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Firstly a word of caution!!
The information contained deals with very hot metal, the handling of which must be treated with the utmost caution.
No responsibility what so ever will be taken by the mishandling of any information contained herein!!
So as you are reading this I will conclude that you will not be heeding any of my warnings above or below, and that you will most probably adopt the most dangerous work practices ever;
so we might as well get on with it!! but don't blame me, it's your furnace, and you made it hot!!
- Insulation the second most important component.
Never skimp on insulation. If you look around the web at the metal melting crucible furnaces that have been built, very few have an affective form of insulation. Refractory lining yes, (1) but no insulation, this simply wastes heat & fuel, The correct way is to look at some of the forge, or pottery kiln plans, many of which are published on the web, there you will find without exception, a good quality insulation blanket is used, just think about the time you waste waiting for the metal to melt, and the extra fuel that you use. What you need to do is to cast a good quality refractory lining, and around this put as much insulation as you can, perlite, is easily available from most if not all gardening outlets and will pay for its cost in next to no time.
(1) (a refractory lining is a substance that will withstand continued exposure to extreme heat with little or no degradation, it may not be an insulator!!)- Never, and I mean never, stretch to lift anything hot.
It always goes wrong.
- Never take chances and let molten metal come into contact with anything even slightly
damp.
I had some molten brass left over from a pour, so I decided to pour the rest into an ingot mould, a steel channel with the ends welded over so that I could use the metal later, I looked doubtfully at the mould thinking that it might be damp, but the hot pot got the better of me and I started to poor, no sooner had I started then "BANG" molten brass flew, again I was lucky to escape without injury. So the moral here is never take chances always heat the mould prior to poring.
- Never skimp on safety and always use the correct
equipment.
I must admit that I make all of my own lifting and poring shanks some of which do not fit as well as they should, ( sloppy I know ) and I have in the past had a crucible tip out of a shank ruining a mould and wasting the metal.
- Never but never assume all is O.K.
Always check and double check, or you may not be as lucky as me. And my luck must be running low by now, I am sure you do not want to be the modern day, “man in the metal mask” THINK TWICE then think again!!
- Never run short of metal.
always be sure that you have plenty to fill the mould, and somewhere to put what is left over that has been warmed.
- The last of the golden rules is: ( don't do what I do..........Do what I say, it is all past experience )