How To Identifying Aluminium, Zinc, and Other Metals For Casting

Just a short video that I've been meaning to do for a while to share what I've found about identifying metals. I was always stumped on identifying aluminium and zinc because they look very similar. Hopefully you will know how to tell them apart too!

Thank you for watching!
Best of luck

[noe]

Dam dude, you know your stuff. Everything you say is accurate. I learned all this over the years and you sound pretty young.

[billwalck]

As long as you have a torch, don't forget that you can file off a few granules and sprinkle them into the torch flame. Zinc gives a bluish reaction, copper a greenish, aluminum a white, magnesium is also white, but much more vigorous. These granules can also be fused into a bead of borax on a wire loop, and will exhibit characteristic colors. BTW, if your weed whacker is a Stihl brand, be aware that they make considerable use of magnesium in their castings, as one of my friends found out when he tossed some into the wood stove in the shop. Thought it was going to burn the place down. I won't repeat the language he used to describe the experience!

[thefox]

This is one of the most useful and helpful videos for home casting! Thank you so much!

[loadedlever]

I liked the little presentation, great job. Most metal is alloyed anyway and seldom pure. Coming from a family of scrappers I grew up expecting to know these things and as I got older I realized most people have no clue on these differences. This looks like the start of some great presentation people should watch

[rogercarrico]

Excellent video! I learned a lot! This video should be mandatory viewing in every metal working shop class. Thanks so much for posting this!

[doctordrone]

Very knowledgeable and well presented - so impressive in such a young presenter. Well done!

[garyhardin]

I just happened to stumble on this video and learned something in doing so. I have been saving aluminum to maybe cast some things in the future and knowing the danger of getting magnesium mixed in by accident was an eye opener.
Thank you so much for this video. Very informative!

[hjboots]

Thanks for the lesson, well done. You are a intelligent young man, keep up the great work.

[DaveWard-xcvd]

That wiper motor is vacuum powered. It ran off the engine vacuum.

Funny thing about it.

When you are accellorating the engine vacuum drops and those wipers also stop.

My dad had a 1937 Ford business coupe. It had this style of wiper motor. Step on the gas and the wipers would stop mid stroke.

[ralphkleyer]

Zink will turn dark if filed and sprayed with a solution of 1 teaspoon copper sulfate to 8 oz of water and aluminum will remain shinny when sprayed with the same solution

[fungusenthusiast]

Thank you for this! I was taking apart doorknobs for brass and came across some heavy parts that looked like aluminum but were too dense, and I though it might be zinc, and this confirmed it. I also accidentally melted a magnesium computer frame thinking it was aluminum.

[stclairstclair]

You sound young, im 50 and your spot on everything you said and tough me a few things, great job!

[sgibbons]

Great job - I'm just dipping my toe into the world of casting, and was asking exactly this question when i came across your video.  Thank you!

[electro]

hi Maker J
When you mix metals you change the characteristics ( castability, hardness, strength, CTE, malleability etc.)of the alloy you produce. If you blindly mix metals, you are likely to end up with an alloy which is crap. Factories use certain alloys for certain physical properties required for that product...this keeps recycling easy and cheap...once you start making alloys which are not in common use, the refining process becomes very expensive and not so green. Also consistent alloy formulation will give you consistent results.In other words...try to use the same types of alloy.

[oJe]

the solder is usually mixed with tin as well as antimony sometimes silver or lead, various alloys exist for various purposes. Good videos man.

[NevinWilliams]

Zinc and tin will make noise while being bent, due to twinning in their crystalline structure.  Aluminum won't.  I'm not sure about AlZn alloys, though.

[arcturusbbqsausagemaking]

Great video, A lot of the older bathroom fixtures are brass with crome coating, if you hit it with a hacksaw or grinder you will see the brass color if its not brass it could be zinc or pot metal

[zaga]

Very informative, thank you! I'm using separation equipment to sort out aluminum and zinc and I've been having a hard time checking if we did well. This helps a lot! :)

[ninjabothandyman]

Hey really do appreciate your taking the time necessary to gather wonderful examples of numerous multiple types of different metals we're likely encountering ourselves, and I ADMIT A TOTAL BRAVO !!!! bud on the precise + concise = fucking awesome explanations given my friend !! Hugely helpful my man !!!

[mandrac]

You might want to make the distinction between zinc and zamak. Zamak is a cheap zinc, aluminum, magnesium, copper alloy. It's also called pot metal.