My IFB/fibre-blanket furnace build.

I flipped the flanges on the top and bottom of the lid.

And now I’m starting to realize what Pats suggestion was about the bottom plate being a high temperature leak zone and affecting the screws. With a lot of thought put into this, I might remove that plate and counter bore the brick with fender washers. But… I need to give it the good old college try and see how she goes.... then react. BUT, THANKS PAT!

After starting the thread on lid removal... I went back to my original design. I always knew,...I had to use the top screws somehow for any lifting purposes.... I have 3/4 and 1” SS offcut angle iron in stock. Also with some SS 3/4” stainless steel diameter, i’m going to drill, pin and tap and recess for the 225° flip lid design.

If I pre-warm ingots, they will either have to go in, or get flipped on the ground... I don’t want the lid radiating heat over 4-5 Air/fuel lines.

I opt to a KISS design here.... and go more complicated with having the lid totally removable at the flick of a finger.


Hopefully, I will be able to make these connections fit with a little bit of machining.

The angle iron is 1/8”×1” x 1” and the 3/4 diameter is cut to just over 12”
The diameters will be just rollers/lifting handles.

 

Today, I also found a piece of stainless steel to make a great crucible (for aluminum). It has a ID of 5 5/16 (and OD of 5.560“) x 10” long...I think this stuff is called 5” schedule 10s.. very little to no markings, but I do think it is 316. (The last piece of this size tubing was sent in more than 10 years ago...). I do not deal with much 316. So I will be welding a 304 bace to it.

Anybody have a guess on how many soda cans this crucible will hold for poor? (Obviously dross removed).

 

Soda cans? Are you looking to get booted out of here?

 

If this gets me booed or booted out of here on my 8-10% aluminum for my bronze pulley, I’m game.

Even though soda cans have a ton of shellac... it is a deep draw aluminum. The lids are too. Ball Packaging aluminum is specked so fine, you can use it as an alloy.

The tab is stamped. The tab is worth a considerable amount more.

But both are a great alloy for bronze.

 

I would avoid extruded metal...
Cast to cast.

 

613 brim full.
Go for it.

 

That's a lot of beer or soda cans. Let's see, cirrhosis of the liver or diabetes?

 

Aluminosis of the liver.

 

I have melted metal and poured it into a trench in the ground.
There are many reasons to do so, such as experimenting and testing the burner and furnace, etc.
One has to get to a level of familiarity with the foundry equipment, get comfortable with how it operates, and be able to melt metal with consistency and predictability.

When I started trying to melt metal, I melted almost anything I could find (not copper though), but aluminum wheels, steel, cast iron, etc.

Often the knowledge gained from the trial run is worth far more that what is being cast.
The real value is with the knowledge since that determines what you are capable of making in the future.
.

 

If anything, you get plenty of experience scooping trash out of your melt. I did it once. Never again. Remember the first time you used a real crucible with proper tools? Kinda like the first time you use a snap on ratchet, until then, it's just an over priced tool. Then you get it.
Some never will..

 

Its a long journey; at least mine has been, but a lot of fun really not matter how you do it.
If one wants to do serious castings, then one will adapt as they go along.
.

 

I still dont see peoples desire to complicate simple tasks ... not even for experience ... ever drive your car with just the emergency brake to know what to do in an emergency???
buy what ever metal you want to use dont be cerfukering about trying to make mystery metal, especially in the beginning. there is plenty to learn, and if you have to many failures early on you will get discouraged . make your life easier


V/r HT1

 

Aluminum bronze has been a fad on youtube for the last 6months. I guess just pouring straight aluminum isn't exciting enough to get the views... Funny thing, the big youtubers don't have the balls or brains to attempt iron.

Competence is earned with practice and practice makes perfect.

 

Do your volume calculations and weigh a bunch of cans and figure on losing about half the weight to dross and crap. It really is a loser. Broken lawn chairs and window frames is probably a similar enough alloy for what you want to do and way less grief. Once you start looking for it you'll be surprised at how much of it is laying around.
Cast aluminum flows better in the mold but is gummier to machine. (Broken taps suck by the way).
Extruded aluminum doesn't flow into details as well and is prone to shrinkage, but makes better chips.
Pick your poison based on your end use. I've accumulated a lot of scrap and have it separated: cast, extruded, and die-cast (hard drives). Yesterday I cast a couple of plaques that will be inlaid into wood and painted. Lots of detail and no machining. I chose cast. I'll have some filing to do so I'll keep my file card handy.

Pete

 

So far you’re the winner. My uneducated guess was about double yours...(at 1250 to brim or % of). Yes there is a prize...
Edit; and it’s not butt plugs! Lol.

 

Well if I win, I just want something modest, you know, like a Lamborghini or something; any color will do.

Edit:
613 does not include any dross losses.
If you establish a puddle first, and then push each can under the surface of the puddle, you can minimize losses.
I do the same with iron and it helps a lot.

.

 

Yes, Yes I have. And it was a ball! I'm not sure to officers would have seen it that way if they would have ran across my little experiment (luckily they are few and far between here). (We get Snow here....And Ebrake driving is the best in Parking lots or back roads)

I think most of us have tried the can thing once. It took way too long and too much fuel for one little muffin. but go for it if you must.

 

Back to the build,
I did finish up the mini beam clamps. These will attach to the turnbuckles to the bottom frame and support the lifting arm.



I finally found the rest of my pieces that I wanted for my lid opening design. Yes they’re mostly stainless steel . I still have a little bit of turning in milling to do.


I’m also working on my control board. I didn’t want the burners to be the size of a shotguns, with two ball valves, one three-way ball valve, a needle valve and all the crazy plumbing. I also wanted it to be 6 to 10 feet away from the furnace. Today I started laying out and drilling 1/16 x 10” x 16” for just the handles to pop through (I like aluminum too). Here is the top side and the backside of the control centre.

 

I don't know what it is or how it works, but it should impress the ladies that's for sure! Now it just needs a few liquid filled psi gages and a digital readout thrown in there someplace.