Build a foundry and sand-cast aluminum.

Step 12 Starting the furnace. (FINALLY!)

Make sure all your safety gear is in place and then get ready to finally do some metal-melting!

First load your crucible half-way full of can tops, they burn the cleanest, so burning them first yields more molten aluminum to submerge other can parts in.

Then, light the charcoal!!! Whoooo! fire!

If you use regular charcoal, you have to use lighter fluid, which can drip through the furnace onto the hairdryer, for this reason I only use coals that light instantly in my furnace.

As soon as you think all the coals under and around the crucible are lit, start the hair-dryer.

Next you need to add coals to the side of the crucible untill they form as even a layer as possible around it's center.

Once the can tops start to melt and you can see the can glowing red it's time to move on to the next step.

Comments

[spiderx]

When I worked at Alcoa, they would stack up the aluminum ingots next to the furnaces to dry and warm them, so that when they added them to the furnace, there would be no "water vapor explosions". It might be a good idea since you are working with aluminum beverage containers.

[Fenris The bbw]

I find that water on the cans doesn't make too much trouble, as long as the furnace is REALLY hot, and you don't use large chunks of can.

[cd41]

And needless to say the cans should have been used before trying to melt them... wait..... excuse me for a moment....................... Yeah it's a bad idea... excuse me again need to go try again, then get the burns treated at the hospital........ Yep definetly a bad idea...

[Fenris The bbw]

Lol