Thanks for the words of wisdom nobody special and frosty :)
I posted on http://backyardmetalcasting.com/ aka http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?13-Foundry-engineering-and-construction forum board.
what i posted there was the same as here, then this post after...
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the refactory cement says Heat Stop II blend of clays and high temp cements. says its designed for firebrick. says can be used for repairs in kilns, furnaces, etc.. 'heat stop with a temp limit well above 2000 the bricks are whitish, a little brittle.. they are good sized, and 2 inches thick, so i was gonna stack em the skinny way and put the refactory on the inside.. should it also go on the outside? or imbetween the bricks as a mortar? i have access to a metal trash can, if i need a structure outside the bricks it'll take some scrounging.. i have a small charcoal grill, which i was going to originaly use. If i made a mix for the lid would that work? Also i have another regular size grill.. its propaine so i could either use that as the fuel, or rip that part out, firebrick and insulate.. (For the Forge) Or maybie i could make a foundry, for melting metals to cast them.. and.. a forge out of the propane grill for heating and working with metal. any ideas/suggestions/comments? -ian
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I want to make my own alloys.. wiki has a list of them and percents of which metals.
1) I want to find a metal/alloy i can melt/mix, and pour into a shotgun slug mold suitable for shotshell reloading.. (not a lightweight metal. maybie a combo of a heavy and light metal in an alloy) 2) Also id like to make my own knives (and machetes), full tang, id use paracord to wrap the handle. I dont know much about tempering a knife, (get it red hot, then quench it/repeat?) so when i get that far a forge would be handy.. 3) id like to experiment with making alloys.. and learn along the way. Id like to learn more about Carbon. my understanding is to make steel you take 99% iron and mix with 1% carbon. so i need to find out if carbon has other uses and how to use it, etc..
FOUNDRY IDEA I found a medium size metal trash can in the barn (with lid) and brought it up. (for the foundry not forge.) i thought -line the bottom with silica sand, for weight and heat tolerance, then saw/file my firebrick to line it,and have it fit together. then connect a hair dryer to a pipe that inserts into a hole just above the sand, for forced air. (gap in insulating liner) in my first post i asked about a 4 part refactory mix .. heat stop, clay (crushed cat litter), the sand, and ground firebrick. so hopefully have enough mix to protect the bricks and fill gaps. from filing the firebrick to fit in the can, i should have a lot of it as a powder, to add to the mix.. the bricks are square so there would be air pockets behind them. maybie a clay/sand mix? with firebrick on the bottom to rest the crucible on. and coal around it, fed by the forced air, hairdryer pipe. was thinking some high temp hinges to connect the lid to the can, and put the mix on the inside part of the lid. any opinions, critique, suggestions?
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Edit:Metal Trash can Foundry design
1) about 1.5 feet of silica sand on the bottom (temp/weight)
1a) should i put something like firebrick powder/clay above the sand, so the air doesnt blow it around?
2) hole above sand for the pipe, (imbetween brick) i got one today, its about 5 ft long and very thick, about 2 inches on the inside.
-inserted at an angle, and supported by logs, (half moon cuts in the logs for pipe) hair dryer end above the ground 3 feet or so
-refactory lining the hole in the trash can where the pipe fits.
-slit in pipe for air flow control, metal bar with a few differant hole sizes, maybie use smallest hole size when i dont need air,
just to keep the pipe from getting hot
3) cut/file firebrick to line can so they fit together,
-sand/clay mix behind the bricks (would firebrick powder/clay work better?)
4) room for coal, but 2 firebricks on bottom to hold crucible
5) the firebrick is brittle, so protect it and insulate with refactory
6) insulate lid, attach with hinges to make things easyer.
7) if clay/sand mix or firebrick powder/clay behind the brick, let it dry and cure with lightbulb
8) after the firebrick has the refactory coating, dry (week)/lightbulb again
9) small heat source for some time to steam out the water..