However an insulating layer could also be cast using a vermiculite/ sand/cement mix. The insulating bricks are of the type used in night storage heaters. The drum is lined with insulating bricks and then fire bricks. Molten aluminium landing on concrete will explode violently and send hot material and concrete lumps flying everywhere…so take care. This sand bed copes with spills and forms a fireproof barrier to the surrounding area. A bed of sand approximately 75mm deep is spread on top of the concrete pad. The frame for the lifting mechanism and the furnace are embedded in the concrete to maintain alignment. (See panel: Cutting An Oil Drum Safely)īecause of the final weight of this furnace, it is advisable to construct it in situ on a concrete pad. This is cut at the 2/3 mark, the larger portion making the body of the furnace and part of the smaller portion forming the lid.

For the purposes of this exercise I have based my furnace on a 44-gallon oil drum.

The other important considerations are the amount of space you have and the amount you wish to spend. This in turn is governed by the amount of material you wish to melt. The choice of furnace size is governed, primarily, by the size of crucible. The process is reasonably straightforward and can easily be modified to cope with brass and bronze. Once these are completed, there will be no end to the objects that you will want to design and cast from scrap aluminium. Building of a small gas-fired furnace, constructing a simple LPG burner and, in a follow-up article, casting and finishing an aluminium pulley wheel. In the interests of safety and future projects, I built a more robust setup that is dedicated to the melting of aluminium but also capable of melting bronze and brass with a change of crucible. The temperature required to melt aluminium (660☌) is not great and anyone who has seen The World’s Fastest Indian will know that it can be done reasonably easily.

The essence of melting metal is to have a container for the molten metal and an enclosure to retain the heat that you apply to the container. The basic approach to any project like this is to ask yourself “What do I want to achieve?” then work backwards from that point. I have had casting experience in the dim and distant past as an art student, but since then not a lot. An evening searching the Internet resulted in a basic concept of what I needed to cast my blank. After much deliberation, I decided to cast a blank and then turn it to finished dimensions on the lathe. On this particular occasion I mentioned my predicament to a friend who said, “Why don’t you make one yourself?” This set me thinking as I have a lathe and a reasonably well-set-up workshop. I then have to cruise the few second-hand dealers that I occasionally frequent. Unfortunately, the range they have on offer does not always fit the bill. This seemed like a simple task, but after a search amongst the detritus of my workshop I failed to find anything suitable. I will admit that this scenario is not rare in my workshop as I have looked for particular-sized pulleys in the past and have had to embark on a trip to the local hardware store to find the right size. I sat down and worked out a simple system involving the change of a pulley for a larger one. This entailed changing the blade and, more importantly, changing its cutting speed.

SOME TIME ago I decided to resurrect an old three-wheel bandsaw from wood-cutting to metal-cutting. To furnace A sturdy furnace is essential for melting metal and backyard casting.

Forged in fire cutting deeper cast