Homemade Foundry Furnace

[JBone0216]

do you got a how to vid of making this?

[spinesales]

@JBone0216 Not yet but Im working on it as we speak.

[coolobuttface]

I like swivel away top design

[spinesales]

@coolobuttface Thanks. Its a lot easier then trying to lift that heavy thing by hand every time.

[deadlock742]

could i buy one



[deepshitdotcom]

Where do you get refractory cement?

[spinesales]

@deepshitdotcom I was lucky and got mine from a local hardwear store.

[PlebScrubber]

is that concrete as insulation?

[spinesales]

@PlebScrubber Yes. Its a special kind called refractory cement

[4x4me2]

will that melt 2 ½ lbs of copper wire? 

[mcwario13]

@4x4me2 yes



[rusticswag]

I love it. Don't forget your air supply for yourself. Breathing is important at all times and you dont want to breath in anything you dont have to.

[528daren]

Hey Man, don't I know you from the Sportsman in Phoenicia?

[eltotoloco69]

hey arent you that guy who works at subway?

[spinesales]

@eltotoloco69 ? LOL Nope cant say Iv every worked at a Subway but I sure do love their subs!

[PlebScrubber]

@spinesales you should build some hard core industrial ovens for subway, using the foundry to form parts

[spinesales]

@PlebScrubber I could bake some bread in there too :)

[imintheshed]

well done, a build to be proud of :)

[spinesales]

@imintheshed Thanks.

[ununknown]

what forum are you talking about?

[stubryanfull]

thats a good build

[spinesales]

@stubryanfull Thanks

[spinesales]

If you live near me Ill help you build one!

[savethebigboobs]

can i buy that off you haha!?

[BrimstoneMerc]

Nice lid lift system btw.

[spinesales]

@BrimstoneMerc Thanks

[BrimstoneMerc]

I do this stuff all the time. Homemade refractory can be used. A mix of fireclay and perlite rock in a ratio of about 10/90 is good. The clay is just a binder. This stuff has an upper limit about where aluminum can be poured. Beyond this it starts to fail. If you intend to melt bronze or iron you will be looking into castable refractories. I use Kaocrete 32CM,its rated to sustained temps of 2800F with spikes up to 3200F. Another good one is Kast-O-Lite 30. There are plenty of choices out there.

[madscientist4energy]

If you are struggling to get the refractory but want to give smelting a try .

Get some cat litter the stuff made of dried clay or if you can get clay dry it in your oven till its hard enough to break into a powder ,mix it with some sand and dampen it ,similar to the consistency you would dampen sand at the beach to make sandcastles.

place a vertical pipe inside your metal container,Pack the mixture tight as you can right to the top ,carefully with a twisting motion remove the pipe .Your done.

[Manadox97]

@MIGUELch8

Basically a stone pot to melt metal in.

[MIGUELch8]

@Manadox97 thanks for the information

[Criminalcondotcom]

I seriously am banging my head trying to find refractory cement here in northern ontario. I have everything for my furnace .. but no f'in refractory cement. Where the heck do you buy it? I need details!

[spinesales]

@Criminalcondotcom You should be able to get it in Ontario. I got mine from a local shop. I tried all the big box stores like Lowes and the like but none of those guys had it. You can call a local heating contractor. They may have a local resource they use.

[boahx]

@Criminalcondotcom Where do I get that? you said heater contractor?

[spinesales]

@boahx You may be able to contact a local contractor that deals in fixing furnaces if you cant find any refractory cement from the hardware stores near you.

[Manadox97]

@spinsales you have a crucible to melt and pour metal right?

[spinesales]

@Manadox97 Sure do. I think I have a video me fabricating it.

[MIGUELch8]

@Manadox97 whats a crucible?

[spinesales]

@MIGUELch8 basically its any container that has a higher melting point than the metal you are trying to melt. Most are made of ceramic material.

[MIGUELch8]

@spinesales o and can any ceramic be used? and thanks for the info

[dramey03]

im a newb but saw you had to try to light it a couple times, just a tip i saw from a vid i just watched, he lit something on fire, like a poker or something with something to burn on the end, then placed that in the "container" and then turned on the gas to light it easier

just a tip from a newb who saw someone do it

[spinesales]

@dramey03 Thanks

[danzena1]

@spinesales ... Hello there, Well im trying to make my own furnace but i'm have a very hard time finding fireproof concrete or fireproof mortar, could you please tell me what you used? where you bought it? if you made the concrete yourself maybe tell me whats needed and how much of each substance? Thanks

[spinesales]

@danzena1 I used refractory cement. I got it locally. I live in an area with a bad winter so there is a big market for heating supplies. I have heard of people having to order it.

[theycallmeGIORGIO]

how much

[spinesales]

@theycallmeGIORGIO Total cost? Was around $200

[MrRamosBernardes]

Hi could you send me the plan of your furnace... to i make one too.. thanks very good experiment Congratulations!!

[madscientist4energy]

Ask for concrete road gully pots .

[madscientist4energy]

If you want a ready made concrete pot ,get in touch with local civil engineering contractors they may have spares ones in there yard or buy one from builders merchant they come 600mm deep or 900mm deep just need the concrete lid then.

[madscientist4energy]

The thing is if you dont poker the concrete The reinfocing wont do its job .

And if you do the concrete will even be air tight, Thats the difference between pokered and unpokered concrete .

Just a helpful tip from 30 years concrete experience.

But great job Your teaching me foundry skills .Thankyou.

[madscientist4energy]

Nice video ,I noticed on the lid Gaps in the concrete .

To make the concrete very dense and get rid of any air trapped in the concrete That could potentially cause cracking .I would get a small vibrating poker from your local tool hire merchant and poker the concrete during construction and personally i would put some wire netting through the concrete as a safety precaution.

Them are some serious temperatures lol.

[spinesales]

@madscientist4energy Actually it looks like there is porosity in the lid but there isn't. I put a furnace sealer on the top to make have a more "finished" look. When I fired the furnace after applying it bubbled like pizza crust. The bubbles got brittle then cracked. I did put netting in the lid but not the furnace body. Thanks for the helpful tips for anybody watching though.

[nathan5647]

are you still gona make that vidio i told you about. reply

[spinesales]

@bradmacaboy Junkyard maybe? I live in a very rural area with no trash service so people around here have to burn their garbage. So there are a few guys around that sell different size steel drums.

[spinesales]

@bradmacaboy It is a 15gal. oil drum that i cut down to size. Yes I did use reinforcing wire in the top. I tack welded the wire on the inside of the lid and then packed the cement around it. Di you find any refractory cement around your area?

[nathan5647]

cool can you do a vidio on how to make it reply

[spinesales]

@nathan5647 sure Ill try to do a quick little vid on the making of the furnace.

[nathan5647]

coll can you do a vidio on how to do it reply

[doinen]

Help! Can anyone explain why my homemade furnace isn`t melting copper and silver? Any help will be much appreciated. /watch?v=m7WVLWBvcMk

[spinesales]

@doinen Hey bud. Im sending you a PM. Help is on the way.

[denismoloney27]

go ahead

[spinesales]

@bradmacaboy I used what is known as refractory cement. I was luck and one of the local hardware store had some. I live in the northeast and we get a really bad winter so its not too hard for me to get. I have heard of people in warm weather climate having trouble getting refractory cement. If worse comes to worst you can order it online. Oh yeah thanks for the complements on my welds!!!!

[spinesales]

Yup Id definitely be able to cast stuff like that but I'm really interested in casting gun parts!!!!!!

[flemingjim1953]

Good Job, B.

[spinesales]

@flemingjim1953 Thanks buddy

[flemingjim1953]

@spinesales Might I ask a stupid question? Exactly what are you gonna smelt? Surely not lead, this is over kill for lead...

[spinesales]

@flemingjim1953 No such thing as a stupid question. Im going to be melting aluminum mostly but I will be able to melt pretty much all nonferrous metals.

[flemingjim1953]

@spinesales in that case you're going to be able to make Jewelry. Including Silver and Gold stuff. I kind of hate to admit that I've not been paying attention to your projects, with all the traveling we've been doing. But you're gonna be able to do some serious casting in this case...

Far above and beyond us mere mortals that only cast lead, LOL!

Good Chatting, B.

[flemingjim1953]

@spinesales in that case you're going to be able to cast jewelry, including Silver, Copper, and Gold.

Far above the capabilities of us mere mortals that only cast lead. You know I'm kidding!

Good Chatting B.

[85rocco]

Nice furnace! I use a Reil burner in my foundry. Your current burner set-up could use a little tweaking, you'll probably find that during a prolonged burn, you'll need to constantly adjust the flame as the tank draws down, a proper pressure regulator at the tank will cure that. A BBQ regulator however will not work, pressure setting's too low, ideally you'd like to have an adjustable high pressure regulator, I use an acetylene regulator it works well but, a 0-60 psi LP regulator would be better.

[spinesales]

@85rocco Thanks for the tip man. Im just starting out and all the advice I can get is appreciated!

[85rocco]

@spinesales I was just looking at some of your other videos and I took note of the turkey cooker you use for melting lead, some those burners use a high pressure regulator that would with your Reil burner.

[spinesales]

@85rocco I was thinking that too. I tried to hook it up but the brass fittings were diffrent size. I can go get some reducers from the hardware store though and make it work. Thanks fir the tip man

[wiederladerTv]

This project is absolutely awesome. U the Mister do-it-yourself !!!!

[spinesales]

@wiederladerTv Thank you. I love to DIY. Its less expensive and get a some satisfaction when I see my project come to life.

[MrMat4570]

As I said in the last video U DA MAN that thing rocks fella, I can't wait to see you casting. Nice to see it all working out for you, it looks like it is going to burn very hot inside there.

[spinesales]

@MrMat4570 Oh boy it sure does. I dont think Ill be needing to run my heater when this furnace is on.

[barrydevin]

wat did u make it out of?

[spinesales]

@barrydevin Which part?

[barrydevin]

@spinesales nvm i didnt c the video of u telling us wat it is all made from

[spinesales]

@barrydevin I think you mean the grey stuff on the inside. Its called refractory cement. Its used in fire places and chimneys. Its made to with stand high heat for long periods of time. If Im wrong and you were wondering about something else let me know.