Fuel tanks and delivery lines

That is some very nice work OMM! I also need to step up my oil tank game.

You're not going crazy Pat, at least not about this... I've noticed J. Vibert's absence here and on AA for some time now too. Hopefully things are going well for him and his up there in (I think it was) Barrie.

Jeff

 

I've poured Aluminum at -5F but..... (see below). Clearly, the lower end of that range will affect fuel behavior. The viscosities of waste oils will dramatically increase affecting flow, especially in drip burners. Atomization also likely affected at extremes. A dipstick heater might be a good addition to your fuel reservoir for cold weather. Or simply keep it inside and wrap in an insulating blanket for use. Transfer lines will still lose heat but at least you have some flow through them. Without winter additives, diesel will start to gel at 10-15F but with, probably not much of a concern until the bottom of your scale.

It's much easier to freeze a propane tank with pressure drop from high fuel consumption rates at the lower end of your scale.

As mentioned above, a cold mold will generally require higher pour temps. With wind added to the mix, I found the thin stream of molten metal from the crucible was dramatically affected.

If you're pouring aluminum from a fuel fired furnace the amount of humidity available from combustion air, and thus solubility of hydrogen in the melt, can vary dramatically with temperature and since you are flowing high rates of combustion air through the furnace, this is unavoidable accept with the added complication of crucible cap and inert gas atmosphere. I use a resistive electric furnace which is well sealed for aluminum so much less so a concern in that instance.

Frost forming on an ingot tray or tool is a greater risk for steam pops.

-Choose your days to pour accordingly.

In the Winter, I store all materials and prep molds in a heated shop. I wheel them outside shortly before the pour so pouring through cold ambient air is the only need for compensation. If it's not windy, it's really not a factor.

In most cases I wheel my resistive electric furnace outside for the melt. In more extreme cold and small melts (<10lbs Al) I'll use clean metal and melt inside and just raise/close the garage door to pour. I'm a lost foam caster so an indoor pour isn't a consideration.

-Your results may vary!

Best,
Kelly

 

That would be r4z0r7o3, aka Razor Toe. Hasn't posted at AA for a year.

Best,
Kelly

 

Kelly beat me to it while I was switching back and forth between letters and numbers keyboards on my phone. His furnace build was going to be pretty epic... Maybe they'll both come back - wouldn't be the longest disappearing acts we've seen.

Jeff