Re.Great Leap Forward.I was on the China Coast during the sixties and experienced the Backyard Furnace fiasco.From Chingwantao in the north down to Fuchow one could come across shapeless lumps of what appeared to be slag,lying on roadsides awaiting collection.Another benefit of communism!
@Squarerig Wow! Thanks for the great story. I had only learned about it through studying history but you have to admit one old man summed it all up with that great line. That also explains a lot. Of the 117,776 lifetime views of this video only 2 show up from China. I have seen views from all over the world from countries whose names I cannot pronounce. That's REAL censorship. I am glad I live in a democracy where knowledge is shared.
@AllanLima7 No I will not work. You will have to use a refractory cement for the foundry lining. Even this would not work for the crucible. You would not want it anyway. It is porous and designed to insulate and not conduct heat. Mortar and cement has molecularly bonded water in it. When heated it releases the water and decomposes. There will also be quite a bit of popping as it cracks apart. Check out my videos "foundry extension" and "making a graphite crucible".
great vid man just wanted to know how u opened the tank up was there still gas coming out ? im wondering because im planing on making a forge out of one :) any reply would be much appreciated
@lukadubak Good question. The tank I used was the old style with the obsolete valve and could not be refilled. You have to insert a grill type hose and fitting to make sure there is no gas left. Just opening the valve will do nothing unless the hose is in place. Working outdoors I completely removed the valve after checking for gas as an added safety. Sometimes you can find old tanks at the curb completely full of gas so always check first.
@lukadubak RLBOB 1 gave you good advise to remove the "useable" gas out of the gas cylinder, but after following his advise do the following. 1. Remove valve with appropriate wrench or tool. 2.Fill and rinse cylinder several times with water. Do this because even with the valve removed, the residue in the tank will be highly volitile.
@goodmechanic That is great advice. Actually I did the same myself but only one rinse. The dangerous part is people do not realize there are two valves in a tank. I am so afraid someone will cut into a tank full of gas that I tend to overlook the air gas mix residue. I will add that to my procedure as people ask. It is really unfortunate that no one ever reads the past comments and I have to state common sense over and over again.
@Travisthehead If I understand your question correctly the answer is No. Oxygen and Acetylene explode when combined. If combined in as much space as a foundry it will blow the lid off when lit. Or worse. It only works in a torch due to the gas pressure and tiny mixing area. Even Acetylene by itself can be dangerous and unstable if the gas pressure is too high. Hence the red line on the pressure gauge.
@Travisthehead I need to add an additional WARNING to the comment above. The science of safely bottling and transporting acetylene is well documented. It cost the scientist that invented the process his eyesight. What is being suggested by the viewer Travisthehead will absolutely without any question of doubt result in an explosion. Never and I mean never fill a container with acetylene and oxygen and drop a match on it. That would result in blindness, disfigurement or death.
@Travisthehead Harbor Freight has a propane torch kit with a 2 1/4" cone that puts out I'm guessing 500,000 btu's (based off of TSC's unit). Propane is cheaper than oxy/acet. The unit cost me 30 bucks on sale. TSC wanted 60.
@CannibalCarp I use a polycarbonate full face shield covered with bronze screening, welding gloves, leather jacket and apron with bronze screen sewed in. For foot protection I fashoned a set of "stovepipe" leggins to fully cover my shoes and shins with layers of jute padding and fiberglass roving covering the ankle joint. For technique I try to carry and pour the charge as low to the ground as possible. After suiting up I could not help but say to my daughter. "OK I'am ready where's my horse"
@rlbob1 Hey thanks for taking your time to answer my question. Looking forward doing this. Didn't want to pull a Paul Revere ya know. Thanx again take ease.
@MrJoo00 Yes It will most definitely melt. For pouring aluminum I have to keep the gas pressure low in order reduce the heat and not melt the steel crucible. You would need a ceramic one in order to melt gold, bronze or steel.
@slitor Gold melts at 1945F while aluminum melts at 1220F. Since the crucible is mild steel it would melt at 2600F. That is too close for comfort when you are manually controlling the temperature using gas pressure from an adjustable regulator. One method I have used in the past to melt gold is a small ceramic crucible and an oxygen acetylene torch. By placing the crucible on a few firebricks and carefully adjusting both the intensity of the flame and its distance temperature is controlled.
@mau5ling Yes it is a simple grill type propane tank. Old style tanks can be obtained for free to next to nothing. It produces a huge amount of heat yet takes up very little shelf space in my shop. Part of that is due to the insulation added to the fire clay and the design of the burner. My other video "Foundry Extension" explains. Otherwise temperatures shown in the video would not be possible. That steel crucible is at "Yellow Hot" stage for demonstration purposes.
@jbeer82 Yes that would be quite hot. If fact too hot. That is the temp in open air but contained inside a furnace it would get even hotter. Unfortunately the refractory liner of the foundry along with the best ceramic crucible would melt as well. Interesting thought. The generation of hydrogen is of course extremely dangerous. If I recall even the smallest amount of oxygen present results in explosion. I used to make it as a kid for exploding balloons.. Blew up the soda bottle generator
@UKBasketball123 It can reach temperatures in excess of 2300F so I would say yes. It is however designed for a rather large crucible to enhance the swirling effect of the gasses. You might want to reduce the size by making the chamber smaller and adding more insulating fireclay. I would also consider cutting the lid farther down to accommodate more insulation and perhaps a smaller burner to increase efficiency. That is unless you have 100 cubic inches of gold.
@doinen I checked the video. Are you actually operating indoors or in a covered space? Mine would set fire to the house, To melt Aluminum I need a grill type propane tank with several backups. The gas flow is so great I need to place the tank in a water bath to prevent freezing. You simply don't have enough heat coming from the burner. Also what type of refractory cement did you use? You need one that can take the heat and insulate as well. Send me a message to my inbox for info.
@Necygirl Hang loose. We all start out with welded steel tubes and tongs we make ourselves. That is only good for 6 to 8 pours. I am currently trying to bust the secret graphite crucible formula. It is difficult since it is all proprietary stuff and no patents have been filed because they would have to disclose the formula. If I can do this successfully I will post it to the entire world on You Tube. This one is gonna kick if it works.
I've actually melted aluminum cans into ingots using only leaves and sticks from my lawn. Its amazing how hot things get using a leaf blower as the oxygen.This is pretty cool!
@angelj1941 The refractory cement I used is made by Harbison Walker and is called KS4V plus. If you view my other video "foundry extension" you will see detailed instructions on how to mix, cast and form it with added perlite to both insulate and stretch the expensive cement. One 55lb bag of cement and 10lbs of perlite will make the complete foundry. Be sure to weld the outer burner sleeve to the main body and wire reinforcement to the lid before pouring the cement.
@khalidax Sorry I did not realize the quantity and scope of your earlier question. Steel making tends to only work on an extremely large scale. Factors such as 24 hour operation, fuel, investment and quality control come into play. The small scale concept was actually tried in China during the "Great Leap Forward" fiasco.
Villagers melted down their cookware and farming implements to make steel. As one old man put it "We took something of value and turned it into something useless".
@jojo19001 Ok difficult question. All I have used so far is 4" steel pipe, steel bottom welded on and a lug on top to prevent slippage. This is TEMPORARY at best. Due the the difficulty in controlling the heat and the corrosive nature of propane it will only do a half dozen pours. You need to make a larger container out of fire clay that you can slip the crucible into. Make it about 3/4 of the height of your steel crucible so you have a grab. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES use this as a crucible.
@khalidax Probably not. Although this thing has melted steel and iron by accident my thoughts are you would need something bigger, with a continuous fire and burn a solid fuel like coke (reformed coal). I recommend a fan fed furnace with a flue about 6 feet high with walls lined with commercial firebrick. If you can get perlite cheap enough use it for insulation. What you need is a homemade Blast Furnace. Its a bit difficult to set up to feed solid fuel and to recirculate the gas.
@dinhlelavn Unfortunately I made this device many years ago when Youtube was not even a concept in the developers mind. I would have to start over and build one from scratch to get a proper video. Lot of bother for something I invented years ago that works fine and really has little room for improvement. Perhaps I could do a diagram on a whiteboard complete with dimensions or list it in a step by step method? You are not alone. It IS hard to just look at a video and then make something.
@shedrankit Aluminum oxidizes instantly. Just forge a spoon shaped device with a long handle and drill a bunch of holes in it. Use it to scrape the scum (dross) of the top. Occasionally stir the mix with a rod to bring the dross to the top (especially if using beverage cans). Do not do this too much or you will further oxidize the pot and add to the dross.
I know this will be viewed as a killjoy comment but please anyone messing with this stuff think about safety - jeans and trainers are not going to protect you if this goes wrong.
@MrPHGFX Good point. Glad someone brought this up. The min in safety is good eye protection, gloves, long pants and leather jacket. I decided to ramp protection up a bit in my other videos where I am sand casting. I am wearing a full face shield covered with bronze screen, cloth apron with screen sewn in, full steel legins with foot shield leather jacket and welding gloves. An effective technique is to carry and pour low to the ground. The unexpected can happen with great regularity.
what type of blade did you use on the skill and jig saws to make the cuts on the propane tank? would it be easier to use a new tank that has not been use or fuel been put in it yet? how thick is the base and the walls of the foundry? what did you use to form the center circle a cement tube of a pvc pipe?
@m3952ike It is cheaper to use a propane tank with the old style (obsolete) valve since it is usually free. Break off the old valve to insure no remaining gas. Use a metal cutting composite blade to fit a skill to cut the top of the tank. A jig saw metal blade or even a dremel tool for the small hole in the top. An 8" cardboard form tube used for concrete for the main foundry area. A 3" cardboard carpet tube for the top charging hole. Look at my video Foundry Extension for more info.
Where can i buy 50lbs of refractory cement for the price of concrete? Is that possible? I' trying to make a foundry but i can't find good price cement and concrete will crack AND fireproof concrete is also expensive. Is there a cheap way out of this or am i super out of luck? Great foundry by the way!!!!!!
@noxnflame Look at my other video called Foundry Extension to see how to stretch the expensive fireclay and better insulate as well. Concrete will crack and pop as it has water molecularly bonded in it. Gypsum, plaster all has bonded water. Homemade formulas on the internet might work but probably not last a lifetime like the proprietary stuff. Plus you would need lots of Grog as a base for it to work at all. (crushed and powdered firebrick) follow the startup instructions in the video.
Are you using propane for fuel? It looks like the only thing connected to the blower tube is that red hose. Did you mix the propane and air together and then send it down the blower tube? I'm fascinated.
Yes I use the same size propane tank as the foundry itself. (gas grill type) The propane and air mix at the connection end of the burner tube tube. There is a reduction fitting in there going from a larger pipe to a smaller one. Just at the start of this fitting I welded a I/4 inch tee made from iron pipe. A cap with a #60 drill bit size hole is attached to this tee and points straight down the pipe towards the foundry. This creates a venturi effect of mixing the air/gas.
VERY COOL! Or should I say hot? Is there any way you could write up some plans or draw some prints and message them to me? I'm a die hard metal fanatic, with hundreds of project idea rattlin around up here, but I don't have the tools, funding or space to get real equipment so this is right up my alley. Thaks.
@TVRFan11 The danger of working with propane tanks is making sure they are completely empty. Modern valves will only open when a gas hose is connected and the valve opened. Drilling or cutting with a composite blade when gas is present is dangerous. I recommend removing the entire valve outdoors after checking it with a grill type hose. Check out my other video Foundry Extension to see some of the construction details. I used a gas welder, skill saw and jig saw to cut and fabricate mine.
Is there a reason why you used Iron pipe for your crucible instead of steel?.....would a stainless steel pipe work with a steel plate welded on for the base??
@BITTYBOY121 I suspect it is a mild steel with a welded seam down the side. It is about 1/8 inch thick with a base plate welded on. I have not found any stainless that heavy to try. The problem is scaling and pitting from the temp and corrosion of the propane. Over time it will burn a hole thru the pipe. If you do try stainless let me know how it works.
Hi, Yes i tried Stainless steel pipe last week only to find that i couldn't even weld it, even though my welder was set to only 50amps without melting holes through it even with 2.0mm welding rods!! :-(
@m3952ike The crucible is made from iron pipe but this setup will melt cast iron if the gas pressure is too high. The best solution is to make an outer pipe from refractory cement that you can slide the steel crucible in and out of. It would need to cover the lower 2/3. Be sure to note the thinner burner tube welded to the tank (chain link fence post) is located at an offset from center. This is to create the "tornado" effect of hot gases around the crucible.
I found the video for the foundry extension. Did you use the cement tube when you made the foundry itself? and the lid was a smaller cement tube used? and the t-shaped burner what was it made of?
@m3952ike Yes. I used the cement tube for the main furnace and a roll carpet tube for the charging hole in the lid. I also welded some wire to the inside of the lid to hold the cement in place. The burner is iron pipe with a 2 by 1.5 reduction fitting. A 1/4 inch tee is drilled and inserted in the 2 inch pipe with a #60 hole in a brass cap. The reduction fitting acts as a venturi so no blower is required.
Yes I agree. That would be too hot for casting. I was melting cans and casting ignots so I really was more concerned about separating the aluminum from the huge amount of dross cans create. For normal green sand casting it is better to have a slight pink blush but not red hot. It is visually more stunning for the video to see pour that hot. I guess you could call it "creative or artistic license".
Actually it is the initial startup that uses the most fuel. When you first light the burner the flame is in the burner tube at 15 to 20 psi pressure. After it heats up red hot you turn off the gas and then turn it back on again. This repositions the flame to inside the foundry and you reduce the pressure to 8 to 10 psi. At this stage you get high efficiency and more heat, so much in fact, that I am working on a center section to double the capacity of the foundry and enhance the flue effect.
Re.Great Leap Forward.I was on the China Coast during the sixties and experienced the Backyard Furnace fiasco.From Chingwantao in the north down to Fuchow one could come across shapeless lumps of what appeared to be slag,lying on roadsides awaiting collection.Another benefit of communism!
Squarerig 11 hours ago
@Squarerig Wow! Thanks for the great story. I had only learned about it through studying history but you have to admit one old man summed it all up with that great line. That also explains a lot. Of the 117,776 lifetime views of this video only 2 show up from China. I have seen views from all over the world from countries whose names I cannot pronounce. That's REAL censorship. I am glad I live in a democracy where knowledge is shared.
bob
rlbob1 7 hours ago
can you use mortar cement for the furnace and the crucible
AllanLima7 1 week ago
@AllanLima7 No I will not work. You will have to use a refractory cement for the foundry lining. Even this would not work for the crucible. You would not want it anyway. It is porous and designed to insulate and not conduct heat. Mortar and cement has molecularly bonded water in it. When heated it releases the water and decomposes. There will also be quite a bit of popping as it cracks apart. Check out my videos "foundry extension" and "making a graphite crucible".
rlbob1 1 week ago
Hank Hill would be proud.
TooLameToDie 2 weeks ago
great vid man just wanted to know how u opened the tank up was there still gas coming out ? im wondering because im planing on making a forge out of one :) any reply would be much appreciated
lukadubak 2 weeks ago
@lukadubak Good question. The tank I used was the old style with the obsolete valve and could not be refilled. You have to insert a grill type hose and fitting to make sure there is no gas left. Just opening the valve will do nothing unless the hose is in place. Working outdoors I completely removed the valve after checking for gas as an added safety. Sometimes you can find old tanks at the curb completely full of gas so always check first.
rlbob1 2 weeks ago
@lukadubak RLBOB 1 gave you good advise to remove the "useable" gas out of the gas cylinder, but after following his advise do the following. 1. Remove valve with appropriate wrench or tool. 2.Fill and rinse cylinder several times with water. Do this because even with the valve removed, the residue in the tank will be highly volitile.
goodmechanic 1 week ago
@goodmechanic That is great advice. Actually I did the same myself but only one rinse. The dangerous part is people do not realize there are two valves in a tank. I am so afraid someone will cut into a tank full of gas that I tend to overlook the air gas mix residue. I will add that to my procedure as people ask. It is really unfortunate that no one ever reads the past comments and I have to state common sense over and over again.
Thanks for that wonderful safety comment.
bob
rlbob1 7 hours ago
The gods of the propane tank accept your humble offer!
UltimateTrollFace 2 weeks ago
so this is whats driving up the price of propane!..thats gonna be a lot of cans needed for 1 lb of al. but--great job...
porpoisefathom 3 weeks ago
Was randomly clicking through videos and saw this. Quite interesting stuff.
ArcaneDragonX 4 weeks ago
can i use oxy and acetalynie to fire mine? i currently use lump cole and a shop vac.
Travisthehead 1 month ago
@Travisthehead If I understand your question correctly the answer is No. Oxygen and Acetylene explode when combined. If combined in as much space as a foundry it will blow the lid off when lit. Or worse. It only works in a torch due to the gas pressure and tiny mixing area. Even Acetylene by itself can be dangerous and unstable if the gas pressure is too high. Hence the red line on the pressure gauge.
rlbob1 1 month ago
@Travisthehead I need to add an additional WARNING to the comment above. The science of safely bottling and transporting acetylene is well documented. It cost the scientist that invented the process his eyesight. What is being suggested by the viewer Travisthehead will absolutely without any question of doubt result in an explosion. Never and I mean never fill a container with acetylene and oxygen and drop a match on it. That would result in blindness, disfigurement or death.
rlbob1 2 weeks ago
@Travisthehead Harbor Freight has a propane torch kit with a 2 1/4" cone that puts out I'm guessing 500,000 btu's (based off of TSC's unit). Propane is cheaper than oxy/acet. The unit cost me 30 bucks on sale. TSC wanted 60.
goodmechanic 1 week ago
What kind of safety equipment should I invest in or better yet what type.
CannibalCarp 2 months ago
@CannibalCarp I use a polycarbonate full face shield covered with bronze screening, welding gloves, leather jacket and apron with bronze screen sewed in. For foot protection I fashoned a set of "stovepipe" leggins to fully cover my shoes and shins with layers of jute padding and fiberglass roving covering the ankle joint. For technique I try to carry and pour the charge as low to the ground as possible. After suiting up I could not help but say to my daughter. "OK I'am ready where's my horse"
rlbob1 2 months ago 2
@rlbob1 Hey thanks for taking your time to answer my question. Looking forward doing this. Didn't want to pull a Paul Revere ya know. Thanx again take ease.
CannibalCarp 2 months ago
very good idea
FABIO MORETTI-SP BRASIL
dojosai 3 months ago
what is made the pouring cup from ? steel ? it wont melt ?
MrJoo00 3 months ago
@MrJoo00 Yes It will most definitely melt. For pouring aluminum I have to keep the gas pressure low in order reduce the heat and not melt the steel crucible. You would need a ceramic one in order to melt gold, bronze or steel.
rlbob1 3 months ago
@rlbob1 gold? i thought gold very easy to melt.
slitor 3 months ago
@slitor Gold melts at 1945F while aluminum melts at 1220F. Since the crucible is mild steel it would melt at 2600F. That is too close for comfort when you are manually controlling the temperature using gas pressure from an adjustable regulator. One method I have used in the past to melt gold is a small ceramic crucible and an oxygen acetylene torch. By placing the crucible on a few firebricks and carefully adjusting both the intensity of the flame and its distance temperature is controlled.
rlbob1 3 months ago
HI MY FRIEND IS MADE OF GRAPHITE OK
FABIO MORETTI-SP BRASIL
dojosai 3 months ago
lol is that a propain tank?
mau5ling 3 months ago
@mau5ling Yes it is a simple grill type propane tank. Old style tanks can be obtained for free to next to nothing. It produces a huge amount of heat yet takes up very little shelf space in my shop. Part of that is due to the insulation added to the fire clay and the design of the burner. My other video "Foundry Extension" explains. Otherwise temperatures shown in the video would not be possible. That steel crucible is at "Yellow Hot" stage for demonstration purposes.
rlbob1 3 months ago
What will happen if u put ur hand it it for fun? will it melt the hairs?
DidHeDied 3 months ago
If you could get Oxygen hydrogen as a flame without blowing yourself by the textbook the adiabatic temperature 4941 F hydrogen with fluorine 6751 F
jbeer82 3 months ago
@jbeer82 Yes that would be quite hot. If fact too hot. That is the temp in open air but contained inside a furnace it would get even hotter. Unfortunately the refractory liner of the foundry along with the best ceramic crucible would melt as well. Interesting thought. The generation of hydrogen is of course extremely dangerous. If I recall even the smallest amount of oxygen present results in explosion. I used to make it as a kid for exploding balloons.. Blew up the soda bottle generator
rlbob1 3 months ago
WOW..i want one!
Kees1020 3 months ago
would this set up be able to melt gold?
UKBasketball123 4 months ago
@UKBasketball123 It can reach temperatures in excess of 2300F so I would say yes. It is however designed for a rather large crucible to enhance the swirling effect of the gasses. You might want to reduce the size by making the chamber smaller and adding more insulating fireclay. I would also consider cutting the lid farther down to accommodate more insulation and perhaps a smaller burner to increase efficiency. That is unless you have 100 cubic inches of gold.
rlbob1 4 months ago
I want to do this, too bad cans in my country are made of steel.
JacobSijsma 5 months ago
good job m8
Volga2402 5 months ago
Help! Can anyone explain why my homemade furnace isn`t melting copper and silver? Any help will be much appreciated. /watch?v=m7WVLWBvcMk
doinen 7 months ago
@doinen I checked the video. Are you actually operating indoors or in a covered space? Mine would set fire to the house, To melt Aluminum I need a grill type propane tank with several backups. The gas flow is so great I need to place the tank in a water bath to prevent freezing. You simply don't have enough heat coming from the burner. Also what type of refractory cement did you use? You need one that can take the heat and insulate as well. Send me a message to my inbox for info.
bob
rlbob1 6 months ago
yoo that shit is AWSOMEEEE =]
kyuubiblade141 8 months ago
how'd you get it so freakin' hot???
scobbler1976 9 months ago
cans make so much slag i dont really like melting them....i melted my brothers scooter the other day he wasnt happy about that
1ukjunglednbraver 9 months ago
where did you get the equipment like the crucible and stuff
Necygirl 10 months ago
@Necygirl Hang loose. We all start out with welded steel tubes and tongs we make ourselves. That is only good for 6 to 8 pours. I am currently trying to bust the secret graphite crucible formula. It is difficult since it is all proprietary stuff and no patents have been filed because they would have to disclose the formula. If I can do this successfully I will post it to the entire world on You Tube. This one is gonna kick if it works.
bob
rlbob1 10 months ago 3
I've actually melted aluminum cans into ingots using only leaves and sticks from my lawn. Its amazing how hot things get using a leaf blower as the oxygen.This is pretty cool!
EDB0223 11 months ago
what did you use to make the liner of the furnance. some type of heat proof cement i do not know what type to use
angelj1941 1 year ago
@angelj1941 The refractory cement I used is made by Harbison Walker and is called KS4V plus. If you view my other video "foundry extension" you will see detailed instructions on how to mix, cast and form it with added perlite to both insulate and stretch the expensive cement. One 55lb bag of cement and 10lbs of perlite will make the complete foundry. Be sure to weld the outer burner sleeve to the main body and wire reinforcement to the lid before pouring the cement.
bob
rlbob1 1 year ago
with the right amount of funding would you be able to set up a furnace which could melt and smelt 400 tons of steel into billets every month?
we have a steel cut and bend factory and it would recycle our waste.
khalidax 1 year ago
@khalidax Sorry I did not realize the quantity and scope of your earlier question. Steel making tends to only work on an extremely large scale. Factors such as 24 hour operation, fuel, investment and quality control come into play. The small scale concept was actually tried in China during the "Great Leap Forward" fiasco.
Villagers melted down their cookware and farming implements to make steel. As one old man put it "We took something of value and turned it into something useless".
rlbob1 1 year ago 4
what did u used of the cup to wholed the melt
jojo19001 1 year ago
@jojo19001 Ok difficult question. All I have used so far is 4" steel pipe, steel bottom welded on and a lug on top to prevent slippage. This is TEMPORARY at best. Due the the difficulty in controlling the heat and the corrosive nature of propane it will only do a half dozen pours. You need to make a larger container out of fire clay that you can slip the crucible into. Make it about 3/4 of the height of your steel crucible so you have a grab. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES use this as a crucible.
rlbob1 1 year ago
is it possible to make such a thing to melt scrap reinforcement steel (bs 460) so it can be poured into a particular shape and cooled down?
please get back to me
khalidax 1 year ago
@khalidax Probably not. Although this thing has melted steel and iron by accident my thoughts are you would need something bigger, with a continuous fire and burn a solid fuel like coke (reformed coal). I recommend a fan fed furnace with a flue about 6 feet high with walls lined with commercial firebrick. If you can get perlite cheap enough use it for insulation. What you need is a homemade Blast Furnace. Its a bit difficult to set up to feed solid fuel and to recirculate the gas.
bob
rlbob1 1 year ago
the night shot sounds scary...lol
SecretPack 1 year ago
Hi
Great job.
Would you please show step by step how to make/build the foundry?
Thank you
dinhlelavn 1 year ago
@dinhlelavn Unfortunately I made this device many years ago when Youtube was not even a concept in the developers mind. I would have to start over and build one from scratch to get a proper video. Lot of bother for something I invented years ago that works fine and really has little room for improvement. Perhaps I could do a diagram on a whiteboard complete with dimensions or list it in a step by step method? You are not alone. It IS hard to just look at a video and then make something.
rlbob1 1 year ago
What do you flux with?
shedrankit 1 year ago
@shedrankit Aluminum oxidizes instantly. Just forge a spoon shaped device with a long handle and drill a bunch of holes in it. Use it to scrape the scum (dross) of the top. Occasionally stir the mix with a rod to bring the dross to the top (especially if using beverage cans). Do not do this too much or you will further oxidize the pot and add to the dross.
rlbob1 1 year ago
I know this will be viewed as a killjoy comment but please anyone messing with this stuff think about safety - jeans and trainers are not going to protect you if this goes wrong.
MrPHGFX 1 year ago 19
@MrPHGFX Good point. Glad someone brought this up. The min in safety is good eye protection, gloves, long pants and leather jacket. I decided to ramp protection up a bit in my other videos where I am sand casting. I am wearing a full face shield covered with bronze screen, cloth apron with screen sewn in, full steel legins with foot shield leather jacket and welding gloves. An effective technique is to carry and pour low to the ground. The unexpected can happen with great regularity.
rlbob1 1 year ago
what type of blade did you use on the skill and jig saws to make the cuts on the propane tank? would it be easier to use a new tank that has not been use or fuel been put in it yet? how thick is the base and the walls of the foundry? what did you use to form the center circle a cement tube of a pvc pipe?
m3952ike 1 year ago
@m3952ike It is cheaper to use a propane tank with the old style (obsolete) valve since it is usually free. Break off the old valve to insure no remaining gas. Use a metal cutting composite blade to fit a skill to cut the top of the tank. A jig saw metal blade or even a dremel tool for the small hole in the top. An 8" cardboard form tube used for concrete for the main foundry area. A 3" cardboard carpet tube for the top charging hole. Look at my video Foundry Extension for more info.
rlbob1 1 year ago
COOL :D
spartan13014 1 year ago
Where can i buy 50lbs of refractory cement for the price of concrete? Is that possible? I' trying to make a foundry but i can't find good price cement and concrete will crack AND fireproof concrete is also expensive. Is there a cheap way out of this or am i super out of luck? Great foundry by the way!!!!!!
noxnflame 1 year ago
@noxnflame Look at my other video called Foundry Extension to see how to stretch the expensive fireclay and better insulate as well. Concrete will crack and pop as it has water molecularly bonded in it. Gypsum, plaster all has bonded water. Homemade formulas on the internet might work but probably not last a lifetime like the proprietary stuff. Plus you would need lots of Grog as a base for it to work at all. (crushed and powdered firebrick) follow the startup instructions in the video.
rlbob1 1 year ago
Are you using propane for fuel? It looks like the only thing connected to the blower tube is that red hose. Did you mix the propane and air together and then send it down the blower tube? I'm fascinated.
TVRFan11 1 year ago
@TVRFan11
Yes I use the same size propane tank as the foundry itself. (gas grill type) The propane and air mix at the connection end of the burner tube tube. There is a reduction fitting in there going from a larger pipe to a smaller one. Just at the start of this fitting I welded a I/4 inch tee made from iron pipe. A cap with a #60 drill bit size hole is attached to this tee and points straight down the pipe towards the foundry. This creates a venturi effect of mixing the air/gas.
rlbob1 1 year ago
VERY COOL! Or should I say hot? Is there any way you could write up some plans or draw some prints and message them to me? I'm a die hard metal fanatic, with hundreds of project idea rattlin around up here, but I don't have the tools, funding or space to get real equipment so this is right up my alley. Thaks.
TVRFan11 1 year ago
@TVRFan11 The danger of working with propane tanks is making sure they are completely empty. Modern valves will only open when a gas hose is connected and the valve opened. Drilling or cutting with a composite blade when gas is present is dangerous. I recommend removing the entire valve outdoors after checking it with a grill type hose. Check out my other video Foundry Extension to see some of the construction details. I used a gas welder, skill saw and jig saw to cut and fabricate mine.
rlbob1 1 year ago
Hi, Great furnace!!! very well made:-)
Is there a reason why you used Iron pipe for your crucible instead of steel?.....would a stainless steel pipe work with a steel plate welded on for the base??
BITTYBOY121 1 year ago
@BITTYBOY121 I suspect it is a mild steel with a welded seam down the side. It is about 1/8 inch thick with a base plate welded on. I have not found any stainless that heavy to try. The problem is scaling and pitting from the temp and corrosion of the propane. Over time it will burn a hole thru the pipe. If you do try stainless let me know how it works.
rlbob1 1 year ago
Hi, Yes i tried Stainless steel pipe last week only to find that i couldn't even weld it, even though my welder was set to only 50amps without melting holes through it even with 2.0mm welding rods!! :-(
BITTYBOY121 1 year ago
Also what was your crucible made from a pipe or a different type of metal pipe?
m3952ike 1 year ago
@m3952ike The crucible is made from iron pipe but this setup will melt cast iron if the gas pressure is too high. The best solution is to make an outer pipe from refractory cement that you can slide the steel crucible in and out of. It would need to cover the lower 2/3. Be sure to note the thinner burner tube welded to the tank (chain link fence post) is located at an offset from center. This is to create the "tornado" effect of hot gases around the crucible.
rlbob1 1 year ago
@rlbob1
melt some iron!
Thetruthishere11 1 year ago
I found the video for the foundry extension. Did you use the cement tube when you made the foundry itself? and the lid was a smaller cement tube used? and the t-shaped burner what was it made of?
m3952ike 1 year ago
@m3952ike Yes. I used the cement tube for the main furnace and a roll carpet tube for the charging hole in the lid. I also welded some wire to the inside of the lid to hold the cement in place. The burner is iron pipe with a 2 by 1.5 reduction fitting. A 1/4 inch tee is drilled and inserted in the 2 inch pipe with a #60 hole in a brass cap. The reduction fitting acts as a venturi so no blower is required.
rlbob1 1 year ago
how did you make the center circle ofyour foundry? what did you use to make the circle?
m3952ike 1 year ago
Your pouring the aluminum way to hot. In broad daylight it should not be glowing orange like that. It should be silver in color not glowing.
billygotgrove 2 years ago
Yes I agree. That would be too hot for casting. I was melting cans and casting ignots so I really was more concerned about separating the aluminum from the huge amount of dross cans create. For normal green sand casting it is better to have a slight pink blush but not red hot. It is visually more stunning for the video to see pour that hot. I guess you could call it "creative or artistic license".
bob
rlbob1 2 years ago
Ok, but aren't you wasting propane? That's the only thing that I'm thinking of now.
billygotgrove 2 years ago
Actually it is the initial startup that uses the most fuel. When you first light the burner the flame is in the burner tube at 15 to 20 psi pressure. After it heats up red hot you turn off the gas and then turn it back on again. This repositions the flame to inside the foundry and you reduce the pressure to 8 to 10 psi. At this stage you get high efficiency and more heat, so much in fact, that I am working on a center section to double the capacity of the foundry and enhance the flue effect.
rlbob1 2 years ago