TheGreenMan Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I think I know the answer but I'd like to put it past yinz as well. For the next couple of days I'm going to have access to literally tons of carbon (graphite) rods, plate, fabric and block. Much of it is chipped and broken but some is in nice condition. All of it is in smaller, easily managed sizes (blocks are mostly the size of two regular bricks put together). Would the block be of any use in a forge? Or would it, as I suspect, 'suck up' too much of my heat? If nothing else I'll have plenty of sacrificial anodes for electrolysis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I gave my big chunk to a fellow who works molten glass as a hobby. It was a 14"? diameter rod from an arc furnace. A big arc furnace; first time I had ever seen a meter calibrated to Kilo Amps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Graphite blocks are pretty good conductors, so yes, it'll be a heat-sink. Wish I could access that much of it, though, would make great molds for casting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreenMan Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 Not as much good stuff in the pile as I first thought. A decent amount of small diameter rods and a few bricks with the bulk being dust/soil. I got a bit of biased look at it earlier, I guess the good stuff was mostly buried by the time I got there. I grabbed a few bits of rod and bricks, maybe two 5 gallon buckets worth. I'll find some use for it. ThomasPowers, the highest I've ever seen were two meters I grabbed off a junk pile that measured from 0 - 4000 amps. And I thought that was a lot! HojPoj, I sent you a PM about some bricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HojPoj Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Depending on the diameter and length of the rods, they can also be hollowed out and used as a thermocouple sheath either for submersion in molten metal, or just as protection in a forge. In the as-is condition, stir rods for melts, or electrodes for a lot of things (though electrolytic rust removal is a prime candidate on this forum). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 I made graphite dies and a crucible for a continuous casting unit. The graphite starts degrading above 800F so the crucible was inside a containment filled with nitrogen when it was running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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