Homemade crucibles
 

Tim Williams wrote:
- Anyone need to know the secret? LOL

Tim

snip
See http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/cruc/index.html

Ad w/o pictures:

Making Crucibles

by Vince Gingery

Melting metal requires the application of heat to a container
containing the metal. The container we usually use is a crucible. You
can buy high quality crucibles, or you can make them. Even if you buy
the best commercial grades, they eventually wear out and sometimes
break. If you build the necessary simple equipment to make your own
crucibles, you'll have an endless supply of quality, low-cost units of
exactly the size you need.

Making a crucible is merely a process of shaping clay into the proper
shape and firing it. In other words, this is about making pottery.

You'll learn about how crucibles were made a century ago, making a PVC
mold, clay composition, ramming up, firing the crucible, making
crucible tongs, making a concrete mold, making a mold press, safety
rules and precautions, and more.

The only fancy piece of equipment you'll need is a lathe to create the
wooden mold. Vince uses his metal lathe, of course, but a wood lathe
will do the job.

And like all other Gingery books, this is loaded with a disgusting
number of photographs and drawings, with plenty of detailed how-to
"thrown in" just for kicks. In other words, this is classic Gingery
practical "how-to-do-it."

If you do nothing more than dream about pouring metal someday, I think
you're a fool not to have a copy of this. It's good. Get one. 5-1/2 x
8-1/2 booklet 64 pages

No. 1551 ... $9.95


Lindsay books has tons of casting information. Chastain's books are
very good. US Navy manual is a basic reference source. We used it for
the test in the casting class I tought.

GmcD

Tim Williams wrote:
- Anyone need to know the secret? LOL

Tim

snip
See http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/cruc/index.html

Ad w/o pictures:

Making Crucibles

by Vince Gingery

Melting metal requires the application of heat to a container
containing the metal. The container we usually use is a crucible. You
can buy high quality crucibles, or you can make them. Even if you buy
the best commercial grades, they eventually wear out and sometimes
break. If you build the necessary simple equipment to make your own
crucibles, you'll have an endless supply of quality, low-cost units of
exactly the size you need.

Making a crucible is merely a process of shaping clay into the proper
shape and firing it. In other words, this is about making pottery.

You'll learn about how crucibles were made a century ago, making a PVC
mold, clay composition, ramming up, firing the crucible, making
crucible tongs, making a concrete mold, making a mold press, safety
rules and precautions, and more.

The only fancy piece of equipment you'll need is a lathe to create the
wooden mold. Vince uses his metal lathe, of course, but a wood lathe
will do the job.

And like all other Gingery books, this is loaded with a disgusting
number of photographs and drawings, with plenty of detailed how-to
"thrown in" just for kicks. In other words, this is classic Gingery
practical "how-to-do-it."

If you do nothing more than dream about pouring metal someday, I think
you're a fool not to have a copy of this. It's good. Get one. 5-1/2 x
8-1/2 booklet 64 pages

No. 1551 ... $9.95


Lindsay books has tons of casting information. Chastain's books are
very good. US Navy manual is a basic reference source. We used it for
the test in the casting class I tought.

GmcD

On Mon, 6 Dec 2004 23:41:26 -0600, "Tim Williams"
wrote:

- Anyone need to know the secret? LOL

Tim

I just checked out your metal casting pages (some, so far). Very
interesting! I used to have an old Pyramid Furnace and everything
needed to cast, but it was stolen before I could ever fire it. After
seeing your site I might just have to build something and try it
again.

On Tue, 7 Dec 2004 10:56:02 -0600, "Tim Williams" wrote:

wrote in message
groups.com...
|| Making Crucibles
||
|| by Vince Gingery
||
||Er, I'm aware that there's a book out there. I was offering key information
||which appears to be fully successful, for free.

So do it!

Don't tease us, or make us beg!

Texas Parts Guy

I now have 2 friends (in the Seattle area), independent of each other, both
of whom are asking for my help to build or buy a furnace to do brass/bronze
casting. 2 questions:

1. Does Pyramid Products have a Web site?
2. Are there any good plans that don't involve buying large pieces premade
or making large castings? Ideally plans on the Web?

Thanks, GWE

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 09:51:23 -0800, Grant Erwin
wrote:

I now have 2 friends (in the Seattle area), independent of each other, both
of whom are asking for my help to build or buy a furnace to do brass/bronze
casting. 2 questions:

1. Does Pyramid Products have a Web site?
2. Are there any good plans that don't involve buying large pieces premade
or making large castings? Ideally plans on the Web?

Thanks, GWE

I bought the one I had used for $50. It seems to me like I sent off
for a manual (needed a crucible). I have no idea where it would be now
though, but I did get one. It was a very simple design, had a little
electric blower and a simple pipe burner. Never melted anything in it,
but I did lite it a few times and it did get hot fast. Dont know if
they would have a web site or even still in business. I did run across
this however:
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html

2. Are there any good plans that don't involve buying large pieces premade
or making large castings? Ideally plans on the Web?

I remembered a series from HSM called something like "Metal Melting Furnace".
It was a very good project, I remember it being really well done. I'm going
to probably suggest they use that plan for now.

Weird that the Pyramid Web site went away, though.

GWE