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foundry is ready to go to work

Brian H

Brian H

Super User
So my foundry and burner build are complete! I heated it up slowly today to cure the coating on the kaowool. it took about 20 minutes to have a nice orange glow. I want to get an infrared thermometer to see what the internal temp really is.
I'm planning to begin to make some ingots to "flatten" the learning curve a bit.
I have a few patterns ready to go and need to make the greensand and a couple of flasks.
 

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That is awesome! Casting is an adventure I am hoping to embark on too, once some time becomes available. Please post progress, I like learning from others' work!
 
What size propane tank did you start with? Looks bigger that a 20# to me.

Gas fired is it?

Craig
 
YYCHobbyMachinist said:
What size propane tank did you start with? Looks bigger that a 20# to me.

Gas fired is it?

Craig
Click to expand...

Yes it is a 20# tank that was out of date and couldn't be re-certified. I am using propane. I built the same style burners I used in my forge. I will need to do some testing to try to regulate the heat and maintain a constant temperature when I'm smelting. If I understand correctly, brass is a bit fussy with the temp you use so you don't burn off the zinc. We will see.
I am going to start by just refining to ingots first. This is supposed to help with any impurities when you actually do a casting.
 
Let's see a pic of your forge.

4-WW.JPG


I used a 20# propane tank to make my out-door lead melting pot. Works great, holds lots of lead.
 
Hey, show us your forge please.


CCForge.JPG


This is my coffee can forge I made for heat treating small stuff. Haven't been very successful with that endeavour so far.
 
YYCHobbyMachinist said:
Hey, show us your forge please.


View attachment 8668

This is my coffee can forge I made for heat treating small stuff. Haven't been very successful with that endeavour so far.
Click to expand...
For sure need to have a door or fire brick /wood cover on your can. If you need some material for a foundry or forge I’ve got some extras of old propane tank pieces around. I will be constructing my 5th forge this summer, taking everything I have tried successfully that did not work incredibly and throwing it out the window for this revision. So my super c is likely going to be listed to help finance this endeavour. Because Fire brick is not cheap.


I like the compact wheel cart, mine is the lawn mower, I’ve posted it before, very slick. I have some high heat paint recently gifted I should clean up mine with.
 
Johnwa said:
what are you using for refractory in your forge?
Click to expand...

I have 3" of kaowool top and bottom and 1 1/2" on the sides coated with hi-temp furnace cement. I considered a second layer on the sides, but it would make it too small to fit a crucible and tongs easily
 
YYCHobbyMachinist said:
Hey, show us your forge please.


View attachment 8668

This is my coffee can forge I made for heat treating small stuff. Haven't been very successful with that endeavour so far.
Click to expand...

I started with a coffee can forge and had alot of trouble getting my knife blanks up to heat treat temp so I built this one. It doesn't have any trouble at all. It's got a serious hunger for the propane though. (20# will last about 30 min at full throttle)
 

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Brian H said:
I started with a coffee can forge and had alot of trouble getting my knife blanks up to heat treat temp so I built this one. It doesn't have any trouble at all. It's got a serious hunger for the propane though. (20# will last about 30 min at full throttle)
Click to expand...
I want to turn your forge on its side or upside down, or something along those lines for my new design, fire burns up, you need excess pressure to fight that natural effect
Efficiency is savings
 
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