Waste-Oil Forge and Foundry

This demonstrates how I made a basic setup for casting, and can also to some extent be used for blacksmithing.

Let me state a disclamer that I know almost nothing about blacksmithing and most of my knowledge thus far is from research and not experience. The processes and materials presented and resulting from the information I am sharing are potentialy lethal. Please consider this as a primer to get you interested and demonstrate how simple it is to make the necessairy items for forging and casting. Do, however, search elsewhere for more information before undertaking any projects.

some good places to start:

http://64.176.180.203/tutorials.htm
http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/
http://www.navaching.com/forge/forgeindex.html
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html

other instructables:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Waste-Oil-Furnace-For-Melting-Metal/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-forge/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Small-Blacksmith_s-Forge/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-small%2c-practical-forge/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Coffe-Can-Aluminum-Foundry/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Pizza-Sauce-Can-Furnace/

Step 1: Waste Oil Burner

For the burner you need 1 and 1/4 inch pipe fittings: two T's, two full-thread nipples, one 3" long nipple, two caps, a reducer that goes down to 3/4" and a 3 inch long 3/4" nipple.
Fit everything together as shown with a couple pipe wrenches except the top cap. Drill a hole for the oil line. Test it to make sure it's working the way you want it to. Then encase it in fire clay. (see next step)

For the oil line I've just used some 1/4 brass tubing I had but steel brake line would be better. I fitted this to a valve and the valve to a tube going to my oil container. So far my container is just a can with a copper coupling for a hose in the bottom.
For the forced air I took a small vaccuum and duct-taped a tube to the air exhaust, the tube is about 20" long. Then I use a pipe clamp to secure it to the burner. Eventually this will be replaced by a small squirrel-cage type blower.

To run the burner I first start a wood or sometimes charcoal fire in it. Just get some small chunks of wood and fill up the main section of the burner. Once it's burning well put the cap on and connect the blower, turn it on as low as you can. Turn the oil on to a very slow drip, it'll probablly get really smokey for a bit. If the flames go out back down the air input or throw in a couple more peices of wood. As the burner heats up try turning the blower on higher, work gradually until there is a steady bright yellow flame comming out of the blower. As the air is turned up you'll have to open the oil valve more. On a full blow oil will have to be streamed in steadily and excess will fill the bottom and leak out the air input. Just catch this with a cup and pour it back into the oil container.

Comments

[heathbar64]

I'm not quite clear on how the oil burner works. seems like the oil just drips into the tee's. Does it burn there, or is it blown into the furnace and ignited there? or what?

[notjustsomeone]

yes, it burns there, that's why you have pre-heat that chamber.

[Cool-fool]

I'm interested in making this but have an important safety question:

How can you unsure the fire doesn't ever run backwards up the oil line to the oil can?

Ex, what if the line gets clogged? Would the flame move backwards?

Or, what if you use up the last of your fuel, leaving the oil line coated in oil and filled with air? Why wouldn't combustion continue up the oil line into the tank, causing a potential disaster?

Thanks for your help.

[notjustsomeone]

The short answer it that it requires so much energy to effectively burn waste oil that you're never going to get an instance of blowback, the line outside the combustion chamber simply should never get hot enough to ignite the oil within it. That said, of course it is within the realm of possibilities as it is gravity fed which allows the passage of air if the oil container should run dry. There are measures you can take to prevent potential disaster however. The most obvious is simply never set up your operation within 20 feet of anything you wouldn't mind catching on fire. secondly use a small container to feed your burner so that, should this unlikely even occur, you need only to cover the container and stop your air supply to extinguish any flames. Thirdly, regulate the flow of oil with a valve. should you be so absent minded that your line runs dry you need only to close the valve closest to the combustion chamber to prevent any hot gasses traveling up the line.

If you do not have the attention span to prevent your oil reservoir from running completely empty, you're probably not qualified to to attempt anything for which a furnace is required in the first place. Do the world a favor and find another hobby.

[skimmo]

"forge masters" in nsw uses a forge that runs of used oil

[Chainfire]

I'm making a furnace of a different design but with the same mixture for the refactory. So, I sat around with some friends and pounded out a gallon of cat litter, that was fun. But the perlite I have comes in small pellets, should i grind those up as well, or will they dissolve in the water?

[notjustsomeone]

just use the perlite as it is.

[Chainfire]

Awesome, i wasn't looking forward to doing that again

[steppapajon]

Are you using parts by weight or parts by volume?

[notjustsomeone]

volume

[sharlston]

what oil did yoy use?

[notjustsomeone]

the first couple runs were with oil I'd changed out of my truck, after that I just got some from a local recycling center. I'd suggest going to an auto shop though, the recycling center dumped all sorts of stuff into their waste oil tank.

[sharlston]

is unused oil better ?

[notjustsomeone]

infinitely better, it burns hotter and cleaner. The idea of a waste-oil burner is that it uses something that otherwise would be waste and costs virtually nothing to operate. If you don't mind paying for all of your fuel though, I'd suggest propane.

[dpsilver]

its best to use vegetable oil over motor oil because motor oil burns to give off toxic chemicals and this can be absorbed by your metal and change its composition and properties and not to mention the health risks

[rbodell]

 Anybody who would inhale the fumes from burning oil should not be allowed to handle sharp tools or have matches or a lighter.

[dpsilver]

lol you have to remember that inhaling some of the fumes is unavoidable

[zascecs]

You'll give away Will Smith for food???

[kyrisroy]

 you wish

[djr6789]

omg i loled so hard when i saw this comment! your the don of instructables man !

[zascecs]

lol

[M4industries]

mmmmm!

[tlivin]

I have used an harbor-freight anvil for several years. It's not the best anvil you can buy but if you don't have the resources to buy a better it works. I have also have a section of rail road track that I used to start blacksmithing and it works great just does not have a horn to work on.

[dsman195276]

that picture made me think of "will smith" the actor lol.

[M4industries]

I think that's the pun inside the pun!

[Artekus]

Wow props for doing this instead of just researching it like me :)

Take a look at http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com. The guy there did several iterations of burner and ended up with a single horizontal tube for efficiency. It's also just a great site :D

I was wondering, do you find that the heat is too high to forge with? I'd have thought you would start to burn out the carbon, yet you seem to be doing fine.

[spudster]

nice,its simple and looks effective

[Mig Welder]

Harbor Freight: 55 lb. anvil $50

[Hoopajoo]

Harbor Freight ones are cast. Cast anvils= CRAP! Railroad track and/or an I-beam section are MUCHO better.

[blair.jj]

Stay away from the harbor freight anvil, the railroad track piece is better

[jtobako]

You have to watch the quality at Harbor Freight-some are so soft that the slightest strike will dent them. Some are cast iron instead of cast steel, which makes them too brittle to do any heavy work on (chipping and other cracks).

[panstar1]

oh I forgot to say is waste oil furnace's are now against the law to use or around were I live ( I am a hvac tech )

[The Red Button]

why?

[Mig Welder]

what iron did you melt?

[notjustsomeone]

The first time can be seen in the last step of the instructable and was a plumbing end-cap. The second time another make-shift crucible was purported to be steel, it wasn't. The second event was a bit more destructive, but was stopped in time to avoid "casting" a new bottom to the furnace.

[panstar1]

you could use a oil burner from an old furnace ,they are some what easy to find and they have an automatic starter built in plus some have a electronic control to take care of starting just wire a simple switch across the r terminal & w terminal and just wire a power cord I would like to add some burners use a weird controller and drive the blower motor at 55 volt with a pmw , they are just built complicated for nothing the standard just use a 120 volt motor and a 120 VAC ignition transformer and a simple control box for starting the only problem would be making sure the cad cell can see the flame or else it will never start .

[2k4u]

AWESOME. Instructables has been needing a good, in-depth WVO/WMO tutorial. There's one other one, but it's kinda vague. Nice job, and thanks a bunch for giving a link to mine. I'm making propane reil type burner + new furnace, then I'll be on to waste oil eventually. Keep up the good work.

[Ferrite]

Nice!

[Jawatech]

GREAT JOB! I'd love to build one of these. Its a great way to make use of used engine oil.

[mieszalniapasz]

GJ! Take look on mine 44 kW automatic, homemade waste oil burner. Maybe you'll find some solution. Regards!