Good link for us newby casters !!

[swaps]

http://www.foundry101.com/

This site gives a lot of information. I have just started to build my furnace !! wife is rolling her eyes already ! LOL

[timmy]

Thanks for sharing the info,i have always wanted to know a little about casting and making your own frames.Thats something i have been thinking about getting into a little further down the road.Im glad needle jacks has added these topics to the forum.

[swaps]

Hi,
Yes I cant wait to get up and running, I will be around 3 weeks before im ready for my first attempt but I will let you know how it goes !

Best wishes Alan

[timmy]

Yeah Swaps,give us a hollar and let us know how you make out with that,hopefully things will work out for you.

[Mr. Bill]

Good link, thanks.

[voodoo]

i would like to see the finished product after u cast a few!

[swaps]

Hi all,
I dont expect good results at first until I have done a few, but I will sort out some pic's for you to see the results, good or bad !

Best wishes Alan

[the hermit]

Hi,
Yes I cant wait to get up and running, I will be around 3 weeks before im ready for my first attempt but I will let you know how it goes !

Best wishes Alan Hi,What ya build ya furnace from?? I have a furnace in my garage...I built it years ago....also made one from dustbin(trash can) lined it with a material called ceramic fibre 1200 degrees centigrade top temprature,using a single propane burner reached this temprature in 20 minutes with ease, lined the base with kiln bricks. cut a hole in the base of the dustbin just above the brick floor, placed the burner about an inch from the hole, can ajust this to get the secondary air right. the dustbin lid had a hole cut in the centre for the flue, inside of lid lined with ceramic fibre. at top temprature you can touch the outside of the furnace and it's just warm, works really well and cheap to make. The Hermit.

P.S. I can look out some old plans and post em on the forum if anyone is interested.

[timmy]

Hey Hermit,that would be great to check out if you can come up with those plans,would really like to check it out.cool

[the hermit]

Hey Hermit,that would be great to check out if you can come up with those plans,would really like to check it out.cool I will take a look through some of my old stuff and dig the plan's out for ya...give me a little time, have to get in da loft to were everything is stored:D.... Hermit.

[gremlin]

for all of you guys who dont have a background in serious metal working and are thinking about forging and casting.
(By serious im not talking Pop rivits, soldering, brazing or being able to stick weld a little bit) Im talking about Tig welding, Milling, Turning, cutting threads on a lathe, turning tapers, Jig Building, tempering, annealing, etc...
I would like to offer you all a little sincere advice before you just jump in head first. I would suggest finding a book called "modern metalurgy" it will help you out a lot when it comes to the properties of metals (casting properties, Melting points, heat transfer abilities, conductive prperties, etc...) and joining dis-simmliar metals and a lot of other good stuff.
I would also like to suggest another good source for metalworking info is a highschool metal shop teacher or a metal fabrication professor at your local tech school. shoot they may even have an "adult class" in the evenings to help get your feet wet. and the added bonus of having the proper tools such as lathes, mills, forges, welders available to build what you want the right and safe way.

Just a warning: Metalwork can be extremely dangerous (forges can explode and molten metal is about 2500 degrees F) if you don't know what you are doing so be careful and be safe and if you aren't sure ASK somebody!!!!

If you want, you can PM me with any questions about general metal working. (tricks, tips, equipment choices, Tools, safety gear etc...)

I have almost 20 years experience working with metals there probably isnt a type of metal i havent welded,brazed, machined, in those years (Currently I work at a power plant so i guess im not bad with electrical stuff either)

[Mr. Bill]

Good point gremlin,
I have never done any casting but have done (some) blacksmithing, flower pot hangers, a few knife blades, things like that.

Take gremlins advice. You do not want to learn the hard way.

[swaps]

Hi guys,
Build this one http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/bucketfurnace1.html
Very simple and can be run on propane or a Paraffin (Kerosene) Blow touch or attached a blower from a car heater and use coke or charcoal to fire it.

Best wishes Alan

[the hermit]

Can't find dem dam plans.....I'll draw some more up, Hermit.

[gremlin]

when ya get one cast that you want to keep, and get ready to do clean up work on it. what ever you, DO NOT I repeat DO NOT grind on the side of the grinding wheel. It puts undo stress on the wheel and it will break or worst case explode and then you have about a million hunks of stone flying at you at 1700 rpm. Im not trying to discourage anyone from building their own frame but I have seen folks killed and seriously hurt in Fab shops by not fully understanding the dangers. BE CAREFUL

Just dont want to hear someone here got killed or maimed over a tattoo machine frame it just aint worth it.

[the hermit]

Hi guys,
Build this one http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/bucketfurnace1.html
Very simple and can be run on propane or a Paraffin (Kerosene) Blow touch or attached a blower from a car heater and use coke or charcoal to fire it.

Best wishes Alan hey swaps...ya furnace looks to be better for casting metal than my design using a trash can and ceramic fibre....my furnace/kiln was built for ceramics....Raku firing....but have melted metal in it. your design is more compact and more easy to manage than mine I should imagine...When you lift the lid from mine at it's top temprature,you do have ta be carefull,quite a blast of heat comes out. The Hermit.