I'm looking for a propane melt furnace that can take at least a #10 crucible up to #20. Just a generic propane crucible furnace, nothing fancy. I can wrestle about a size #20 crucible but nothing larger than that.
The other item I am attempting to locate is an atomizer. I will make one if I must, but I would prefer to find one instead, if possible.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Scott
Hey Scott this is a well made product. HobbyMelter™ Furnace kit - Lionel's Laboratory it will hold a # 10 with no problem. He makes them so he might make a custom one that is larger if you ask. The refractory is easy to procure at plumbing supply houses or if they don't carry it they know where to get it. But buy the cast able refractory don't make it. It is ten times better than homemade and will last a long time.
on the casting forum Lou(same Lou I believe if you read his profile its real close :cool:) has a thread about his tilt furnace. Little tilting furnace
hope this helps.
As for the atomizer contact 4metals he will help. I think he has made them for clients so he might have some plans. or some one with equipment for sale.
Eric
Scott you can purchase cast-able refractory from any pottery and ceramic supplier it comes in bags like cement, get the highest temperature refractory used for making kilns.Quote:
Originally Posted by NobleMetalWorks
Hers how I made my furnace, used an old bladder water tank, cut the top off then a hole near the bottom for the torch entry, mixed up a small batch of refractory then poured the floor first let this cure overnight. Next day inserted a plastic garbage can centred then filled it with sand before filling the outside perimeter of the garbage pail inserted a piece of 4 inch plastic into the torch hole.
Then poured in more refractory to fill the gap around the garbage pail, once the refractory had cured removed the sand, now the plastic pail was easily removed, to make the lid i cut a hole centre, then coming in from the sides a few more holes large enough to insert spikes. What i now had looked like an inverted ships wheel, anyhow the idea behind the spikes was to hold the refractory firmly in place inside the metal shell.
You may want to line the furnace with cerwool also known as kaowool before filling it with refractory, its amazing stuff. i can run my furnace for hours and still put a bare hand on the outer shell the cerwool does a good job of keeping the heat inside where it belongs.
Atomizer, not really sure what your looking for are you trying to make cornflakes or shot from your melt, there is already a good write up on this at the gold forum. You can find the article by searching these posts. Gold Refining Forum.com • Information
well i have a melt furnace but im in ky it would be to much for shiping
I ended up purchasing a melt furnace from Kendall for right under $1,500. I ended up building the atomizer myself.
I also just picked up a hydrogen furnace:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/56505223/Eq.../photo%201.JPG
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/56505223/Eq.../photo%202.JPG
I need to alter it for my purposes, it's a beast and then some.
Also picked up a used propane tilt furnace, and in the next few weeks will also have a 40kw (small) arc furnace. I'm just about all furnaced out, unless someone has a line on a small induction furnace, cheap. Lol
Thanks
Scott
ha forget the propane furnace go with induction, the savings in fuel and melt times will in a very short time pay for the investment.
I recently purchased a 15 KVA furnace, they do have one shortcoming when used for smelting precious metals but nothing that can not be operator corrected during the heat. It's all in learning about your equipment making necessary adjustments.
The bottom of the crucible lays below the heat zone preventing the flux to fully melt and homogenize with the charge and has to be stirred into the melt with a carbon rod. Melting copper and other metals works fine as the induction furnace actually stirs the molten metal down into the cool zone bringing the temperature up enough for a complete melt.
A misconception people think that an Induction furnace will only melt conductive metals, while it is true some metals melt faster than others for instance melting aluminium takes way more time to melt over copper or silver which melt quickly.
The aluminium being less conductive takes more time to melt, because metals are conductive we can use a cheaper clay type crucibles.
Now if we switch over to the graphite carbon type crucible which is also conductive the crucible itself becomes the heated element due to the transfer of heat from the graphite to the inside we can melt glass and other non conductive materials in this crucible.
Melting powdered metals we use the graphite crucible, the reason being that the metal powders have a very small surface area which do not react to induction heating.