Up-cycled aluminum cans

Well, you can't just smash a can and get sheet metal out of it. The cans are smashed so as not to take up so much volume.

To make sheet metal, the cans need to be melted. Melting the aluminum requires less energy than producing new aluminum electrolytically from its ore, bauxite. The aluminum is formed into ingots and reduced to sheet metal by a series of rollers that flatten the hot malleable metal until the desired thickness is achieved.

https://www.gabrian.com/aluminum-rolling-process-overview/

I was always fascinated by seeing Aluminum foil made - and the last rolling is done as a double with lots of kerosene used as a lubricant. Occasionally the kerosene catches fire and automatic CO2 extinguishers put the fire out in a flash. The machine never shuts down during this process.

(With one notable exception at an Alcan plant in Quebec in the 1980's or early 90's - (I forget)- they burnt their rolling plant to the ground because they ran out of CO2).

We had just previously installed a fancy tension level line for them - it was also destroyed in the fire.

Superb. Exactly that for which I was looking. Thank you much.

What is the cost of an ingot of aluminum compared to the cost of propane used to melt the cans?

Aluminum ingots on Ebay $4.50 lb.

Price of casting your own pots....priceless haha

Intractable: the answer depends upon many factors including location and currency. Which is why, generally, CR4 does not get involved in these things.

Of course on this side of the pond they upped the price of the cans and then offer a 10c refund on the can carcass but will not accept crushed or compressed cans. They found miscreants were putting lead shot into the crushed cans to bulk up the weight when they were weighed in bulk and get more refund. Wound have cost more for the lead shot than the money gained I would suspect, unless melted down wheel weights were used.

Cut the top and bottom off the can and roll the rest out, would be able to use it as an Alfoil replacement but only to cook small prawns. I did make a motor driven can compressor for my brothers bowls club with a piston and sleeve and spring loaded head so when a number were dropped in front of the piston they built up until the sprung head popped and dropped them into a bin, sort of automatic with a magazine type loader.

Or do what those in SE Asia did and use the prepainted rolls of can material to make walls for their huts.

Many people use these for art....

I need one of these. OK, two. No, wait ...

You can some on Etsy...

https://www.etsy.com/market/beer_can_airplane?ref=cq_tag_raised_image-1

Metals and Alloys - Bulk Modulus Elasticity (engineeringtoolbox.com)

As with most things, it depends upon temperature.