Build a foundry and sand-cast aluminum.

Step 4 Materials and tools.

I built my furnace for nothing, and you can too if you borrow some tools and swipe some trash.

Required to build furnace

Tools

• Drill with large bit suitable for steel. (Hammer and large steel spike can be substituted)
• Tin snips

Parts

• 2 coffee cans of equal dimensions (one for furnace, one for air chamber)
• 1 hair dryer with a cold air setting
• 1 tin can (Blue Runner bean cans are the perfect size and are very strurdy)
• At least 4 metal stakes (optional)

Required to operate furnace

Stuff

• Instant light charcoal
• Charcoal lighter fluid
• Barbeque lighter (the long-nozzled kind)
• A bucket of water (to cool hot tools)
• Aluminum cans
• 3 or more boxes (optional)

Tools

• Tongs (I use 2 pairs)
• Some sort of long, metal stick

Safety gear

• Leather gloves (preferably welding)
• 100% Leather and/or cotton upper torso/arm coverings (Big Smith jackets are perfect)
• Gas mask (optional, you can just hold your breath when near the furnace)

Required to make mold

• a large container
• sand
• Something to impint a design in sand with or way to draw in sand (pottery, carvings, body parts

etc.)

Comments

[Wiredfey]

Question,i have a heat gun which i use to take off formica when doing remodel and use it to melt ice. would this be more effective?

[Fenris The bbw]

No.

Hot air is less dense than cold air, and consequently contains less oxygen.
I know it's counter-intuitive, but colder air burns better.

[Wiredfey]

that's kind of funny but interesting :) thanx,time to hit up a goodwill for a dryer.

[man ray]

what did you use for a crucible?

[Fenris The bbw]

A tin can.

[Wyle_E]

That was certainly a steel can. BTW, I've seen a lot of aluminum soup cans lately. They usually have pull-tab tops. Before you use a food can for a crucible, check it with a magnet. The best cheap crucible for aluminum and zinc alloys is a short piece of steel pipe with a piece of steel plate welded over one end. I haven't checked with local welding shops, but it would probably cost less than the cheapest clay-graphite crucible from Budget Casting Supply. There are a *lot* of web sites devoted to amateur foundry. www.backyardmetalcasting.con is a good start.

[bshelton4]

I can make you some stainless crucibles if you would like or carbon steel. I take paypal so you are covered and ship USPS.just need to know the size and what kind of material you would like. 256-309-9406 is my number. Thanks.

[Fenris The bbw]

I think i adress that most cans are made out of steel somewhere, but for the life of me, i can't figure out where. Probably in the comments somewhere. Also, a welded crucible would probably work better, but I'm trying to make this build as simple as possible so others with no experience can replicate it.

[legendeveryone]

Can you use a glass bottle or container as a crucible? I know it has a much higher melting point than aluminum and is somewhat easier to come by than steel.

[Fenris The bbw]

The short answer, no.

The long answer no becuz it'll explode, or at least crack, which would waste all the aluminum.

[backyardmunitionist]

Have you ever tried a ceramic crucible? I was wondering if you would get a purer product if you didn't have the ferric metal possibly alloying minutely with the aluminum.

[Fenris The bbw]

A ceramic crucible would be awesome. But I'm trying to keep it cheap and only use garbage for my materials.

Also, I don't think the steel alloys with the aluminum at all, but rust flakes might get in the melt if you use the same crucible more than once.

[leifbus]

 Could you make a crucible out of plaster? (since you could cast the aluminum into it anyway?)

[Wyle_E]

Plaster, like portland cement, sets by a hydration reaction.  Get it hot enough and it dehydrates, turning back into dust.  The furnace is going to be a lot hotter than a mold full of molten metal.

[jbend]

can you use wood insted of charcoal.

[goodinstructabledude]

What happens when you don't hold your breath?

[SeverinR]

its called metal fume fever. The galvinized steel cans produce fumes and probably the impuritys of the aluminum do too.

[Fenris The bbw]

You get a little nauseous the next day. Probably something worse in the long-run though. If you melt clean aluminum, you shouldn't have a problem. Aluminum cans have coatings of plastic and paint on them though, so they produce noxious fumes when burned.

[gusew]

I saw once that you could TIG (GTAW or gas tungsten arc welding) weld two soda cans together...so i tried it in my welding and metal fab. class and the cans just melted and smelled horrible causing a bad headche.

[arduinoe]

thats a cool drill

[Fenris The bbw]

It's a Black&Decker cordless drill with a swiveling head. I can't remember anything specific about it, and I can't find it to tell you what it's called, but I do remember that it sucks. It doesn't have enough power to drill holes in some wood. Honestly, I was surprised it went through this metal. The swivelling head is nice though, it helps you get into hard to reach areas.