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Possible to hack an induction burner to melt components off of PCBs?

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    KillYrTV started this thread.
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    Possible to hack an induction burner to melt components off of PCBs?

    Today I was given an induction burner, partially dismantled. I wonder If I could repair it and modify it to de-solder a whole board at once? I am a novice in electronics, and de-soldering individual components has been a bother. I've heard about the oven and hot sand methods, kind of dangerous in an apartment.. would this be possible to do? I know it needs a ferrous cooking vessel for the magnetism stuff to work, and of course I have that kind of stuff lying around. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking



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    Quote Originally Posted by KillYrTV View Post
    Today I was given an induction burner, partially dismantled. I wonder If I could repair it and modify it to de-solder a whole board at once? I am a novice in electronics, and de-soldering individual components has been a bother. I've heard about the oven and hot sand methods, kind of dangerous in an apartment.. would this be possible to do? I know it needs a ferrous cooking vessel for the magnetism stuff to work, and of course I have that kind of stuff lying around. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking
    No, this unit has the wrong frequency.

    I had a 15kva Induction furnace and you could purchase a wand to use for this purpose.

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    KillYrTV started this thread.
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    Quote Originally Posted by alloy2 View Post
    No, this unit has the wrong frequency.

    I had a 15kva Induction furnace and you could purchase a wand to use for this purpose.
    Can you post a link to an example of this, please?

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    I wouldnt use an induction furnace to melt solder. That would be akin to killing an ant with a bulldozer.

    Induction coils not only melt quickly, but in the case of solder, alloyed with certain metals like led or mercury will vaporize and create gas that would be far more dangerous without proper ventilation. You would be absolutely crazy to use an induction furnace inside an apartment.

    So far as resistivity is concerned, the correct crucible for the correct application should be used, which some create their own resistivity. I wouldn't use an induction furnace with an iron vessel. It would melt unless on the right frequency and power output.

    You would need to invest in a PLU/PLC controller of the correct type. Induction coils are cheap, I have 4 different coil sizes for different crucible sizes and applications. The cost is not in the coil, but instead in the head, the PLU controller and the chiller. They are expensive even when building it yourself not to mention the high electrical costs.

    If I de-solder, I use the sand bath method as it works best for me. Or I simple dissolve the solder using the correct equipment and acids. But even still, the sand bath method works best for me.

    Frankly speaking. You shouldn't be doing anything like this in your apartment. Gases, vaporized metals, will collect on whatever surface they come into contact with. You would be creating a poisonsious environment for you or whoever else lives with you. You may not realize this, but doing this type of work inside your apartment is the very worst proposition you could have suggested, and never should be considered, ever. EVER. Not if your life is important to you.

    You should rent a space, find a friend or partner with a place you can do this, or even a makers space. But to be sure, and yes I am going to beat the dead horse on this one because I feel very strongly about this. You should not be de-soldering inside your apartment and never, not ever should you use an induction furnace without understanding the dangers, or how it operates. And never, not ever, inside your apartment or home.

    My induction furnace uses duel phase 440, I doubt your apartment is wired correctly to supply the electricity required unless it is very small. Jewelers use small EDO furnaces, but even then they are vented properly.



    Scott
    Last edited by NobleMetalWorks; 01-04-2016 at 10:19 AM.
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    The wonderful world of induction.


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    As a refiner and metal artists, I will say this. The induction furnace I am using, has totally changed how I work. Where my propane/force oxy furnaces might take up to 45 minutes to get to the correct temp, induction does in less than 5 minutes. The technology is worth the investment in my case.

    I think my next big purchase in the realm of melting will be a pressurized plasma/arc furnace and RF pressurized furnace (microwave digestion). An arc furnace can instantly vaporize metals at about 10k Celsius. Which would be bad if not contained in a pressurized vessel. I am a long way yet from being able to purchase this type of equipment, but it is at the top of my list.

    Scott
    Last edited by NobleMetalWorks; 01-04-2016 at 10:28 AM.

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    Alloy2, that's some fancy connector soldering. I have done plenty of rf connectors over the years but the N takes a lot of heat and a lot of control. That set up has both. Mike

    Noble its always nice when you stop by and share, thanks. Mike
    "Profit begins when you buy NOT when you sell." {quote passed down to me from a wise man}

    Now go beat the copper out of something, Miked

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