Making a solid block of Money

[joeslad]

For anyone who might have the answer.

If you filled a wooden box (say) 25cm cubed with 20p coins, & then poured in liquid nitrogen, would that make a solid block of coins?

[insane_alien]

no, you'd have a 25cm^3 wooden box of very cold 20p coins.

 

if you wore gloves you could pick them up and move them around like they were at room temperature.

 

it would be a very bad idea to lick them for anyone thinking of trying it.

[joeslad]

Ok. So they woudnt gell, but be very cold.

So, is their any other method of making a solid block of coins, that you know of? Thanks.

[insane_alien]

well, you could melt them down and cast them into a solid block. but they wouldn't resemble coins anymore.

maybe if you heat them up till almost melting and put a metal plate on top and gave it a few bashes with a large mallet quickly... but that runs the risk of sending red hot 20p coins flying everywhere.

 

why is it you want to do this? it won't be legal tender you know.

[joeslad]

Its for a charity stunt.

We dont want to deface them.

What if we filled the 25cm cube with 20p coins,& topped up with water, then froze it, i suppose that would work, and we could lift it!

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

You'd have to account for the expansion of the water as it freezes. I'd imagine that would expand your cube a little.

 

Your block of ice will weigh about 30 pounds, by the way.

[insane_alien]

30lbs in 25cm^3? thats denser than any material we can make on earth.

 

170grams maximum.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

25cm³ or 25cm on each side? A 25cm³ box would only be about 3cm on each side -- a little small.

[NeonBlack]

So far, the suggestions have been pretty absurd.

 

Throw the money into a jar, fill it up with clear glue or silicone.

[iNow]

Why not Knox unflavored gelatin?

 

 

After all, the stuff works for liberty spikes.

[Pangloss]

I was thinking of gel as well, but iNow beat me to the punch. Maybe Ballistic gel?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_gel

[Mr Skeptic]

A more permanent block could be made by embedding the coins in glass, clear epoxy, or plastic, but these would be harder to do than the other methods suggested.

[Phi for All]

Why not Knox unflavored gelatin?

Arrange the first layer of coins in a big rectangular cake pan:

Then pour in the gelatin in a thin layer. Let this refrigerate until it sets up, then you can arrange more coins for a 3-D effect.

 

When it's all set up, put a board that's larger than the pan on top of the pan and just flip the whole thing over. Now you can carry your solid block of non-defaced money.

 

Good call, iNow.

[Mr Skeptic]

Re the gelatin idea, that is probably the best in terms of ease to do, and like Phi for All said, you can layer it for a better effect. You could even write a message or draw a picture in it. As for making it last longer, adding more gelatin than the recipe suggests should make it stronger and allow it to be solid at a higher temperature, and putting something like salt in should keep bacteria at bay.

[DrP]

You'd have to account for the expansion of the water as it freezes. I'd imagine that would expand your cube a little.

 

Your block of ice will weigh about 30 pounds, by the way.

 

 

What if the coins were mearly damp when frozen. This would stick them without all the expansion if they were simply moist rather than under water.

 

Setting in Urea Formaldehyde resin or any clear glue would look good, but it's a bit permanant.

[hermanntrude]

how about something like this?

[joeslad]

Thanks for all your advice.

We have 30,000 coins, i thought of building a ply box, fill it with coins top up with water & freeze.

I done a small experiment with some in a small glass. We reckoned that the total weight would be 44 Stone.

Gellatine idea sounds ok.

How would you dissolve it again?

[iNow]

How would you dissolve it again?

 

I'm not sure if I understand the nature of your question. Powdered gelatin can be dissolved in warm water...

[joeslad]

Sorry what i meant was.

Once we have the solid block of coins,how do we release them from the gelatine?

 

Ps. If we went with the block of ice in a wooden box idea.

 

1 Would the box burst open with the expansion of ice even if it was open top.

2 I thought of lining box with heavy plastic (to make it waterproof) and silicone mastic the inside joints. Will the sides stick to the ice when we dismatle it, and if so what can we coat the insides with to stop this problem.

Thanks. Ron.

[dean845]

ye definatly not melt the coin youll deface them and the queen which is claseed as treason which i believe you mdon't want to be charged with

[Josy]

Defacing coins of the realm is technically treason in Britain. In the States I'm not sure but I believe it's illegal in some way. I doubt you'd be prosecuted in either country though. It simply isn't worth anyone's while.

[insane_alien]

i seriously doubt your going to get nicked for melting down a couple of pennies.

 

if you were melting them down by the tonne THEN there might be something done about it.

[blazarwolf]

i seriously doubt your going to get nicked for melting down a couple of pennies.

 

if you were melting them down by the tonne THEN there might be something done about it.

 

Even so, whats a ton of pennies? have you seen the markets?, I havent! just whenever I flip on the tele thats what i see. I would be more intrested in extracting the copper or melting down copper into a solid block for investment/survivalist reasons... coppers been going through the roof! Its also very usefull/Important for modern society... Its funny to the Historians, as we are past the point where are coins quality Is significantly decreasing.

[insane_alien]

thats what i implied, melting down currency for scrap metal.

[blazarwolf]

thats what i implied, melting down currency for scrap metal.

 

But wouldent coins in general be somewhat useless as scrap metal? I couldent beleive a penny has that much copper in it these days due to the price.... It would be atleast 3 times as valuble just for the copper. Non-the-less most other coins are crappy useless metals right? Steel, Iron, lead, copper, gold, silver, titainium, aluminum are where its at... Am i wrong? did i miss something?