Metal Casting Zone

A couple of things here... (I new to this so bear with me)

1 I see no refractory ... doesn't this kill your furnace?
2 Doesn't the handle of your crucible get hot?
3 Does the Metal crucible interfere with your metal melts?
4 Does the access hole for the crucible handle leak heat and create heat efficiency issues?

Actually I really like the design that allows you to pour the crucible.
And will this welder work for a beginner like me to build a similar set up to what you have? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55525

or maybe this http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55060

you could use a mig . all ive every had is a plain old stick arc welder. you can buy one over here now for about $80.yes you lose a lot of heat but im using free wood! i also use it as a forge for blacksmith work.if you wish to be scientifically correct yes steel does contaminate the melt but im not trusting my life to the metal that i cast (ie. the wheels for a car!)everything works well as previously stated it melts about 15kg on average per week and its now over a year old . so how much melting do you have in mind?? have you checked out "lost and foundry" website??? you can buy everything you need for just under $2000 ready made ...ready to use!!many have started with their kit.
www.foundry101.com/search.htm it may be cheaper for you just to buy a kit than to buy all the tools that you will need to make a furnace with.hence the gingery furnace is the cheapest to start with but even then you will need welding gear, a grinder, and sundry hand tools.

Which is the easiest to learn? Mig or Arc?
And yes I have visited the Foundry 101 site. It's a great site! Large furnace for about 440 plus roughly 90 for shipping. I guess I wanted to make some of my own stuff. I learn better when I understand how each component is put together and contributes to the whole. Maybe I should start off with a gingery first. I really don't have a particular need to cast anything, I just think it is a very useful skill! .... and a dying one at that.

great! the gingery furnace will melt the metal but casting is all about pattern making and learning mold making. any body can melt metal thats the simple part. every time i open a flask and see the bright shiny new items im truly amazed!ive made over forty molds and poured them this week alone and just to think that about this time last year i was still wondering about how much metal i could melt,furnace design,sand ect. this forum didnt exist then and other forums are so stuck up that a newbie wasnt told anything!!!the only way to learn casting is by actually giving it a go. when you have a result you must study it!!! work out where it went wrong and give it another go. oh sorry. mig or arc??? both use the same principal of striking an arc and holding it so both are the same! like with casting welding requires alot of practise and knowledge about metal.perhaps you should try and find a small course of "hands on instruction" mates that do welding ect arent very helpful unless you pay them!!

Ok ... I'm just gonna do the charcoal foundry. (I'll do a dual foundry for my next project) But I have a question about the tuyere. In the Gingery book he speaks of a 1-1/4" tubing for the tuyere. Can I use metal conduit from Lowe's?

Conduit would work, you would be just as well off buying black iron pipe, you can get any connectors you need at the same time, you won't have to worry about nasty zinc fumes, no special tools needed, and they are rugged enough to be recycled on your next project/furnace. Price would be pretty similar. And I know for a fact that Lowes has 1 1/4" black pipe. 1" would work, depends on your air supply. For a simple tuyere you will need one elbow, a short nipple, a longer nipple, a tee (for a dump gate to control the air blast, simple simple) and a final length of nipple to mate up with your air supply. Should be able to get it all for under $20.

uh ... silly question here. Is black Iron pipe ... er ... black? I don't seem to remember seeing any black iron pipe in Lowes.

...And I thought I was building a tuyere ... not a person (with all these elbows and nipples) What's the elbow for anyways? And the difference between a short and long nipple? (at least I understand the tee for the dump gate)

Yes, black iron pipe is black. It's in the plumbing section, just ask someone there to show you the black iron pipe. A nipple is a short section of pipe with both ends already threaded. Why do you need an elbow? I suppose you could get away without using one, but it is just for a 90degree bend to go up through the bottom of the furnace. Say you are making a furnace in a popcorn tin and are going to use charcoal. You will make a hole in the center of the bottom of the tin, and this is where you will locate your tuyere. Just slide the pipe with the elbow into this hole and pack your refractory around it to make the floor (or pour the floor, whatever). The long section will go out past the edge of the tin to the tee, and then from the tee to your blower. Simple.
As far as the difference between a short one and a long one, they come in different lengths, from what is known as a "close nipple" (about two inches long, and the threads are almost touching in the middle) up to 14" or so.

I've already cut a hole in my furnace mold. I had been following the Gingery setup before I started using the forums here ... so the hole I have cut for the tuyere is set to be like the image in Gingery's book:


So I guess I'll just keep with what I got.

That will work fine. Just eliminate the elbow and one of the short sections. Two 10" nipples and one tee would do ya in that case. Like I said, keep it simple. Try not to overthink these things. Most anything will work, including different refractories, crucibles, etc. There is no ideal material or method, what you can get and your own imagination will work just fine.
Now, before you ask, to make a blast gate out of the tee, if you can, drill and tap a hole for a screw in one side of the tee. Take a piece of sheet metal and cover the hole on one side of the tee using the hole you just drilled. To adjust the air, just move the sheet metal back and forth, uncovering or covering one hole in the tee. If you can't drill and tap, use a big hose clamp and clamp a screw to the side of the tee and attach the sheet metal flap to that. Simple.