I'm modifying my furnace to have a self pouring system that will allow me to lift out a #16 crucible and pour it alone. I can pour it with the help of another person but on my own lifting and pouring 51 pounds of bronze isn't doable with what I have. Taking a leaf out of melterskelter's play book so I'm making myself a lifting hoist and a pouring cart. http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/hoist-and-releasing-tong-build.199/#post-3097 I had some large drill shaft lying around and some large pillow block bearings that were meant for my wet saw I made an attachment on the side of my furnace. The bent pipe will allow me to swivel the lifting mechanism over the top and pluck out the crucible. The pipe just slides over the shaft and can be removed easily when moving the furnace. More pics to follow as I build my new tongs and cart.
Looking pretty good there. You might plan to install three outriggers to insure the swinging crucible doesn't tip the furnace.
The furnace is about 300 lbs and the lid will swing out the opposite direction from the crucible lifting mechanism so hopefully it will balance out but I'll definitely do some dry runs and see how it acts. Don't want it tipping over during lifting haha.
A lot of that depends on what it's sitting on, of course. If it's on grass in the back yard it can start with a little inherent instability. Looks like you're doing a great job. Will you put snow tires on your pouring cart?
Yes I'll put big tires on the cart. I cast on the driveway tarmac. It doesn't seem to misbehave when metal spills on it. I have the tongs nearly prepped. Going to see about finishing the mechanism tomorrow. Amazing how damn long it takes to fab anything. Been working on this for quite a few hours already. I'm wondering if I should put a flame shield up to protect the top bearing. Since it sits 2 to 3 inches below the lip if the furnace and the furnace leaks flame around the lid joint.
I can smell the offshore stank from your wheels just by looking at those! Sure you won't melt these down like your other wheels?
Oh yeah they are chinacrap for sure but I plan on making a shield for the wheels so the heat doesn't screw them. Haha yeah that video of the burning furnace wheels. Good times.
I was thinking little fenders covered with kaowool.. coated of course with some pricey high dollar coating.. lol yeah.. those were good times watching your cart burn to the ground.
I zippy zapped up the tongs today. Nearly done. Going to make the seesaw part tomorrow. Got to stop at the flea market to pick up more cutting wheels for the hungry grinder. This is a look inside the casing. Hopefully this works? And one of the fox and hound sleeping.
Omg man did I tell you why? The fricken guy who owned my welder before I bought it off him had it wired up for flux core wire (even though he used shielding gas and solid core wire even with it set for flux core). Basically once I wired it up for solid core and kept using solid core and co2/argon the welds were miraculously good. No bubbles no chicken shit. I wonder if he sold me the welder cheap because he had it set up wrong, didn't know it, and thought it was defective?
Yeah, polarity is important. Don't feel too bad. I had my first mig for 6months before I figured that one out.
Yeah I think it was about the same time for me, maybe even a full year. Figured it out after whining about it to the guy at the praxair welding supply. D'oh!
A bit more progress. I need to make the wire grabber mechanism now and hooks to suspend it. Then try make it all fit correctly. And then the wheely pouring cart.
