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Metal Casting in Suburbia
I have taken an interest in molten metal, and in the
spirit of Lionel Oliver,
I have decided to share everything I've done with the world.
So far, not much, but I do have a complete furnace design for melting aluminum.
- The F1 Furnace
I have completed a design I am calling the F1 furnace, capable of melting
up to 8lbs of aluminum per melt. The YMD-F1 is a forced-air induction
blast furnace, fueled by waste oil or just about anything else that will
burn. It was engineered to melt 1 kg of aluminum within
10 minutes when turned to full blast, but this is as yet untested. It is a fairly small furnace, and was
built for under $100 USD. Without the controls and electronics, it could
be built for around $50 USD or even less if you are resourceful. As constructed
this furnace is not suitable for use at the higher temperatures used for
iron casting. The refractory mix is home-made, and will fuze around 2300F.
Beyond 2300F, the refractory degrades very rapidly, and crumbles away.
Aluminum is poured at the much lower temperature of 1400F, and the F1 furnace
is suitable for any use below 2000F.
F1 Furnace Design Specifications and Computer Simulations - Design targets, and some thermo simulations on melt times.
Construction Drawings
Furnace body construction - Drawing and parts list for the furnace body
Burner construction - Drawing and parts list for the blower construction
Controls and Wiring - Electrical drawing and parts list for the controls
Construction Guidelines - Guidelines for casting the furnace body - After the demise of the F1 furnace, this refractory recipe is no longer recommended! See the upcoming F-2 Furnace refractory mix for something a little more durable.
Pictures (Updated 10/27/07) - Pictures of the furnace, from Construction to operation, to eventual decomissioning.
Update! - The F1 Furnace has melted. See the pictures of it's untimely demise. A 10-day life isn't very impressive, but hey its a learning process. Look for the F-2 furnace soon...