| Minerals containing aluminium are very difficult to | | | | Most of the world's aluminium was produced in |
| decompose. In 1825, a Danish scientist | | | | the USA, Canada, & Norway. However, |
| H.C.Oersted discovered that metallic potassium | | | | Australia also has vast deposits of bauxite, and |
| could be used to chemically reduce aluminium | | | | has large Smelters situated near the major power |
| from one of its compounds. The cost of | | | | producers in the country. |
| aluminium in the very early days was around | | | | This abundance of aluminium supply has had the |
| 250.00 English pounds per kilo to produce, much | | | | effect of producing a readily available stockpile of |
| more than gold. | | | | scrap aluminium, where it is not difficult for the |
| Even Napoleon was reported to have been | | | | hobby foundry worker to easily break the metal |
| privileged to use Aluminium knives and forks when | | | | down to manageable sizes, which can then be |
| eating. French nobility had to be content with | | | | melted in small hobby gas or electric furnaces. |
| silver or gold tableware? | | | | Crude pig iron is purified or converted to steel by |
| Metallurgists, Hall (America) & Heroult, | | | | blowing oxygen through it, Which burns out the |
| (France) discovered the process for extracting | | | | impurities, this is not possible with aluminium as |
| aluminium from the ore of bauxite in the year of | | | | the metal would simply burn away, and leave you |
| 1886, but the metal remained an expensive | | | | with useless impurities. |
| commodity until the beginning of the 1900s. | | | | A chemical process is first used to purify the |
| The first & second world wars, saw a huge | | | | bauxite, then the pure aluminium oxide is |
| demand for this strong, light & versatile | | | | decomposed by electrolysis. Aluminium oxide has |
| metal, particularly in the manufacture of aircraft. | | | | a very high melting point, it is mixed with another |
| Modern technology has pushed the annual | | | | aluminium mineral called cryolite, to form an |
| production of Al second only to iron in world | | | | electrolyte, which will melt at a low temperature. |
| production terms. | | | | Next time you are breaking down a piece of |
| The ore of aluminium is called bauxite, it contains | | | | scrap aluminium to place into your crucible to melt, |
| aluminium oxide Al203. Bauxite ore itself cannot be | | | | spare a thought for the journey it has travelled |
| reduced to metal by heating it with coke as with | | | | before you acquired it! |
| cast iron, for the simple reason that Al atoms are | | | | Today's technology enables the semi skilled home |
| too firmly combined with oxygen atoms to be | | | | hobby foundry worker to produce low cost |
| detached by carbon. | | | | Aluminium castings for all kinds of purposes, but |
| An electrolytic process is used to decompose the | | | | there are things that you must learn about, and |
| bauxite and release the Aluminium, which | | | | equipment you must acquire or build before the |
| consumes about 91 mega joules of electricity to | | | | metal casting journey can begin. To begin to |
| produce I. Kg of Al metal, so large amounts of | | | | explore and understand what this intriguing metal |
| cheap electrical power must be available to the | | | | craft is all about, you are invited to visit our |
| smelters. | | | | hobby foundry web site. |