2 days ago I melted bronze and while the first cast melted quickly the second casting melted too late ,, today from your video I understood what was going on,, respect and thancs !!!!
Lucky, enjoyed. Another good way to prevent excessive freezeup is to simply turn the propane bottle upside down. this worked for me when I converted my car to propane and had freeze problems when bottles where positioned rightside up,
Super demonstration! I have yet to do CI but will probably use waste oil as Propane is pretty costly for this. Really appreciate you doing this to prove a point it is possible. Cheers!!
That was impressive. Not only melting cast iron but how quick it was, around 45 minutes? The only thing is, you make it look so easy and I'm sure there is a lot of preparation beforehand? I want to try casting now (no idea what but I want to try it)
Thanks Again Lucky :D ... there is no tv program or movie star that I'd rather see than you.... thanks for another lesson. ...a while back i saw a video of some guys casting bronze in a similar set up... they put a piece of cardboard box between the crucible and plinth before lighting the furnace and kept the crucible from sticking to the plinth... and of course they used another piece to put on the plinth outside of the furnace for moving the crucible between tongs... worked flawlessly to keep the plinths from sticking... if you're interested in trying it. ... nothing special about it.. just a piece of an average shipping corregated cardboard box, big enough to cover the plinth to act as a table cloth of carbon between the crucible and plinth. very glad to see you are well... have a goodn
awesome... hope it works out... still haven't set up my own furnace yet... only a forge so far, and a lack of a quality anvil has me set back a bit... one day i sure hope to get the great feeling you must have to see that nice consistent cast iron from your own hands... Clearly the only thing stopping me is a lack of will... every time i turn around you're showing it is easier than i thought lol... thanks again.. have a great one
Have built my second burner this time out of 2 inch exhaust pipe and a 3mm nozzle with a hair dryer blower and wow does it go... dialled the gas reg to get a good burn but after 10 mins in this weather she froze up and i was having do much fun hoping to cast iron soon.. thankyou so much for sharing your information 10/10 cheers tj👍
You can use almost any fuel for almost any purpose. The "magic" is the delivery of the proper potential energy and proper amount of oxygen to support the combustion. You should theoretically be able to melt iron with shredded newspaper, but the mechanism that would allow it would be a practical nightmare. Propane has more heat energy per unit of mass than acetylene, so, as acetylene can melt iron, so must propane be able to
The main way to fight freezing propane tanks is to increase the surface area of the propane liquid being evaporated. This is where larger tanks or even several smaller tanks connected in parallel come in handy.
Another possibility is to flip the bottle and litteraly spray in liquid lpg. Of course using high pressure pipe, but probably is just better go with oil
Fascinating, I had never noticed the "burner" you use before. Am I correct in understanding that the propane is essentially fed into the furnace through that little pipe and air is forced in through the larger pipe? And... does the propane and forced air mix in the furnace or just prior to entering the furnace? The only time I tried cast iron, the end of my burner melted during the process. If I'm understanding your furnace design correctly, that would eliminate my problem. I might have to make a modification to my furnace.
Yes and yes. The propane and air mixes before entering the furnace and burns in the furnace. If the end of your burner melts you are doing something wrong and a lot of your heat energy is wasted heating up the end of your burner which should be heating up your crucible. I never have any problems melting cast iron but sadly so many youtubers do have problems because they copy unsuitable designs and wonder why they do not work for melting cast iron but it will still melt aluminuim and bronze.
best way to use propane is to turn the propane cylinder over and use the needle portal with a regulator for control of the liquid pressure this way from egypt
I use heated mattress pads for a bottle warmer and they work like a champ. By keeping everything warm it prevents freezing but they don't get hot enough to cause a problem either.
If you put a sheet of paper or cardboard underneath the crucible it's form a layer of carbon and the plinth won't stick to the crucible when you pull it out. I use propane too for cast iron.
incredible demonstration procedure with cast iron and propane👌 now, can you cook a good piece of t-bone steak on top of that furnace while it's on fire? ❓
Nice. I have a 10kg furnace. Been debating on trying to melt iron. And possibly even steel. If I could I'd like to give a go at a small striking anvil. And if that works a swedge block. I mostly Smith, but I like messing around with melting. Got a ton of little bronze and copper coins/mini bars. Made Nordic gold before. We have fresh water snails and the cone shells make cool casts. Stuff like that. Good work unknown friend🍻
You'll want to line your crucible with a few painted on layers of something like 3200F cement or similar material, Satanite, Hellforge 3000 ect. The crucible will act as a carbon donor to steel and do unwanted things. Painting the inside fixes that issue.
How cool is that! I've recently acquired an small injector based propane furnace and was intending to use it for making some aluminium bronze parts. Just wondering, it's possible to smelt cast iron without forced air?
Thank you for another excellent demonstration. Since you are mixing fan-forced air instead of compressed air or compressed oxygen, would it be safe to say that a flash back arrest valve is not necessary on the propane line?
Very interesting, I have a natural gas supply in my workshop, I was wondering about using it with a blown burner. If I remember correctly, the Natural gas jets are smaller than Propane ones, I was wondering what diameter to make the jet tube! Thanks for all your interesting videos, a mine of information!! Regards, Matthew
I was looking for a video on cast iron melting, excellent. Is there any way for a home gamer to make nodular or ductile cast iron. Add magnesium in some form?
You sure know your stuff. Thankyou for sharing. That propane was really firing well. Just curious, can you recall the flow rate on your acetylene gauge?
Alec L I spilled pewter once and it bubbled and spit a bit...poured aluminum into a metal muffin pan on a drippy day once and it exploded...went up the side of my house the whole way to the gutters
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dAHolupCEkc.html I've seen a few videos like this and just made the assumption. I've had aluminium do that too. But nothing like the extent that's happened to you.
Is there any way to make cast iron ductile? Adding other element? would adding magnesium improve it? Or bubbling oxigen...have you tried making it ductile?
@@aubreyaub Copper not! Small amount rare earths element's (La, Ce) help to stabilize graphite spheroid . Mg is the right choice (Mg wire or Mg alloy). foundrygate.com/upload/artigos/Summary%20of%20the%20Elements%20Effects%20on%20Ductile%20Iron.pdf
Thanks I enjoy watching your videos it's very Informative. I would like to know if I can make casting sand (green sand) with play sand and clay and what percentage sand to clay. It very difficult to get green sand where I live.
I feel so much envy....I have this really stupid question... I know that you don't do that much cast Iron but I guess that I don't have nothing to loose asking about it.... when you have done cast iron smelting... do you need high pressure on the air feeding blower to the furnace?? I mean I have a really nice smelter... but my air blower probably is not capable to put more than 2 psi... as the temperature rise.... thanks in advance.
Excelent video, Thanks for Share, what is the work butane gas pressure you are using.? I meant what gas presure are in the burner. All the Best and thanks in advance ofr your answer
@@luckygen1001 Many thanks luckygen, excuse me y I made more question but your furnace really works well, you explain that the oil container is presurized, how much pressure is in it.? Kind regards
Very nice. I got a question tho regarding the ferrosilicon, how much do you actually use? well, i guess it needs to be tested with every raw material you use, but you must have some idea you'r starting at from? i read some books suggested by myfordboy, but unfortunatly, those outline the general operations and examples, specialy moldmaking and such, which are ok. but the composition of alloys and metals is what i want to read up on, and i would be very thankfull if you could point out some good sources.
chuckle. For a bit of excitement, sit your gas bottle on top of the flame, shouldn't freeze then. lol @ 7.31 on the clip, molten..? taking of slag..? not bad at all. Pump valves.? I buggered around for years, trying to get an oil burner going, finally got it. Never tried with propane. I may now go to it.?.!.? and well done. Ta.
Hi. I see no videos casting stainless steel on youtube. GM casts a stainless exhaust manifold --- can you demonstrate melting and casting stainless?? Thanks!
I bought the same burner set-up and similar sized furnace but the hole in the top is much smaller. Is there an optimum size or just a matter of being able to feed in more ingots and allow viewing and slag removal?
I'm far lazier than you are. I learned two lessons tending a big coal-fired furnace. 1: it's hot work, so it's actually nice to do in cold weather 2: tending the furnace and blower distracts from tending the melt Accordingly, I made my new gas furnace more convenient and usable in freezing weather. The new furnace runs off the intermediate-pressure line (~10 psi) from the yard bomb with its own 500k BTU/h regulator. It runs fine in cold weather. The gas line solenoid, blower, and electric pilot are all toggled with a foot pedal. Instant on / instant off, all hands-free. That said, I still sometimes miss the coal furnace.
Hi, Thanks for another video. Do you make your own greensand? Do you have a 'recipe' for the mix with the coal dust in it? Also does chill matter in a cast iron part if you aren't going to be machining it? Thanks
I was wondering if it would be possible to re-melt continuously cast grey iron (it has the trade-name Durabar) and use that (as opposed to your recommendation of using cast iron disc brake rotors, for example).
Any cast iron can be used but it depends what the end use is. It can be trial and error to find a cast iron that is suitable for your needs and how available it is.
Do you have the propane tube all the way into the furnace when you are firing it, as you show in the video? Or do you draw it back so the tube is not in the combustion chamber? Thanks for the lesson Lucky!
@@luckygen1001 I could just just manage to melt brass...4-5hr..dare not try cast iron..may take 10hr..you did it with ease..Which makes me wondering if you tried ss....just normal propane..no special tricks?
@@lvd2001 FWIW If it takes that long, for brass, then somethings wrong. More heat, ie, more gas, more fan, or even less fan. ( fan could be making it cold) Red brass @ 1025C, Cast Iron 1204C, Stainless steel 1510C. As you can see brass is/should be easier than cast Iron.
@@markneedham8726 you are right, there was something wrong, I found out later with luckygen... my propane tank froze up.. reduced the propane out put..I ahve not tried again..yet.. as I was melting about 5kg of brass at the time
@@luckygen1001 thank you gives me a little more confidence about my build. Watch "Part4 of casting aluminum at home furnace build out of 55 gallon drum. Insulation is installed" on RU-vid ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nNfrDBifEos.html
Bessemer process, check it out on web. So you purge the molten "cast iron/ductile iron" ( steel with an excess of carbon) and burn the carbon out. Wots left is Steel.That's it. Easy hey!. Oh, rots of ruck.
RagingShrimp67 I think it's possible for small castings, but is much more difficult... Regular quartz sand can't withstand temperatures of liquid steel. Zircon sand with potassium phosphate binder must be used. Also molds must be preheated to red hot to get rid of water before pouring.
Unless I am mistaken Steel has a lower melting temperature than Cast Iron, Iron being the Element and Steel being an Alloy of Iron. Please correct me if I am wrong, I am here to learn. It is to do with Eutectic temp. Link to explain. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutectic_system Edit; Cheers from John, Australia.
