SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hello, all (and please pardon me if I landed this in the wrong forum)- I am looking to melt and recast a small block of scrap metal (about 8.6oz, probably stainless steel). (This is a one-time job for me, not an installation of equipment nor a hobby.) I would like the same metal back as when I started (not thrown into a larger pot and get an "equivalent mass" back at the end.) The folks at AlloyAvenue suggested I seek an induction furnace, and steered me here. Does anyone have (or know of) a furnace (induction or otherwise, I guess) capable of such a small job, preferably in the MA/NH/RI/ME region? (Virtually every large company in the region won't bother with it, and many smaller "art school" or sculpture-houses can't get hot enough to do stainless. Help!) Thank you- -SCI-FI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 relocated to the foundry area for you. Maybe you can hire some one here to do it for you. Nothing personal but you wont be able to do it yourself with out experience you do not have, or you would not be asking this question. Good luck. If you would have spoken to us in the chat rather than running away we could have explained more to you... but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Here in MA there is an art school that offers classes and likely has an the necessary tools at their disposal. Look up Stoney Brook Fine Arts in Jamaica Plain MA and hopefully that will point you in the right direction. -Crazy Ivan P.S. I second what Steve says. This is far more dangerous then most people realize and should not be taken lightly. Hence why I suggest the class setting with experienced folks that can help you do it properly/safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 If you would have spoken to us in the chat rather than running away we could have explained more to you... but... Howdy, steve and Crazy Ivan- I asked Stoneybrook (and Mass College of Art) and both said they do not have the facilities to do this job. I would've stayed in the chat, but my account keeps logging out. No idea why. As for this being dangerous, I have been informed, hence why I am seeking someone else to do this work - high heat, reactivity, and high power if done with induction. Any other advice is greatly appreciated. (And yes, I will try chat again. And again. And again...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Greetings Sci-Fi, What is your project? A small drawing or picture would help.... Sometimes a basic block form a TIG welder and a die grinder would do the job. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 What you need is a friend in the Materials Science department at an engineering university Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Greetings Sci-Fi, What is your project? A small drawing or picture would help.... Sometimes a basic block form a TIG welder and a die grinder would do the job. Hi, Jim- It's a small piece of scrap metal (8.6 oz), formerly a tea kettle of the cheap-o WalMart variety. I do not have a positive ID, but folks smarter than I have estimated it to be 303 or 304 stainless. By the time the project is done, I want that material to be melted (or otherwise converted) into a cross. (Melting into a mold is the current preference, but if I can get a similar result through forging, or TIG welder, or magic, I'm not fussy. It needs to be structurally strong enough to be handled, and smooth enough not to cut someone handling it.) Thanks- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcornell Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Wouldn't it be easier to make a cross using SS keystock? I just made a small pendant sized SS cross for my college-aged daughter. Melting down a tea kettle to make a cross seems to be like burning the garage down to bake a ham - yes, it can be done, but there are easier ways to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 my bet is this is more about transformation of one thing with little to no value to something with potentially great spiritual value another version of swords into plowshares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Greetings again Sci-Fi, If you were closer to me I would give you the stock you need to make your cross,, About 5 bucks at the steel store or junkyard would cover it... Like I said a die grinder and a jewelers saw would work just fine.. Good luck Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 my bet is this is more about transformation of one thing with little to no value to something with potentially great spiritual value another version of swords into plowshares Mostly correct. For now, it's a piece of scrap that means nothing to no one - except me, and represents a bit of a nightmare. Afterwards, be it through heat, or hammering, or whatever, I intend to turn it into something positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Greetings again Sci-Fi, If you were closer to me I would give you the stock you need to make your cross,, About 5 bucks at the steel store or junkyard would cover it... Like I said a die grinder and a jewelers saw would work just fine.. Good luck Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Thank you for the kind offer, Jim. Pardon my ignorance, but I'm not sure how I could turn a jagged block of shredded metal into a smooth cross using a TIG welder, or hammer+forge, or other techniques? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Could you break the kettle down and treat it like raw sheet metal? You can raise or fold form (does that work in stainless?) or work it in some way to form a hollow form rather than a solid casting or ingot. Edit: any chance of getting a picture of the metal? Is it a complete object or the tattered remains? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Could you break the kettle down and treat it like raw sheet metal? You can raise or fold form (does that work in stainless?) or work it in some way to form a hollow form rather than a solid casting or ingot. Edit: any chance of getting a picture of the metal? Is it a complete object or the tattered remains? It's a tattered "block" of metal. It's mostly a single piece, but due to crushing (a previous hammer/forge attempt), some of the shards are probably "caged" inside the block. Current surface is scorched and cut (see earlier, re previous hammer/forging). I may be able to "unfold" it out of the current crushed form, but it would be a similar problem - I don't know how to work it into the desired shape once I get it flattened out (ie, a lot of work to leave me still stuck). I could add a picture if needed, but I hope this is descriptive enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 You may have forgotten to mention...it is a mystery metal. Which you say is chrome plated. Not likely ss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 You may have forgotten to mention...it is a mystery metal. Which you say is chrome plated. Not likely ss. Sorry, there has been some confusion - I didn't mean to ever give the impression that this is "chrome plated," per se, I meant that if it is stainless, it includes chromium (which, I understand, is reactive with oxygen at melt-temp). Reasons for estimating this is 303 or 304 stainless are: 1) it used to be a cheap tea kettle; 2) walmart's website lists the closest current equivalent as being made of "poished stainless steel"; 3) it is non-magnetic; 4) "high" melt temp (it resisted a previous attempt to melt in a backyard forge). If I can find a way of doing a definitive analysis, I will, but for now, it appears to be stainless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I guess the reason I thought it ESS chrome plated is because you told us that in chat last evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCI-FI Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 I guess the reason I thought it ESS chrome plated is because you told us that in chat last evening. A misunderstanding, then, for which I'll take full responsibility. I am still bumbling my way through this industry, and may misstate stuff from time to time. With that having been said, and my previous comments on why I think this is stainless, does that change your opinions on what you think I should do? Also, if I can find a scrapyard, what kind of "analysis capability" would they have to render a verdict? Spark test? Or something more sophisticated? Thank you all for your continued help- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 So, basically you crushed an old tea pot and now you want to save the metal??Get some new stuff and make a cross with that and let the tea pot be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred1o1 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Jeremy he is doing this as a project the point is to reuse this particular metal and turn it from scrap into something ells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Stainless is a moderately complicated material and needs to be treated as such. If it has high emotional value (positive or negative) then it is worth the time that it will take to gain the skills to work it properly. That means hundreds or thousands of hours of technique practice and building/finding equipment. Then and only then would I have the confidence to work on an unusual stainless project and expect a good looking outcome. If it's more about the journey than the finished product then hammer away. I'm a blacksmith, so if I was willing to accept a fairly high failure rate I'd try and forge weld the mashed up lump of stainless into a usable block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I think your best and easist path would be to cut the block into strips. Then sandwich them into a bar and TIG weld the edges back into a more or less solid. Because of all the chrome, about 18% and nickel, about 11% 304 won't forge weld so TIG or MIG with SS wire are about the only options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I think your best and easist path would be to cut the block into strips. Then sandwich them into a bar and TIG weld the edges back into a more or less solid. Because of all the chrome, about 18% and nickel, about 11% 304 won't forge weld so TIG or MIG with SS wire are about the only options. Actually one can forge weld 304 stainless, but not likely for a beginner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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