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So I’ve accumulated a few hundred heatsinks from ewaste purchases. I’ve been melting them down and pouring bars because…. Why not?

My question is: what, if anything do you do with handmelt aluminum? I know most yards don’t take them and it looks like there’s a small market for them on eBay, but what do you do with it?

austin86 said it all. That said your only two options

That said, you can buy burn off paper outlines you use to pour into sand.

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I hesitate to even mention this alternative use, as it may offend someone who practices Jainism, as it commits violence against living creatures, and some people might jump at the suggetion without having a proper understanding of the dangers involved.
I have seen and acquired metal "ant trees", or tunnel casts where one pours molten lead (too heavy and breaks too easily) or molten aluminum over an ant mound (after scooping out a shallow basin to pour into which will form the base for the ant tunnel sculpture once the pour is excavated and cleaned. It is a use for old aluminum melt. I do not recommend it as it is dangerous, as molten metal and soil that is even faintly damp pretend it is dynamite or a bomb, and boom is neither artistic nor a recognized musical note. While Paint splatters on canvass by Jackson Pollock are pleasing to the eye and sell for big money, molten metal splattered on your skin and eyeballs are definitely not in demand. Since SE Tennessee is relatively close to aluminum smelters, most local buyers pay good prices for any types of aluminum, Some will buy cast aluminum as cast and make no distinction of the "
pot metal or diecast alloys", while others allow basically anything aluminum to go into a "old sheet" category. Some of my local yards also buy heat sinks as extrusion at nearly a dollar a pound, while others call them 18 cent aluminum breakage. Want to guess where I sell them?

This sounds incredibly fun.

My neighbor is telling me to make throwing stars lol, may try some fun stuff with sand molds

yea I am not advocating for this at all and everyone should follow the local laws but I couldn't really care less if it is "illegal" or not. I'm not really worried about the cops kicking down my door over some throwing stars lol

Love how quotes aren't auto updated :D

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Here to learn more so I can recycle more
My grades are my own opinion and not an official grade from Boardsort

lol. And as long as it’s up to me they won’t be

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A simple response to your question. WHY NOT? Because the type grade and type of aluminum can not be known. Also. Why spend the time and money to melt?
Here to learn like everybody else.

My evaluations are my own.

If the end result is scrapping the aluminum then our whiskered friend definitely is right.

But if you like to make stuff and have the means to reuse your scrap in that way, go for it.

As far as the ants go... if you have an abandoned colony, that could be a fun project too.

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Here to learn more so I can recycle more
My grades are my own opinion and not an official grade from Boardsort

That’s basically the end all of it.
Once you melt it, it’s gonna lose some of its value. Unless you’re home refining aluminium… which… uh… why?

But if you enjoy making stuff, have at it.
You could probably sell them on online markets at a good markup as well.

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