That would indeed work rather nicely. OK, you might expect your half points in the next update.
But seriously, I feel that we have failed you on a much deeper level if you have to smelt copper over and over.
Honestly I don't mind it that much. I view it as part the beginner grinding phase before you get to the next level. Once you are more advanced, judging by players that I view as such, everything is relatively easy and grind free. So when I eventually get to the point where I can invest in advanced blueprints I feel like things will become much less grinding by a huge margin.