Fusing Experiment with Aluminum Cans

Anchorage is not known for it's recycling policies. Sad to say but recycling in Anchorage is far behind the times. When visiting my sister & her family in Minneapolis this past summer we were shocked at all the items they recycle. They don't only recycle, they clean the items & sort them, AND if they don't they get fined by the city!

In my small way, I try to recycle as many items as I can. I re-use all our newspapers, cardboard & boxes for packing up my wholesale orders. I save all the product boxes (popcorn, milk, etc.) from Costco, cut them apart & turn them inside out & re-tape so I can use the heavy weight boxes for shipping containers.

Unfortunately, I'm also a soda drinker ~ something I'm trying to cut back on. It's better than smoking right?? In the mean time I've been experimenting with cutting up the aluminum & thinking about how to use it in art projects. I was wondering if the paint on the can would fire off or remain? And if the aluminum would retain it's shape at various temperatures.

Because I frequently fire glass at a full fuse I decided to throw in a layered piece of aluminum can with Bullseye Tetka with a kiln load of other pieces. Here's the pre & post fire set-up with the "diet ke" can.

Hummmm..... interesting effect. It sort of looks like reptile skin. The picture doesn't really do it justice because the color is greenish~gray~dragon-like. I could see using it as a component part in a larger sculpture.

OK....so what happens at a lower temperature, I wonder? Let's try a tack fuse at about 1385 for 15 minutes. I was hoping the paint or some of the color would remain at the lower temperature. Here's small piece of aluminum layered between two pieces of Bullseye Tetka pre & post-firing.

Kind of interesting. I guess I need to experiment with more temperatures. In the meantime, here's some facts about Aluminum that I should have looked up before I started ~ would have explained a few things ~ but hey, what's the fun in knowing what the out-come is before you experiment???

1. Melting point of Aluminum = 1220 F & 660 C (That explains a lot!! I knew it was soft, but not that soft! )

2. Aluminum (AL) is the most abundant metallic element on the planet & makes up 8 % of the earths crust.

3. Because of its resistance to corrosion, light weight, & low cost, AL is used in architecture, housewares, & packaging....and now GLASS!

I think I'll try another fusing at or below it's melting point & see what happens. Are you curious? I AM! Stay tuned for an update.