metal minded

Since I am still rather incapacitated with my long recovery (due for my next surgeon appointment Oct 15th), I am spending a lot of time thinking about metal possibilities while waiting to be able to get back to all the Field Lab projects that need to happen.  A couple of years ago, a Canadian company acquired the rights to the silver mine in nearby Shafter.  Falling silver prices forced then to shut down the operation not long after they got up to speed.  Since panning for gold really isn't an option in the Chihuahua desert and the mercury mines in Terlingua have been out of operation for many years, I thought about what other metal might be in abundance in the area.  Not surprisingly - it is beer can aluminum.  It's not really a viable commercial enterprise for minting (a troy ounce of aluminum is worth about 5 cents), but there are plenty available in the area.  Melting and casting them looks like fun and it is a fairly simple and inexpensive project to experiment with.  86,91,62,0,C