2
Light the furnace and allow the coke or charcoal to get hot. Coke needs to burn red before any smelting can take place. Use the bellows to add oxygen, helping the coke burn hotter. The fuel may need constant replacing to prevent the temperature from dropping, especially if using charcoal, so use the cast iron pan to add more.
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3
Break up the ore into small pieces with a sledge hammer --- the smaller the better. Scoop up broken rock with the cast iron pan. Break up the charcoal and limestone too and leave them aside for later use.
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4
Insert the ore on the cast iron pan into the furnace. Watch for any bubbling on the rock which suggest that melting is taking place.
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5
Remove the pan and add charcoal. Stir together with the iron rod and reinsert back into the furnace. The charcoal acts a reducing agent, removing the oxygen and separating the metals. Keep it in the furnace for several minutes. If using charcoal as a fuel, this step is not needed.
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6
Remove the iron pan and add limestone. The limestone acts as a flux to separate the metal from the unwanted rock, known as slag. Reinsert them back into the furnace. After a few minutes the metal will bubble to the surface. Remove the pan and pour off the metal into a mold or crucible. Once cool the metal will harden.
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Tips & Warnings
If storing the metal in a crucible, placing it into the furnace will melt the metal again allowing it to be poured into a mold at a later time.
Molten metal is extremely hot, gloves and other protective clothing should always be worn and care should be taken when removing the iron pan from the furnace.
References
Resources
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