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DIY Copper Smelting

Most metals exist in a mixture of elements known as an ore rather than in a pure metallic state. Copper is also usually found mixed with other elements such as silicon and oxygen in ores with names such as azurite or malachite. To extract pure copper from one of these ores, you must smelt the ore in a furnace capable of safely melting copper at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. You will also need a flux --- some substance that will join with the other elements in the copper ore at high temperatures and form a separate compound.

Things You'll Need

Copper ore
Iron oxide
Safety glasses
Gloves
3-lb. hammer
Black iron pipe
Small blower
Charcoal
Flat sandstone blocks

Instructions

- 1
  Acquire a few pounds of copper ore. You can do so at one of the many mineral deposits in the United States. Look for the locations of these deposits on the USGS Mineral Resources Data System website (see the link in the Resources section). Check to verify you can remove specimens from the property legally before taking them with you. You can also buy samples of specific copper ores on the Internet.
- 2
  Buy a similar amount of flux. To smelt most copper ores, iron oxide will be the correct flux to use. Iron oxide can be found in large quantities as a ceramic pigment for sale in pottery supply stores. At high temperature the oxygen in iron oxide will form a separate liquid compound called slag with the oxygen and silicates in the copper ore. This will allow pure copper to separate and pool.
- 3
  Don safety glasses and sturdy gloves. The glasses will protect you from fragments of rock during the pounding. The gloves are for handling the sandstone blocks after they have become hot.
- 4
  Crush the copper ore using a three-pound hammer until it is reduced to a mixture that resembles gravel and powder. Mix this with a similar amount of iron oxide, or whatever flux that you are using for this particular copper ore.
- 5
  Build a furnace pit. Dig a hole about 30 centimeters deep and 20 centimeters wide. Make an opening on one side that leads to the bottom of the pit. Insert a black iron pipe in this opening. Attach an electric blower to the outer end of the pipe and seal this connection.
- 6
  Pour in charcoal so that it covers the bottom of the pit. Set this charcoal on fire and cover the pit with flat sandstone blocks. Arrange these blocks so that you leave a small hole in the center of the furnace's ceiling. Allow the furnace pit to heat for an hour.
- 7
  Add a mixed handful of copper ore, flux and charcoal by dropping it through the opening you left between the sandstone slabs. Do this every 30 minutes until you have put all the copper ore in the furnace. Use the blower to stoke the fire throughout this period.
- 8
  Remove the sandstone slabs after allowing the pit to cool for an hour. Remove the sandstone blocks. You should see a lot of slag fragments and some pieces of metallic copper. The hammer can easily separate these chunks if they are stuck together.

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