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Author Topic: Pennies for Tin?  (Read 1046 times)

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Offline Robert

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Pennies for Tin?
« on: December 20, 2003, 10:53:33 AM »
Somebody told me that modern pennies are mostly tin, not copper.  Anybody know if this is true, and have you used them?
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Offline pumpgunn

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Pennies for Tin?
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2003, 11:06:47 AM »
Pennies are ZINC, do not melt them in your lead pot. They will contaminate your pot and molds.
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Offline Sky Pup

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Pennies for Tin
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2003, 11:13:37 AM »
According to my current U.S. Mint book, all pennies since 1982 are 99.2% Zinc and 0.8% copper with an outer plating of pure copper.
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Offline Robert

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Contamination is an understatement..What happened? Weird!
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2003, 11:53:31 AM »
I went out to the shop today and used my dipper and a torch, I found out some pennies melt at low temp and some do not.  But this is the weird thing...I tried to remove one of the pennies with a steel screwdriver, and the dipper started burning with a white light like magnesium, then it started making large amounts of fluffy white stuff like spiderwebs, then became sulfur looking with the white still burning...There was white spiderwed crap floating all around my shop.  Very, very weird...can anybody tell me what happened?
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Offline waksupi

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Pennies for Tin?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2003, 05:55:39 PM »
That was the zinc. Dangerous, to downright deadly fumes. Be careful playing with those.
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Offline Robert

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Wont be doing it again. That was downright weird.
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2003, 01:07:17 PM »
Anybody have any idea what kind of frankenstein stuff I created?  Definately a science experiment gone bad.
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Offline ramaslama

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Pennies for Tin?
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2003, 03:11:11 PM »
Robert,

I'll agree about the experiment going bad!!  :shock: You were burning the zinc.  Same thing happens when you try to weld some steel that's been zinc dipped or plated.  As has already been mentioned- the stuff is NASTY!  Do not breathe any of the smoke.  I don't really know what it will do to you- I've just always been told not to weld anything that's been galvanized because the smoke is bad.  Anyone know why it's bad or what will happen if you do breathe it??  

Dave in NC
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Offline Jim L.

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Pennies for Tin?
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2003, 05:18:27 AM »
Be carefull!!! I have heard that some coatings of galvanized when burned put off a toxin very close to a form of cyanide (sp) gas. Go to the hardware and buy you some 50/50 or a roll of 95/5. If that dont work hell send me your address and I will send a few pounds. Dont want to read about you in obituaries. Have fun and be safe.
Jim
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Offline cukrus

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Pennies for Tin?
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2003, 05:06:56 PM »
Zinc is toxic.  Breathing the vapors from welding galvanized steel or burning zinc causes "fume fever", an acute chemical bronchitis/pnemonitis, makes the flu seem a bargain in comparison.  Most folks who have experienced this agree that once is enough.  One medical text says that  "If the patient survives the acute event, complete recovery is usual."
cukrus
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Offline Mike C

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zinc fumes
« Reply #9 on: December 30, 2003, 02:10:51 PM »
I have got from welding galvanize a few times.  Some idiots say that if you drink milk it lessons the effects.  It is a lot like the flu, body aches and chills/fever. Anohter weird effect is that it makes your teeth hurt, not like a toothache a kind of preesure feeling in all the teeth.

If you need to weld galvanize do it in a strong wind from a fan, blow the fumes away from your head.

Mike C
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