Furnace
hardware
This is a furnace made for melting softer metals like aluminum and copper.
It's a very simple design, I obtained a metal barrel that I cut down to size and filled with fire bricks, fireplace mortar, and 50/50 mix of plaster of paris and sand. The plaster/sand mix is the least insulative and wouldn't be able to withstand as high of heat as the mortar or bricks, so I placed the plaster and sand on the outer most portion of the barrel, then placed the bricks to fill in as much as I could, then used the mortar until there was only a roughly 1ft wide cylinder in the center to place the crucible. I created a rollable base that the barrel would sit on, so that it would be easier to move around as the furnace is quite heavy.
If I were smart, I would've left room for a hole for the pipe, however, I was not and had to cut through
I initially heavily modified a vacuum cleaner to be a blower, However, later I switched to a fan from an over-the-stove microwave as it was quieter and provided just as much airflow.
I modified a 1in black iron pipe to take in the air and propane mix, then all it took was a butane torch to light it.
after adjusting the air/fuel mixture until I found a decent mixture, I was able to insert it into the furnace body and attempt to melt things!I cut a slit into the supply tube and placed an adjustable blocker (a simple piece of sheet metal) to control the air flow
The first run was unsuccessful, as expected, but a second run yielded about 100g of aluminum from cans and other scrap that I poured into a sand mold.
Later, I created an ingot mold using angle iron from an old bed frame. This allowed for more consistent output and will be the basis for subsequent melts. I intend on using the ingots in the aluminum air batteries as well.
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