Devil forge furnace.

I see that vegoilguy was given a furnace made by Devil forge.

A list of metals has been given as to what can be melted in this furnace. There are two metals in that list that cannot be melted in that furnace and let me explain why. Steel and wrought iron require very high temperatures to melt let alone to cast into a useful shape.

On youtube there are endless videos of melting aluminium and then pouring it into ingot molds but have a look for steel melting videos using a gas or oil fired furnaces. Then have a look for videos made by foundries melting steel for castings. They always use an electric furnace (induction or arc).

So here is a challenge for all you guys that have purchased a devil forge furnace, have go at melting some steel and prove me wrong.

 

Just melt or melt and pour into a mold? There are people melting crucible steel and then hammering the puck into shape, usually sacrifice the crucible.

Oh, I don't have a Devil forge furnace.

 

The devil forge guy is an AZZHAT. We explored his assholiness over at AA. I'm too lazy to run a search for ya brother... You ain't missing much.

 

I found this video about melting steel in a gas fired crucible furnace. It shows that trying to melt steel and getting something usable is a pointless waste of time.

 

I am thinking that perhaps the only way to make something usable that mimics some of the properties of steel is to use ferromagnesium to make malleable iron (if that is the right term).

I have not seen anyone use ferromagnesium, but I have seen it for sale.
I think Jammer give be a bag of it, but where did I put that?

I would use it to make engine crankshafts, assuming the metal was machinable.

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That was Nickle Mag for making ductile iron. That's just cast iron temps.

 

Making steel has been done using a gas-fired furnace:


And not just any steel, but true Damascus ( not to be confused with common folded steel mis-labeled as Damascus) steel.

Denis

 

Excellent video. Yes he not only melts steel in a gas furnace, he made the steel from rocks.

 

I'm confused. Weren't people casting steel for centuries before there were electric furnaces? Yes, I see from a minute of Googling that cast iron, with its higher carbon and silicon content, melts a good deal lower. Was casting steel really out of reach until the 20th century?

 

500 AD in India is often quoted as the earliest known steel casting. Clearly , Damascus steel was well known in the time of the Crusades.

http://www.metal-technologies.com/docs/default-source/education/historyofmetalcasting.pdf?sfvrsn=8

Denis

 

The Pop Mech article contains little I didn't know (though some) and confirms what I had thought. The confusion is why, then, are people here saying you need an electric furnace for steel; you clearly don't.

 

There is no claim on their website about steel or wrought. 2642 F max, That's about 150 degrees over cast iron pouring temp for thin castings. Was the claim in a video? Also, seems to be a high price for a small furnace that you can build yourself for a lot less.

 

It is wayy overpriced for what it is, no doubt about that. Given that many men these days don't know the difference between a screw driver and a wrench, I'm not surprised to see suckers buying this ready made POS.

 

One inch on the side wall is not enough, I see a burnout in their near future.

 

Yes the claim was in vegoilguys video reviewing devil forges furnace.

 

I think that guy likes himself, probably has his name on his underwear. And sells them on Amazon. He's at that place where he has enough wanna-bees following him around he gets everything free in hopes it will end up on a video. Then all the peons will buy one... Sorry if anyone here is a peon.

 

I have seen a number of people who are interested in casting things, and generally they find some aluminum cans, make a furnace, melt the cans, and pour muffin-pan ingots.
And this is as far as they go, or they pour metal everywhere, into swimming pools, watermelons, you name it.
I call this Phase I of metal casting.

And there are what I call the ingot-junkies, and the only thing they do is pour and hoard ingots of all sizes, shapes and types.
Its all fine and well if that is what turns you on.
It is not my place to define what makes you happy in your hobby work.

But for those who really want to get into the metal casting hobby, and those who want to go beyond the muffin-ingot phase, I would suggest learning the art of pattern making, and also learn about sprues, basins, runners, gates, and risers (all part of the sand molding process).
I consider this Phase II of the metal casting learning process, and this is when you can really start to make some cool and often times very useful cast parts.

Sadly, it seems many never get beyond Phase I.

And while many of the Youtube videos are very useful as far as learning about the basics of foundry work, the trend seems to be towards the professional Youtubers, and these guys basically make very long and often very tedious and boring infomercials. Their main intend is to make money (nothing wrong with that) by hawking trendy t-shirts, water-jet-cut logos of all sorts, etc.
I must admit I am envious of all the attention that these guys get, but in the end, too often they don't really make much that I am interested in as far as metal casting; its all about hype and self-promotion; attending maker's faires, and getting lots of views. I do find some of these videos entertaining in that you can sort of see what is going on out in the greater world.

I am glad that there are those here who carry the torch for how metal casting is actually done, and how it has been done for many years in the foundry world.
I think it is unfortunate that young people may come along and find all the trendy fashionable metal videos online, and assume that those are what metal casting is all about, and thus they will really limit themselves to some rather rudimentary beginner's type foundry work, and god-forbid, become muffin-tin ingot makers, and nothing more.

Just a few thoughts on where the hobby seems to be heading.

End of speech.
We now continue with our regularly scheduled programming.


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The guy at devil forge is very cunning, he knows giving free furnaces to youtube stars will be repaid many times over by a large increase in furnace sales.

I can see the next fad on youtube will be making cast iron ingots as the copper melting fad has faded away.