PhysicsGenius wrote in message ...
http://physeeks.dyndns.org:8000/ging.../foundry.xhtml

Since I have no welder to attach a plate to a pipe, I got the pipe
nipple and endcap for my Gingery crucible. Got them home, put them
together and poured some water in to get a more exact volume
measurement. Water all over the floor. Now some are suggesting I need
to weld it. I do not, repeat, do not have a welder.

I couldn't tighten the endcap on all the way by hand. If I somehow
managed to get it on all the way, would it be water (and, more
importantly, aluminum) tight? How would I tighten it that far, when the
endcap is about 5 inches across?




Not sure if aluminum will leak through a threaded joint but I don't
think I would risk it. Aluminum can leak through some surprisingly
small holes. My first melting pot was a section of 4" pipe with a
plate welded onto the end, fired it 4 times and it developed a pinhole
in the bottom. The hole was so small it was hard to see but it was
enough to let much of the contents run out into the furnace. Now I use
a cast iron pot coated inside & out with furnace cement (the dark gray
paste type) thinned with water to a paint, and the coated pot dried
over a heat element before use.
Mike