"Master-Blaster"
Melting Furnace
Part #4 - Final Installment
This the last pour of 4 pots of metal that I put through the "Master Blaster" today...
It was a real good day to get used to the unit in that the kids were at a friends & a movie, and the wife was at work.
There were problems with air in the line so I lost an hour trying to get it lit and stay running. Once I opted to cut the marine coupling and feed the line right into the tank it ran like a charm for the rest of the afternoon.
No lack of heat here, the burner has been off for over 2 minutes as I putz about skimming the dross off the surface.
From a cold start (crucible loaded and placed into furnace) a full 1.5 litres (close to 2 quarts) of metal is brought to a liquid in 18 to 19 minutes.
Each subsequent melt took under 15 minutes.
After the first full pot of metal there is enough heat off the refractory that the burner has no problem igniting without a match. (provided the lid isn't left open for an extended period of time.
It's not a super bright day out, but it is around 3 in the after noon, and you can still just make out that the pot has a dull red glow at the base.
As always safety is a priority... Heavy gloves, boots, leather welders apron and even the welders mask.
I've had a couple of real minor burns, and have no intention getting a serious one if I can at all avoid it.
The Diesel tank is still positioned as far from the furnace as the fuel line will allow.
Since this is the last pour and I wanted to clean up the last of a chainsaw and Outboard motor that were on the bench, some muffin ingots were in order.
Even in this image there is a hint of red inside the pot.
With the crazy fire-time on this furnace I'll have to revamp how I do my castings in the future... With the old furnace I used to have lots of time to set-up molds into sand and line-up scrap.
I was just scrambling to keep up with the furnace, it also seemed intense in that I didn't ever want to leave it unattended should it go out while I was away in the shop or house.
Of course, I did more than just melt down scrap, here are more of the hunt camp plaques.
The two on the right are flawless, while I choked on the left hand casting and eased-up on the pour too early. I think that the casting is salvageable as a fair amount of material is removed to get the surface polish.
Deer Season opens here on the first week of November, so I want to keep knocking these pieces off between now and then.
This is a look inside a sand sifter that I've been in serious need of for some time now.
The screening is from a "Bacon Splatter Screen" I picked-up at Walmart last year.
I've sifting all my sand through this same screen by hand the night before a casting day. Typically it would take 2 - 2 1/2 hours to clean enough sand for 3 mid to large castings.
The bucket was cut approx 3/4" from the bottom, and the bottom cut out from the removed piece.
The screening was carefully stretched flat over the hoop that was made out of the bottom, and pushed inside the bucket finding a perfect snug fit exactly where the original cut was made.
Four small screws hold the hoop and screen securely in place.
And here it is in action!!!
The screen bottom bucket fits snug inside the mixer bucket, leaving about 6 inches of space for the sand to sift into.
This is so painless, I sifted all the sand I used today in the time it took me to put everything away after I was done casting. (45 minutes).
Yet another process semi-automated...
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