DIY Crucible vs Open Purchase advice for the new guy?

Discussion in 'Foundry tools and flasks' started by Ben Ricard, Mar 22, 2020.

  1. Ben Ricard

    Ben Ricard Copper

    Situation :
    New , brand new noob. After Creatation of a forge and a furnace.
    ( Goals)
    Mission : decide , keep in mind cost, and postage . Current crucible is a metal cut out of a 1lb propane bottle.
    A. I have access to Kast lite 30 and Satanite .
    B. I have not and do not know how to weld or use a welder. ( Hence learning blacksmithing)
    C. Still searching for a reputable US seller of crucible for a fair price.
    Execution:
    1. What items, or type of crucible would work , knowing , what I have at hand .
    2. Is rebar ( long pieces ) good for manufacturing tongs ? Or is there a reputable place to purchase ?

    Thank you
    Respectfully submitted
    Ben Ricard
    Frankfort Maine. USA
     
  2. Hi Ben, there are few issues with crucibles depending on what you are planning to melt in them. For aluminium melting you can get away with a homemade steel crucible if you keep in mind that the aluminium will react with the rust and contaminate the aluminium with iron which is a major source of aluminium contamination reducing it's machinability. It may be possible to coat the steel with some sort of ladle dressing to avoid this. I have bought a cheap Chinese clay graphite crucible and got about 12 melts out of it before failure. Crucibles are a critical item and there doesn't appear to be a cheap substitute, if you divide the number of melts: 40-50 by the cost then it's not that expensive for a Morgan or Vesuvius crucible, they seem to be both made in Mexico these days if the labels on mine are anything to go by but over the years have been made in Britain, Germany, Japan, Mexico and India according to the labels.

    Clay graphite can be used for both non ferrous and iron melting and the more durable silicon carbide is used for non ferrous but not iron duty as silicon carbide dissolves in hot iron like sugar in coffee.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2020
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  3. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Hi Ben welcome to our forum, and thank you for your service.
    Well? What metals are you looking to melt?
    Rebar will work to make crucible tongs out of just fine. Usually its recommended to figure out how much metal you need to melt for your projects, then purchase the crucible size needed, and finally build your furnace to fit the crucible.
    Crucibles can be found here pretty reasonably priced https://www.lmine.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_2
     
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  4. Ben Ricard

    Ben Ricard Copper

    Mr Mark , thank you, Very helpful in my learning.
    While my furnace dries and sets, I am using this time to research as much as possible.
    R,
    Ben
     
  5. I'd like to also add, I'm on a budget and would love to have a cheap crucible, I still buy a quality crucible as that's cheapest in the long run. You'd need 4-5 cheap crucibles to equal one good quality crucible so there's no cost saving there.
     
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  6. Ben Ricard

    Ben Ricard Copper

    Mr David..
    As of now, the son and I are just thinking of experiment with metals hanging around..copper, brass, aluminum. Our goals are to maybe do some simple molds and sand casting.. stars, ignots, fake knife sword molds etc.. to get our feet wet.
    R,
    Ben
     
  7. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Sounds like the perfect beginning to your new addiction ;):p dont say we didnt warn you :)
     
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  8. Patrick-C

    Patrick-C Silver

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  9. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Hey prices at PMC are better than that jetstools on fleabay! free shipping too. I just had another A6 come in and I see I over paid.:rolleyes:
     
  10. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    I agree, those are the best prices delivered I have seen for Morgan Salamander Super Crucibles.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  11. Stevan

    Stevan Copper

    If you want to make crucibles, here is a great thread..... http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/showthread.php?13816-Making-my-own-Crucibles&highlight=crucible

    I don't recommend it. It was a fun project, I had a lot of advantages given I had a lathe and my sister is a professional potter.....But I recommend you Buy them....Buy one before you make your furnace or tongs as everything has to fit. However....for the beginner, I recommend steel crucibles with a clay liner. Steel is a lot easier to make lifting apparatus for. Line the inside with a 1/8" coating of rolled out potters clay. Let it dry then fire it. This will avoid the aluminum attacking the steel....which it will. If you have no clay....at least smoke the inside with a layer of soot before using....this will help.
    If you are in the Military, they usually have classes on base for things like welding....if not....go to a community college. Welding is a great skill to have.

    I am sure you have seen this....http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/bought-some-new-crucibles.1194/

    This is the best place i ever found to buy crucibles.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020

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