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Metalcasting (WIP "Work In Progress") Metalcasting is a metalworking process used to make objects by melting metal to it's molten state, and then pouring it in a mold so it solidifies in the shape of the desired object. Nearly all metals, except steel, are very fluid in their liquid form. Casting is preformed at a place called a foundry. The term foundry can apply to either the space that is dedicated to casting, or the complete selection of equipment necessary to make the molds, melt, and pour the metal. It has 3 primary uses: 1.Art (good for picking up really hot chicks, think bronze) 2.Machine parts. 3.Anything your imagination can come up with useful or not. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS SO INSANELY DANGEROUS, I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I'M EVEN POSTING THIS ON SA. MOLTEN METAL WILL BURN YOUR SKIN OFF FASTER THEN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE, AND IS A PRETTY CLOSE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN HELL IF YOU BELIEVE IN THAT SORT OF THING. DON'T THINK ABOUT DOING THIS. IF YOU MAIM YOURSELF DON'T COME CRYING TO ME CUZ I AIN'T RESPONSIBLE. ALSO DON'T SEND YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS OR LAWYERS... I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR IDIOCY. SERIOUSLY, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO THIS IS TRULY INSANE AND NEEDS TO GO TO THE MENTAL HOSPITAL, THIS INCLUDES MYSELF. Let me point out the MOST dangerous aspect of melting metal... WATER/MOISTURE If the smallest amount of moisture gets into the metal for some reason, it will INSTANTLY turn into super heated steam. Super heated steam is very powerful and dangerous. Super heated steam in molten metal is even worse. It will instantly make a pocket of pressure in the molten metal, which will immediately cause flying, molten metal, at temps above 1000-3000 degrees F flying through the air. The metal will fly in ALL directions, burning EVERYTHING In its path. I've had lead explosions. The only reason I'm not disfigured is because I wear full face protection and have ZERO exposed skin. The Basics ”What metals can I melt in a typical backyard foundry?” Pretty much anything but steel, or things with an insanely high melting point like tungsten. A quick note about steel casting. Steel is not very fluid when molten, because of this, most steel patterns for steel castings don't look much like the finished object, because the steel won't flow in to small areas. The pattern is usually made merely to resemble the finished object and is forged and machined into the final shape. Steel may be in the capabilities of a backyard foundry, but not for someone who has years of experience. Also most work can be done with brass/bronze, aluminum, and iron just fine. We are going to talk about aluminum, brass/bronze, iron. These are the most common, useful, and safest metals to work with. We are going to focus mostly on aluminum. Melting brass and iron while “easy” requires a good amount of foundry construction and operation skill before it is attempted. Once you've spent a few months making successful equipment and castings then you can move onto the other metals. ”How do I melt the metal?” There are many ways to do this. Typically you will use a “crucible” which is made of a material that can withstand the temps of molten metal. The material the crucible is made out of depends on what you are trying to melt. Aluminum can be melted in a steel crucible. However, steel is not ideal because it will deposit some small iron deposits into the aluminum. This will weaken the aluminum, and eventually, destroy the crucible. That being said, for most work you will be doing in your backyard this is not a problem. Just don't be making castings that will result in personal injury or financial loss if they fail. For starting out a steel crucible is usually best. For one, they don't require preheats. Here's a picture of a steel crucible, It is just a large pipe welded to a piece of steel sheet/plate:  Melting brass, iron, other metals, and serious aluminum work will require a crucible made out of refractory material. This can be any combination of clay, graphite, carbon, silica, alumina, etc. These can be homemade, but you are probably best to buy them at first. One word of warning, these crucibles cannot have any metal left in them, and require a preheat to drive all moisture out if before putting metal into them. Dealing with these types of crucibles is an advanced topic and will come later. Lifting and pouring tongs You need implements to lift crucible and pour the metal out of the crucible. How and what type, is usually a matter of preference. dv6speed needs to insert images here of tongs Furnace The typical type of furnace we will work is a crucible furnace. These usually have a vent hold, drain hole, drain trenches, and a burner inlet hole. They are usually made with a metal shell that is lined with a refractory material. Furnaces can come in all shapes, sizes, and types. Here is one of mine that is still in the process of being lined with refractory:  They don't have to be complicated, even dirt and bricks will work:  You might be thinking to yourself... "Wow!!! even though I'm a complete idiot, even I can make a dirt and brick furnace! Propane burners look like I can slap together in 2 seconds... I'm doing it...this weekend!!!" WHOA THERE HAUSS SLOW DOWN!!! FIRST OF ALL That dirt and brick furnace has absolutely terrible efficiency. If you do that you REALLY want to have an oil burner. The propane necessary to run it will be way too expensive. Also, normal bricks can only hold up to 3, maybe 4 melts. They will crumble and be useless after that. The bricks you see in the above pictures are HUGE and ancient and amazingly take the heat well. The bricks you have lying in your back yard tho, won't be as lucky. They do make something called "firebrick" which is a different ball game. There are the 2 different types, 1 that weights about the same as normal bricks, and one that is very light and you can break in half by hand. You want the latter. SECOND OF ALL I have studied this sort of thing for more years then I care to admit to. I also have been playing with tools, mechanical things, and the dangers they involve since I was knee high to a dandelion, which, at 26, gives me more experience then most middle aged, or retired people have. If you want to do this, I suggest spending all your waking hours for the next few weeks, and possibly years, researching more info then this thread will be capable of providing you. Because of the complexity of this sort of hobby, if you are actually SERIOUS about doing this start here http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/ There are also countless other good websites on the topic. The intent of this thread is to be an inspiration, and showcase for people's metal casting work. The other intent is to educate those people who may not want to do it themselves, but would like to know more about the process. Should you decide that your insane enough to pour molten metal into a mold, you will probably eventually want to join the forums of the above mentioned website. There are people there who have more knowledge and experience then I do, that can help you to solve some specific casting problems you may encounter on your journey. That all being said, feel free to ask any questions. I will be happy answer them, or tell you how to get your answers. ”What the gently caress is this refractory bullshit you speak of?” What is refractory? It is any material that can withstand very high temperatures. You can make your own, or buy commercially made stuff. Refractory is either insulating, or non-insulating. In order to improve the efficiency of your furnace, you need as much insulation as possible. Insulating refractory tends to be rather delicate however, so often a thin, non-insulating layer, called a "hotface" is added. Information on making homemade refractories will be a separate post. Typically, you are best to buy commercial “castable” refractories. Homemade or commercial, as long as you use mostly insulating refractory, with a thin coating of non-insulating refractory, you will be good to go. Here you can see an example of insulating refractory with a small coating of “hotface” or noninsulating refractory. This particular batch didn't work out for me, but it shows the idea:  Burners Before I talk about the fuels you can use, let's explain the difference between 2 things: “Forced air” burners need a forced air source. This can be an air blower, a hair drier, or even a vacuum cleaner hooked up rear end backwards. “Naturally aspirated” burners do NOT need a forced air surface. These types of burners are usually used with a compressed gaseous fuel like propane. They rely on a fluid dynamic device called a “venturi” which uses a jet of high pressure gas to suck in the air natrually. You can use solid fuel like charcoal, however I personally have never done that. If someone wants to write up a foundry how to using solid fuel, I'll put a link to the post here. Solid fuels always require forced air. Propane is extremely popular and convenient. And can be done with either, forced air or naturally aspirated. They are MANY designs you can find on the internet to replicate. Here are 2 popular ones. [more burner info to come] Naturally Aspirated Burner:"Reil EZ-Burner" http://ronreil.abana.org/ezburner.shtml Forced air burner: A dv6speed (aka moya034) creation: http://home.comcast.net/~moya034/smlpg/ Used motor oil is my favorite fuel. It's cheap, it's free, and it has the BTU's you need to melt iron. Again, there are many designs, here's the one I use: http://home.comcast.net/~moya034/burner/ http://home.comcast.net/~moya034/plugdrill/ "Can I use a bbq regulator?" Yes, but it's not recommended. First you would have to find out how many BTU's/Hr it will do, and then figure out how big a furnace it can power. The only kind of propane burner design you can use is a forced air design, which requires a blower. In order to run a naturally aspirated burner, or anything else that uses propane, you'll need a man's propane regulator that will do anywhere from 0-60 PSI. I bought my regulator and hose at a welding shop. If you go to a welding shop, they'll be able to crimp on any sort of fitting you need to the hose. Something like this:  Tangential Tuyere: This is the placement of the burner in the furnace. If you look at thefurnace picture below carefully, you'll note that the burner pipe does not go into the center of the furnace. It comes in on a tangent, look that word up on wikipedia if you don't know what it means. This promotes even heating of the furnace, by encouraging the flames to sort of swirl around in the furnace. It also lets the flames squeeze between the plinth and the wall of the refractory.  Plinths: A plinth is a little block that the crucible sits on top of in the furnace. The plinth should be just a little bit smaller then the base of your crucible. The purpose of it is to raise the height of the crucible so that the flame from the burner just barely touches the bottom of the crucible. This greatly improves heating efficiency. You can make them out of a variety of things. You want them to be as insulating as possible, but they need to be strong. A 1:1:2 ratio of clay/silica or alumina/foam has been working. You can experiment to see what works best for you. I like to make the plinth in a cardboard tube. The cardboard will burn off when it's fired the first time. You can even use a cut piece of insulating firebrick as a plinth.  "DOOD, I'm drunk, and I got LOTS of beer cans that I can melt!" First, sober up before operating your furnace. Second melting beer cans is a bitch. You will get LOTS of dross (dross=poo poo) from the paint. It also dirties up your crucible and is too hard to clean. If you insist, just make a second crucible. You'll also want to crush your cans, and start with a bit of molten aluminum in the crucible first, so when the can hits it, it melts instantly. If you don't do this, it's liable to oxidize away before melting. Cans will also give off nasty fumes when melting form the pain too. "I want to start collecting aluminum now, while I'm doing my foundry homework. What should I look for that is the absolute best alloy to work with?" That's ambitious of you! The best stuff to collect is anything that has previously been cast. Engine parts, transmission cases, and alloy wheels are the best. Pistons are even better. Using extruded aluminum, such as lawn chair tubes, gutters, etc is almost as good as beer cans... not very good. Lots of shrinkage, and weak castings, but again, for alot of work, this is usable if you have nothing else. Just don't be making anything that will result in financial or personal injury if the casting fails. "dv6speed, you told me to collect transmission cases, wheels, and engine parts, but that can't fit in my crucible!" This is not a difficult issue to deal with. You have several options: 1. Sledgehammer 2. Sawz-all or jig saw with metal cutting blade (catch those shavings!) 3. Log splitter 4. FIRE! Check out this how-to site: http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/hotshortness.html 5. Large direct melt furnace that does not require a crucible, OR a "reverberatory furnace" (If you don't know what a reverb furnace is, hit up wikipedia) Can I use a cutting torch or arc cutting process for aluminum? Sort of, but not really. O/A cutting torches work by heating the steel and using a stream of pure oxygen to oxidize the steel away instantly. It's actually a chemical process, not a melting process. A very bad cut can be accomplished on aluminum but in this case, you'd be melting the metal, and using the oxygen to blow it out. This is not the best use of the torch and is not recommended. There are special electrodes and techniques to use with a stick welder to cut metal which will work on aluminum, but again, this is not recommended. Plasma cutters will work if you have them. Melting pennies and nickels or other coinage The Federal Government has made melting pennies and nickels illegal. Also as an amateur numismatist, let me say that you will have hell to pay if I ever find out you are melting down any form of US coinage. Ingots and ingot molds An ingot is a blob of metal waiting to be melted again. An ingot mold is something you pour molten metal into to make an ingot. You ALWAYS need ingot molds lying around during your pouring operations, so you have some place to pour any extra metal that wasn't used for filling your mold.  "Hey I can melt all my scrap into ingots and take it to the scrap yard to command a better price" First, unless you use used motor oil, or similar free fuel, this won't be economical. Second, make sure you check with your scrap yard first. Some scrap yard will refuse ingots, others will even give you more money for them. Fluxing: Just the act of melting metal will "clean" the metal. However, for producing a finished casting that isn't enough. A flux has to be added, and stirred into the metal to draw out any impurities. After it does it's job, it'll float to the surface as "dross" which is skimmed off the surface of the molten metal and discarded. Then, your metal is poured into your mold. When I melt down really dirty metal, I use 2 crucibles. I melt the dirty scrap in the “dirty” crucible and pour unfluxed ingots. I'll then re-melt the ingots in a “clean” crucible and use flux. You can then repour them as ingots, or into a finished product. If possible, it always isn't, try to scrape the bottom and sides of the crucible with some sort of tool to remove as much dirt before fluxing. Any dirt will just float to the surface and can be skimmed off. Make sure your dross skimmer, and any other tools that you need to use in molten metal are 100% dry, else you'll get an explosion described in a previous post. Homemade Aluminum Melting Flux Recipe Ingredients: 50% Potassium chloride (available as diet salt or "no-salt") 50% Sodium chloride (standard-issue table salt) Process: Put the salts at a 1:1 ratio in some sort of a "crucible" and put in your furnace and melt the salts together. I like to use a tuna or catfood can. Once the salt is molten, take it out and let it cool. You can break the hard pieces up, and put it in your aluminum melt as a flux. When you go to the store to buy the salt, make sure to look at the labels to double check the ingredients and amounts of them. The iodized or other ingredients don't really matter. "Morton's Lite Salt" Contains almost a 50/50 mix of the 2 salts. If you do the math, you can figure out how much normal table salt to add to balance it out. Sand molding In order to make a sand mold you need a flask. A flask is made up of 2 parts. The bottom part is called the "drag", the top part is a "cope". They have alignment pins on either side that hold them together. The base the drag sets on is the "bottom board." The "molding board" is siting on top of the picture and is an exact copy of the bottom board. You need a molding board in addition to the base so the drag can be flipped over during the mold making process. The bottom and molding boards have strips of wood screwed to them to make picking up the flask and boards easier. There are some more items you need for sand mold making. I will show pictures of those along with the mold making process. Wooden flasks should be painted in polyurethane, to prevent the wood from soaking up the moisture from the sand. This one has an inside dimension of 8"x10"   "What are the three most important things I need to know about before I make a pattern of an object I want to cast?" That is a fantastic question. You need to know about this if you want to operate you own foundry, or make things to have people who do operate a foundry make for you. First is something called the “parting line.” If you look at the above flask, you'll notice the cope and drag (bottom and top) meet at a very nice seam. This seem between the cope and drag is the parting line. The pattern's WIDEST portion must sit at the parting line. Often, you will want to make “split patterns.” This is basically a pattern that is in 2 halves that meet at the parting line. Alignment pins are installed in the 2 halves. There are ways however to cast 3D objects without a split pattern. I'll show some of those techniques later on. The second thing you have to know about is “draft.” Draft is where side portions of the pattern have an angle that allows you to safely withdraw the pattern from the sand mold with out disturbing the sand. Draft is very important. Having 90 degree angles makes it very difficult to remove the pattern. In some parts however this may be unavoidable. Usually the best solution is to design the pattern with draft, and then machine the part to have it's 90 degree angle afterwards. The opposite of draft is “undercut” for obvious reasons this is impossible in a sand mold. Again, draft can be added and the part can be machine to finished dimensions afterward. For some sand molds, you may need to use a 3 or more part flasks, where there is an extra piece between the cope and drag. That would be called a “cheek.” For complex castings that violate these rules, or can't be made with this method, you will probably have to use some sort of “investment casting.” That too, will be discussed later on. The third thing to know about is shrinkage. Metal shrinks when it cools, and different metals shrink at different rates. To further complicate the matter, different alloys of the same type of metal shrink at different rates. This needs to be kept in mind when designing the pattern. Also, you may have to make parts larger still to allow machining of the part afterwards. Patterns for sand molds are best made of metal, or wood. Wood patterns should be coated in a good coating of polyurethane to protect them, and keep them from absorbing moisture from the sand. You don't have to be a good worker to make good patterns. Epoxy, putty, and anything else can be used to fix your fuckups, as long as the finished surface is smooth and finished.  Useful links and books [more to come] Lionel's Laboratory: http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/ RealKyleH likes this sand casting book: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Handbook-Sand-Casting/dp/083061043X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216748410&sr=8-1 Commercial Refractory Suppliers Because this company was so nice and emailed me with the info I wanted very fast, they deserve a place here: http://www.hwr.com/ AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 02:21 on Jul 24, 2008 |
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Jul 18, 2008 13:57
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RealKyleH posted:A mill and a lathe... With these two machines, even manual ones, you can make most anything with enough time. http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/series/index.html You can even make the machines... with your backyard foundry of course.
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Jul 19, 2008 01:04
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How good are the harbor freight lathes and milling machines, I was wondering about that. What about the "smithy" 3-1 tools? Here is the single best oxy-acetylene welding and cutting resource I've found on the internet so far: http://www.esabna.com/euweb/oxy_handbook/589oxy2_1.htm Here are some interesting links to a DIY motor or engine driven DC stick/TIG welding power supply. It's supposed to be 100% duty cycle, and is foot pedal controlled. Because it is based off an automobile alternator, it could be installed in your pickup truck as a mobile welding machine. They do make commercial engine driven welders that look eerily similar to a regular run of the mill alternator. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/my-d...t=homemade+tig http://myweb.cableone.net/rschell/TIG.htm IF I ever build one, I will post the results. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jul 19, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 04:16
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"I want to weld so badly I'm about to pee my pants. What type of equipment is best for me?" This all depends on what your goals are. If you have some specific projects that you need to get done as easily and as quickly as possible with as little loving around, you are probably best to buy a machine that can do the MIG and FCAW process. You should get a machine that will do both, because MIG is more versatile then FCAW, however the FCAW can be used outside in windy conditions where MIG can't If you are extremely interested in welding, or want to do it on a professional level some day, or are on a tight budget, stick welding is the clear choice to start with. Stick welding requires very good operator skill to produce nice finished welds. That being said, most repair and fabrication work you are likely to run into, can be done well with an hour or 2 of practice if you've never welded before. If you decide to get a stick machine, you are best to go used for value, and try to find an AC/DC one. You can work with AC only, but will have more of a limited electrode selection. Also the DC arc is smoother and easier to maintain. If you buy an AC only stick welder, I recommend playing the "Back In Black" album while welding. It may not let you use DC electrodes, but hey, it'll be fun! If you have a large budget to work with, and want to make the nicest most professional welds on almost any material possible, go with a TIG setup. This process also requires a great amount of operator skill/practice. It can be used to weld almost any metal, including aluminum very nicely. Oxy-acetylene, and oxy fuel, while not used for actual welding much these days, is still extremely popular,and vital in industry. Not only can it weld, it can solder very large things, braze, heat, cut metal. No well equipped metalworking shop is without one. The main limitation you have in welding with oxy-fuel is it's hard to get enough heat to make certain types of welds like fillet welds. However if need be, this can be overcome with good pre-heating. Oxy-acetylene welding is excellent practice if you want to do TIG welding as the idea of using a separate heat source and filler metal is the same. If you want to know anything about Oxy-acetylene welding or cutting, this is the single best resource on the internet for the topic: http://www.esabna.com/euweb/oxy_handbook/589oxy2_1.htm Here is a post I started with info on learning to stick weld: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2905844&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=2#post346632723 It is my personal opinion, for the price of a good quality MIG machine, you can buy a new oxy-acetylene outfit, and a used stick welder, and have the largest amount of versatility to start with. A good MIG and TIG outfit can be added as your budget allows. Welding machine duty cycle For those of you who are new to welding you might have no idea what the duty cycle of a welding machine is. A duty cycle is expressed in % terms of a 10 minute period. For example, a 20% duty cycle machine can operate for 2 minutes straight out of a 10 minute period. The other 8 minutes the machines must rest, turned on, so the fans can cool her down. Keep this in mind when purchasing, and using a welding machine. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 17:38
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More technical info on the various arc welding process and how they work. First it is important to know that for welds to come out properly, they need to be shielded from the atmosphere. This is done with a variety of ways. What actually defines the various arc welding processes apart is the type of electrode, filler metal, and shielding gas used. SMAW is the correct term for the processes that are commonly called stick welding, or simply arc welding. SMAW stands for "Shielded Metal Arc Welding." The filler metal acts as the electrode. It is coated in a flux. As the electrode is used and filler metal deposited into the weld bead, the flux burns off creating a plume of gases that surround the weld area. This is how it keeps the atmosphere away. The flux also forms a "slag" on top of the weld bead, protecting it as it cools, and this has to be chipped/clean away. FCAW is a slightly different form of SMAW. FCAW stands for "Flux Core Arc Welding." The electrode serves as the filler metal, however the flux is on the inside of the filler metal instead of the outside. Also it is in the form of "wire" which is wound on a spool. The wire is fed automatically by the machine. Just like SMAW, the flux burns off creating the shielding gas. This process also produces slag. GMAW is the correct term for the process that is commonly called MIG. GMAW stands for "Gas Metal Arc Welding." GMAW is similar to FCAW in that the electrode is the filler metal, and is in the form of wire wound on a spool. However there is no flux involved. The shielding gas is either Argon or CO2 stored in a compressed gas cylinder. The machine typically turns the shielding gas on and off for you, however some units you have to do it manually. This process does NOT produce any slag. GTAW is the correct term for the process that is commonly called TIG. GTAW stands for "Gas Tungsten Arc Welding." You may have have heard the term "Heliarc" That was the brand name of the machine made by the company that invented the GTAW process originally. With this process, the electrode is non-consumable. It is made out of tungsten. The better machines use water for cooling the electrode. The filler metal is added with one hand while the GTAW torch is controlled with the other. The shielding gas is either Argon or CO2 stored in a compressed gas cylinder. The machine typically turns the shielding gas on and off for you, however some units you have to do it manually. This process does NOT produce any slag. BTW, helium is sometimes used as a shielding gas, which is where the Heli in Heliarc came from. FYI The shielding in oxy-acetylene welding is accomplished by the fact the flame sucks up all spare oxygen. Also, the exhaust gases help to shield the weld pool. Depending on the metal, fluxes may be used too. Some fluxes will be added to the base metals, others will be put on the welding rod by heating it up and sticking in the flux. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 13:20 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 19:24
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Slung Blade posted:Oxygen Acetylene welding: Fire is not as much of a danger with oxy-fuel as it is with arc welding believe it or not. Like the flame, the arc will ignite any flammable gases. But, arc welding produces many more flying sparks, which can fly many feet away from the weld area. Make sure there are no flammable substances anywhere near the work area. As far as cylinder safety, unless you have very old cylinders, this is not much of a concern. Oxygen, fuel, and shielding gas cylinders all tend to be exchanged instead of re-filled. The cylinders you get during exchange, have been fully inspected before filling. I suggest reading the above website I linked to regarding oxy-fuel work as they have a good section on safe handling of compressed gas cylinders. Some notes on safety for arc welding. Obviously you need eye and face protection in the form of a welding helmet. Less obvious is the fact you need to wear safety glasses under the welding hood. Sparks can find their way in there and will blind you. Also for the same reason, you should wear ear plugs too, unless you enjoy the idea of hot sparks damaging your ear drums. Also, arcs can be loud depending on their size. Your clothing needs to be fire resistant. Also you do not want any cuffs on your pants. Hot sparks can collect in the cuff and lights your pants on fire. This is true with grinding too. You can't have any exposed skin... if you think sunburn is bad, try arcburn. Fumes. If you have to weld toxic metals, or weld regular metals in a non-ventilated space, you'll need a respirator. Depending on the space your working in, clean atmosphere may have to be pumped in because exhaust gases, ozone, shielding gases, and flux gases can displace the oxygen in the atmosphere and cause asphyxiation. Electrocution is an issue too. Make sure you don't complete circuits. Also try to keep your clothing as dry as possible. Wetness decreases resistance. Oh, and by the way, sun glasses are NOT acceptable eye protection for oxy-fuel work. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 20:49 on Jul 19, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 20:34
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RealKyleH posted:Arc welding with shielding gas doesn't make flying sparks like it does with flux core wire feed or stick. You don't get flying sparks with TIG. Interesting! I haven't personally done MIG or TIG welding yet. That will change soon however. I start welding school full time on Aug 25th. I look forward to learning more about welding along with instant instructor feedback. I'm changing careers into welding after doing IT for ten years. I hate cubicles. By the way, the reason I say that if you want to weld professionally, you should master stick welding, is that it is the process used for most ship building, structural welding, pipe welding, and outside field repair. If you have a good hand with the stick process, you can find a good job almost anywhere, anytime. If you practice enough, it is actually possible to become a certified weldor with the American Welding Society without going to any formal education. All you have to do is go there, and preform a weld to their satisfaction, which will be tested with both non-destructive, and possibly destructive means. That being said, unless you have lots of time on your hands, you'll learn what you need to know faster at a school. I'm working on an stick welding primer, and some notes about electrode selection, stay tuned for that. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Jul 19, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 21:16
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RealKyleH posted:I've only done flux core MIG but DC tig welding steel is very calming. You just move along and dip...dip...dip... You only hear the gas and its real quiet. Well if you want to get really technical flux core is not MIG. It's more appropriate to call it wire fed welding if you don't want to say FCAW. MIG or GMAW, pick your poison, needs to use a shielding gas cylinder. That being said, the process as far as the operator is concerned, is the same, because the electrode is still fed automatically, and they both use Constant Voltage power supplies. For those of you that don't know, Stick and TIG both require Constant Current power supplies. This is why many good TIG machines will have the setup necessary for stick welding built in them. I can't wait to try TIG welding. I'm really looking forward to it! Edit: MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Jul 19, 2008 |
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Jul 19, 2008 22:04
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RealKyleH posted:Aside from gigantic engine blocks, where cna I get cast iron to melt cheeply? I will be making a foundry, and I can get aluminum cheap and easy through cast aluminum wheels, but cast iron I dont know where I can get it cheaply and easily like aluminum. Sources for cast iron: Old drain pipes Old bathtubs Sinks Old machinery that has no chance of repair You may consider calling up a bunch of plumbers and general contractors and tell them you are looking for cast iron. You may get it free, or you may have to have to pay a very nominal rate per pound. You can also hit up your local scrap yard if you can't find anything. If you want to build a foundry for doing mostly cast iron, you want to SERIOUSLY consider a commercially made refractory that does a good 3200F. The homemade clay refractory I make might be OK, time will tell. You will also need an oil burner. Propane isn't hot and efficient enough for it. Also, seriously, please do me a favor and work with aluminum for a few months before attempting an iron melt. Nobody should work with iron as their first metal in a foundry. I say this for 2 reasons... safety, AND iron is one of the more picky metals to pour and have successful castings. If you have any other specific foundry questions, I would bring them over to the foundry thread since that tends to be one of the more complex metalworking topics and this thread is already dealing with welding/blacksmithing/machining.
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Jul 20, 2008 12:47
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kapalama posted:When filing/shaping aluminum, is there some trick to not fouling your file other than keeping a piece of scrap steel at hand to run your file over once in a while? Aluminum is softer, thus why it fouls the file faster. Other then cleaning the file as needed, there isn't much you can do to stop it. Edit: Note about grinding aluminum... make sure the wheel is meant for it! Grinding wheels meant for ferrous metal can explode. The soft aluminum sticks to the wheel. The aluminum heats up creating "hot spots" on the wheel. Eventually the wheel can't deal with them and will explode sending pieces of grinding wheel in all directions. This will hurt, or possibly even cause personal injury. Edit2: USE THE FILE BRUSH IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY. Think of it as petting a cat. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 17:38 on Jul 20, 2008 |
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Jul 20, 2008 15:33
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Astrolite posted:I heard an old machinist mention that you can drag a piece of chalk along the file. I guess the idea is that the chalk will settle in the crevices in the file, preventing shavings from sticking there. Haven't tried it myself though. Astrolite posted:You can never have too many files.
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Jul 21, 2008 00:10
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Here's another way of making a file handle. This method has the advantage of not splitting the wood handle when you drive it on. Make the handle just like Slung Blade said. Then make 2 saw kerf cuts in the shape of a cross down the length of the hole you drilled for the file tang. Wrap some copper wire, solid 14ga or smaller is fine, tightly around the 4 wooden "fingers" you just made. You want to wrap the wire so that the "coil" is about 3/4" wide. You can solder, or epoxy the copper wire so it stays in place. Then hammer it on to your file. This of course, works much better with a hardwood. I can take a picture of what it looks like, if anyone wants. Instead of copper wire, you could always smith yourself an iron ring to put over the handle. Or find a piece of pipe that will work. I like to make oval handles, so the pipe won't work for me. I personally don't like heating the file up, but wrapping in a cold wet cloth as suggested should be OK if you still want to do it. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Jul 21, 2008 |
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Jul 21, 2008 12:12
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Backyard Blacksmith posted:I can also give step-by-step instructions on pretty much anything blacksmithing, if anyone is interested. I'm particularly interested in blade forging. I'm also interested in where are the best places to find anvils, new or used. Backyard Blacksmith posted:I am really glad Slung Blade made this thread.
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Jul 21, 2008 16:18
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Slung Blade posted:I'd love to see this, sounds interesting. That being said, this is one his files he made a handle for, where I learned the technique from. It's been holding for over 50 years very strong! You can barely make out the solder in the picture.  Edit: Once I have $3700, I'm getting a Miller Dynasty 200DX Stick/TIG machine:D http://www.millerwelds.com/products/tig/dynasty_200_series/ That baby can weld anything anywhere. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Jul 21, 2008 |
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Jul 21, 2008 18:22
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Slung Blade posted:If you have any more neat tips and tricks he taught you, would you mind sharing them?  Slung Blade posted:Also holy poo poo, 3700 bucks for an inverter? Would you be using it for industrial purposes or just at home? It has the current output and settings for ANY kind of metal. It goes as little as 1 amp of current to 200 amps and anywhere in between. You could weld an aluminum or titanium razor blade if you wanted to!
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Jul 21, 2008 19:42
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Slung Blade posted:Sounds like a cool machine man, I wish I had the money for tools like that. I expect to have it in less then a year if everything goes the way I want it too. I can justify the expense however, because I don't know how much money I could have made by now if I had the capability to weld stainless steel WELL. Everyone wants me to make header pipes and other stuff for their car. Since I'm casting aluminum, I also want to be able to do a good job welding that. I plan on doing casting for hire soon as well.
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Jul 21, 2008 21:08
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RealKyleH posted:I am so awesome! Look... I'm TIG welding! Good, now you can write up the TIG welding primer! I can't wait to pick up a TIG torch at my welding school... I also can't wait to get/build a TIG machine. I'm SO excited about starting welding school, I sent an email to my teacher asking if I can stop by and pick up a text book, plate, and electrodes to start stick practice with
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Jul 22, 2008 00:38
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RealKyleH posted:I will probably go to HF wed and try some stick welding. They are good for mild steel, have excellent penetration, very little slag, and are tolerant to paint and rust (tho of course, it works better on clean metal). They can also be used in all positions. You can find these electrodes almost anywhere. Even Home Depot has fairly good prices on them. Arguably, this is one of the best all around electrodes for doing standard fab and repair work, especially for beginning stickers. Another benefit of them is that they are fairly tolerant to moisture. Some electrodes like 7018, are the opposite. Keep in mind they will have too much penetration for sheet metal. But that being said, for sheet metal you'll be wanting to use TIG anyway. I'll see if I can drum some links up together and start a stick welding primer in a day or 2. You should invest in a sealed electrode holder while you are at it. Edit: Youtube videos are very useful for learning the basics of striking arcs and stick welding. They helped me out alot. Edit2: Taking some pictures of your welds, and then posting them on some forums like this: http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk is a great way to have true professional weldors critique your work. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jul 22, 2008 |
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Jul 22, 2008 00:57
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How to solder... the REAL way (Or how to solder in the most manly and professional way possible) Soldering is an easy, fantastic, excellent way to join both similar and dissimilar metals. You can not call yourself a metalworker without mastering this very basic technique. Since there is already an electronics thread, I won't talk about soldering wires and electronic parts. I will instead focusing on things like pipe or larger metal objects that we will be dealing with. Solder is defined as a fusible metal alloy that melts at temperates less then 800F, and is deposited to base metals via capillary action. If you don't know what capillary action is, I suggest heading over to wikipedia right now. Done reading that fantastic article on capillary action? Good, now you should understand why soldered joints require fairly tightly fitting surfaces between base metals. I'm going to talk about soldering copper, brass, iron, and steel. These are the most common metals you will be needing to solder. Stainless steel, aluminum, and other metals can be soldered, but will require special fluxes and filler metal alloy. Also, in many cases brazing or braze welding may be better for some of the special metals and applications. There are 2 typical solder alloys, 60/40 and 95/5. 60/40 is 60% lead and 40% tin. 95/5 is 95% tin and 5% antimony. 60/40 is good for all around and work and slightly easier to work with, but not safe for anything that will touch food or water. 95/5 melts at a slightly higher temp, but can be used on food and water items. The flux you use depends on the base metal. Copper and brass can both use common rosin flux. This is the same flux you would find in the plumbing section of a Home Center. Steel will require an acid based flux. Be sure to check the bottle before purchase, it will list what it can be used for. If you have to solder copper or brass to steel, you will use the acid flux only. You also need heat. You needs lots of heat, and this is where most people have a problem. Save the soldering iron for the electrical work. You are going to need torches. My personal favorite is the air-acetylene torch. Not only is Acetylene the most manly metalworking fuel gas, it provides the hottest flame. I do ALL my soldering with an air-acetylene torch, once you use it, you never go back. The next best thing is an air-MAPP torch, and thirdly is the air-propane torch. I prefer torches that have a handle with a flexible hose. The torches that screw directly on a disposable cylinder limit you to the angles you can use the torch at because, of the you don't want to burn liquid issue. Cleanliness is not next to godliness, IT IS GODLINESS I can not stress this enough. Solder does not like dirt, grease, oil, any kind of bodily fluid, or foreign substance. Solvents are used for degreasing metal. Wire wheels, emery cloth, or sand paper are used to do a mechanical cleaning job of the metal. That however, is not enough. You need something else to combat that, and the following issue: The other enemy to solder is oxidation. Whenever you heat metal, you oxidize the surface. Solder will not adhere to a dirt, oxidized surface. If you guessed that's what the flux is for you are correct. Soldering flux, does 2 things, it cleans the metals more then you can through mechanical means, and PREVENTS surface oxidation so solder will adhere to it. The flux burns off the longer you heat it. This is why it is important to get as hot of a torch as you can get. A good hot torch let's you heat your base metals fast, so the flux doesn't have time to burn off. Once the flux burns off, trying to solder the joint is as useful as pissing up in the wind. The base metals must be evenly heated to above the solder melting temperature. The goal is to get the base metals to melt the alloy, NOT THE FLAME. It's such a simple concept, but one where so many people go wrong. Even professional plumbers don't know how to solder copper pipe right half the time. Always keep the flame moving, never hold it one spot. Make sure the joint is EVENLY HEATED. Another trick to evenly heating metals is to keep in mind one part of a metal will heat the other. For example: Say you have to solder a small piece of copper to a larger piece of steel. The copper will get to alloy melting temps a lot faster then the steel. Your goal here would be to concentrate your heat on the steel, which will transfer heat to the copper. Every joint configuration is different, so decisions have to be made about your technique prior to starting. Solder will follow the heat, and will only flow to the fluxed areas. While soldering, you will notice the solder likes to follow the torch flame. This illustrates why even heating is so important. Even heating needs to be there for good, proper CAPILLARY ACTION to take place. This knowledge of solder follows heat can also be useful if you need some help to evenly distribute a blob of solder. After a successful procedure, be sure to let the part fully cool before moving the parts. Another important thing to do is to properly clean the part off all flux residue, ESPECIALLY an acid flux. The acid will eat at the metal if left on there. Another thing to keep in mind is that the acid cleans the metal so well, that it will start rusting very fast. So you'll want to put a thin coating of oil over the joint to prevent that, or paint the joint if appropriate. Now you know how to solder like a professional. Go forth and practice, knowing you know more then the average plumber. Edit: I forgot these very important statements: NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE FLUX CORE SOLDER FOR ANYTHING OTHER THEN TINY ELECTRICAL PARTS. ELECTRICAL PARTS ALWAYS REQUIRE ROSIN CORE SOLDER. NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUY ACID FLUX CORE SOLDER. IT IS ENTIRELY USELESS. IF YOU VIOLATE THE 3 ABOVE STATEMENTS IN CAPITAL LETTERS, DEMONS FROM HELL WILL RAPE AND KILL YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY. Edit2: Use the knowledge of solder following the heat to help you solder pipe fittings that will hold pressure. Once the base metals are at alloy melting temp, bring your flame towards the rear of the joint, which will encourage the solder to flow through the entire joint. By the rear of the joint, I mean the opposite of the opening where you would apply the solder. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 22, 2008 02:13
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Another very important soldering technique to know about is "tinning." It's quite simple. The 2 parts to be soldered together are first cleaned, fluxed, heated, and a thin layer of solder applied to their surface, BEFORE assembling them. After the parts cool down, clean and reflux them, then put them together. The joint is then reheated so base metals are at alloy melting temp, and the solder from the tinning operation will flow all together making the final joint. Edit: In industry, often times parts are tinned by hand, then assembled, and put in ovens to heat the entire part to the proper temp to flow the solder. Also, large parts will sometimes be put in ovens to preheat them and the finished joint will be heated to final temp by a torch and completed by hand. This type of heating operation is applicable to brazing too. Edit2: Flux application tip: ALWAYS use a flux brush to apply flux. Never your fingers or anything else. Flux brushes have rolled sheet metal handles and bristles about 5/8" long. These bristles are useless. Cut them with scissors so they are just over 1/4" long. It will be much more useful, and easier to apply a good coating of flux on your part. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Jul 22, 2008 |
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Jul 22, 2008 03:38
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I updated the 2nd post with all the metalcasting bullshit. I still have some more editing and additions to make. update on my current furnace's refractory: i don't want to talk about that... gently caress clay... i'll make it work sooner or later Edit: VVVVV Slung Blade posted:Thanks so much for all the input. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 00:23 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 22, 2008 22:53
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So, you want to, or have to, learn to stick weld! SMAW is awesome. To be a well versed weldor and metalworker, you should master, or at least be somewhat good at this process. I could sit here and re-invent the wheel and tell you how to arc weld, or I could post a shitload of links. I'm opting for the latter. Do not forget youtube videos. Just start searching, there are lots of usefull ones. Also the main manufacturer's such as Lincoln, Miller, and Hobart all have great websites with loads of information that I haven't linked to here. The Hobart forums are a pretty friendly place: http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/ BEFORE YOU STRIKE AN ARC, YOU HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS: Welding machine duty cycle For those of you who are new to welding you might have no idea what the duty cycle of a welding machine is. A duty cycle is expressed in % terms of a 10 minute period. For example, a 20% duty cycle machine can operate for 2 minutes straight out of a 10 minute period. The other 8 minutes the machines must rest, turned on, so the fans can cool her down. Long story short: Buy a stick welder, preferably AC/DC, but you can work with AC only. Buy some 6011 electrodes, get some steel, read the guides down below. For 6011, configure your machine for AC or DC electrode positive. 1. Start by learning how to strike and maintain an arc. You tube videos are particularly useful for this. 2. Learn how to lay a bead. 3. Practice laying beads by building up the thickness of a plate. 4. Make different kinds of joints 5. Make different kinds of joints in different positions. 6. Practice and continue to read more about welding 7. Repeat step 6 for the next 30 years. Everything you wanted to know about Arc Welding saftey: http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e205.pdf http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/safety/quick_eng_200704.pdf http://www.millerwelds.com/education/articles/article105.html How to stick weld: http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/guidelines_smaw.pdf http://www.aussieweld.com.au/arcwelding/ http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/c2410.pdf Electrode Selection: http://www.thefabricator.com/ArcWelding/ArcWelding_Article.cfm?ID=1674 http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/c210.pdf http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/c610.pdf http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/FM_handbook/577fm1_1.htm More really good info on both SMAW and electrodes: http://www.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/agcenter/arc_welding.htm http://www.esabna.com/EUWeb/AWTC/Lesson1_1.htm http://www.esabna.com/us/en/education/esab-university.cfm Welding Manufactures Lincoln: http://www.lincolnelectric.com/ Hobart: http://www.hobartwelders.com/ Miller: http://www.millerwelds.com/ If I find any other links worthy of this fine list, or anyone else does, I will be happy to edit them in here. Tip on selecting current settings on your stick welder You will see current electrodes charts, and you'll find they give a lot of leeway. This is complicated by the fact your welding machine is different then other welding machines. You will have to experiment with your machine to find out what works best with what. If you read the above links, you will have plenty of into to look at your beads and figure out how your current setting has to be changed. Good luck arcin' and sparkin'! AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 23, 2008 03:36
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RealKyleH posted:That'd be a very big write up and unfortunately I dont have any machines or I'd make some vids about how to run them.
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Jul 23, 2008 03:38
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SmokeyXIII posted:dv6speed, are you a professional welder? You seem to know whats going on with the trade. As mentioned previously, since I'm mostly interested in stick/TIG I'm looking at skipping all the bullshit and just getting the Miller Dynasty 200DX. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 13:49 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 23, 2008 04:06
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I live in Delaware. It is free school provided by the state, 12 weeks, 420 hours. They focus on stick and MIG, oxy-fuel cutting, and some TIG. The faster you learn, the more you learn in that time. They do help with job placement. Not quite sure yet how the apprenticeship program works, if there is one, still need to look into that. The instructor did note, that the more skills you have after you leave his class will directly impact your pay scale. I believe I am mostly interested in pipe welding by day, and specialty welding on the side and as a hobby. Thus why I'm mostly interested in stick/TIG. There are lots of chemical plants and refineries near me. Edit: I may eventually find may into custom automotive fabrication. However, I want to spend some time in industry building the things that makes this fine country of ours tick. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Jul 23, 2008 |
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Jul 23, 2008 04:26
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I spoke to a rep at a refractory company that I can do local pickup at their Philly office with. I also have an email and phone number of the Delaware sales rep so I may even get free delivery! The rep just sent me an email telling me the 3 items they keep in stock locally, 2 non-insulating, and 1 insulating. The min order is 1 55lb bag. https://www.hwr.com Insulating castable: KAST-O-LITE 30 LI PLUS IN 55 LB SACKS (3000 F) @ $0.72/lb: Click here for data sheet Dense, non-insulating castable: VERSAFLOW 60 PLUS IN 55 LB SACKS (3100 F) @ $0.58/lb: Click here for data sheet This is another dense, non-insulating castable they stock but seems a little high price for what I need: GREENCAST-94 PLUS IN 55 LB SACKS (3400 F) @ $1.66/lb: Click here for data sheet I think the KAST-O-LITE 30 and the VERSAFLOW 60 PLUS will work perfectly for any furnace I want to build, for any metal including cast iron, at a fairly reasonable price. This is good news because I've been having severe problems with the homemade clay/foam refractory. Edit: Castable refractory is called just "castable" by us metalheads. Edit2: I found this company by looking up "refractory" in the yellow pages. Edit3: I did some googling: Click here to buy a Miller Dynasty 200DX for $2800 and free shipping AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Jul 24, 2008 |
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Jul 24, 2008 01:33
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Slung Blade posted:I think that's the same castable cement I used to line my forge with dv6, I just mixed it in an ice cream bucket, it's pretty easy to mess around with. RealKyleH posted:You can get castable refractory at Ace Hardware they just have to order it for you as they rarely stock it. Edit: FYI there is a difference between furnace cement and castable. Castable is what you want to use to make the actual refractory. Furnace cement is basically a high temp glue used to put together firebrick, or make repairs in castable. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Jul 24, 2008 |
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Jul 24, 2008 13:00
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I'm concerned about the fluxes from forge welding because I am interested in making damascus knives. I will ask the manufacturer about that, they should know. Anybody found any good, really cheap... err inexpensive sources for kaowool or other types of ceramic blanket/insulating material?
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Jul 24, 2008 16:59
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Crucible Furnace Operation TIP: Don't get too close to the furnace... I just found some singed beard hair after looking in the mirror. One would think I would have felt that much heat!
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Jul 25, 2008 02:42
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RealKyleH posted:Tried stick welding for the first time tonight and hopefully last time ever. Practice! SMAW arc welding is something usefull you should know how to do. Never know when you have to go your buddies house and use his AC only stick welder to make a quick repair to something.
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Jul 25, 2008 12:07
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Are you trying to weld aluminum with SMAW or were you doing mild steel? I think I may go do some arcin' and sparkin' today myself, haven't struck an arc for a few weeks.
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Jul 25, 2008 12:10
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I was asking what type of metal you were trying to weld with your failed SMAW attempt. You need to spend some time running beads and perfecting keeping your electrode at the proper angles. Also, maintaining arc length as the electrode gets consumed is VERY important. SMAW is kind of like rubbing your tummy while patting the top of your head with electricity.
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Jul 25, 2008 12:30
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Yep, that's the problem, nobody makes a good SMAW weld without doing some practice first For that matter, I'm still in the practice stage myself, although I have welded a few useful items together already. I look forward to learning SMAW with instructor supervision at that school I'm going to. What size and type electrodes did you buy out of curiosity?
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Jul 25, 2008 12:58
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dv6speed posted:If you are using versaflow 60, how does it hold up to the fluxes for forge welding? Here's the response I got: Harbison Walker Company posted:1) VERSAFLOW 60 PLUS is a good all-purpose material. It should be fine against the common fluxes that you would come across as it does not contain much pure alumina, and it has low cement content.
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Jul 25, 2008 15:49
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Slung Blade posted:Ok, I know what emissivity is, but how do you calculate the reflected heat from that? ITC100 is a ceramic coating that is used for improving efficiency of furnaces and forges where the refractory is made of a material with poor IR reflectivity. I'm currently in the process of hunting down a data sheet for ITC100 to find out what its emissivity is so I can compare it the .4 number of the VERSAFLOW 60. If the VERSAFLOW 60 has an emissivity close to that of the ITC100, then the added cost of the ITC100 would not be beneficial. (I already have a pint of ITC100, but don't want to use it unless I can actually justify it. I'd prefer to keep it for a future project if using it doesn't provide much advantage over the VERSAFLOW 60 by itself.) Edit: ITC (International Technical Ceramics Inc. 904-285-0200) must be the one company on the planet that doesn't have a website yet. The only "data sheets" I can find on it is the MSDS, which does not have the info I need. So I called the company and left a message with the operator to have someone call me back. Edit2: I REALLY wish I had a DC stick welder... AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Jul 26, 2008 |
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Jul 25, 2008 17:05
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Slung Blade posted:those are beautiful welds man. Also, as far as your first weld on your tool goes, I would grind down your bead and make a 2nd or 3rd pass. BTW, what process did you use for that? If it was SMAW what electrodes did ya use? I didn't get jack accomplished this weekend. I may get around to doing a pour this week and taking some sand molding pictures.
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Jul 28, 2008 11:36
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Slung Blade posted:Yeah, I might go back and do another pass (I did 2 already, I know it's hard to tell Looks like you aren't getting very good penetration and just kind of globbing the weld metal on. Try a slightly higher amp setting and slower travel speed. Edit: another cause could be too long of an arc. AbsentMindedWelder fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jul 28, 2008 |
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Jul 28, 2008 17:20
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), the weather was turning south on me and it was about to rain, I didn't want to get either my welder or my sticks wet.
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Slung Blade posted:DCEP. 3/32s rod with about 100-105 amps. I'm leery about upping it any higher, it's only running off 120 VAC right now. As soon as I can get a garage with 240 hopefully I can do better. 3/32" with 105 amps SHOULD do the trick, try slowing the travel speed and shortening the arc length before you turn up the current and see what happens. As far as turning the current up goes, assuming your house/garage is wired correctly, the worse that'll happen is you will trip the breaker.
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Jul 28, 2008 17:44
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Try pre-heating the thicker base plate with a flame torch first. Pre-heating is good practice for alot of aluminum welding. (From what I've heard, I still haven't done it myself)
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Jul 29, 2008 04:00
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I just had a 30 minute conversation on the telephone with the owner of the ITC company.. He is a very interesting gentleman and also a ceramic engineer. I asked about his lack of web presence, and he basically explained to me the reason for that is because he does so much business that he only wants to deal with distributors and not the consumers. As far as the emissivity of ITC100 is concerned... He does not publish the emissivity numbers. I'm going to seriously butcher his explanation but it essentially boils down to a couple things: 1. The emissivity changes with the temperature, specially the temperatures we use. 2. The emissivity changes based on the material the coating is applied to. He said he's been on a quest to re-educate the public about emissivity. After talking to him, I had no idea how extensively his products are used in industry and also the military. He rattled off a list of about 25 major companies that rely on his product, and said there were hundreds more. He mentioned there are lots of things that have an effect on the efficiency of the ITC coatings, but all his customers, who use commercial refractory, have reported anywhere from 30-50% fuel savings. He sees his company as an "environmental" company because of the amount of fuel his products save large industry. As far as my application goes, he wasn't familiar with versaflow 60, but he was familiar with the company who makes it, and while could not give me specific numbers, assured me I'll be very happy coating my castable in ITC. So anyway, that's my story about talking to the owner of the ITC company. I will say this... he does a better job explaining his products then his distributors do.
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Jul 29, 2008 14:34
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