Sometimes you have to scour the planet to get a cylinder head. Then there is some guy melting the one down you need. LoL

Nice video.I've a furnace that we use to melt large amounts. Say 40 cylinder heads at a time. The key to a quick melt,is thermal efficiency.A very basic way to make your system quicker, thus more cost efficient, is to enclose the whole of your mega crucible, Basically, put a lid on it . I'm in the UK, built my own sloping hearth furnace, runs on natural gas,melt time is 25 minutes, holding well capacity is around 200kg, and when I pour it, I wear furnace trousers !! You are not a moron :)

At 12 seconds you made the bell toll for that cylinder head. Poetic!

The sound of that furnace is so relaxing, i'm literally replaying this vid until I fall asleep.

recycling in its purest form ! Well done.

You just might be one of the coolest guys on KZread...what a thinker! SWEET! thanks for posting!

the steel cylinder makes a lovely bell!

Wow, that's cool seeing the tanks glow red along the area with molten metal.

Sand casting works pretty good with the very fine sand and I think it is motor oil (used) mixed in the sand to make it sticky and hold together . I had sand casting in High School shop class and never forgot how much work and fun it was to make/cast something out of molten aluminum.

Nice burner/blower set up.

My suggestion for improvement would be to take the crucible out and preheat the cylinder head in the furnace for a few minutes, then transfer it into cruciible then back into furnace, my reasoning is that direct heating first would help the entire heat get to melting temp quicker rather than letting it heatsoak its way to melting temp from the radiating heat from crucible base and walls. Ps i was flinching knowing your in shorts when you made that pour lol

Your knowledge is awesome

amazing how you can see the level of the molten aluminum in the crucible just by looking at the glow coming off of it!

Thats pretty damn impressive sir, Well done :)

I wouldn't recommend putting the slag on the cement floor. The heat will draw the moisture from the cement causing a steam type blister that will burst and send the hot metal everywhere. I would place it in a steel drum or bucket.

@bornahorvath6598

8 жыл бұрын

+Larry Will Concrete explodes at high temperatures.

@bikerchic7938

7 жыл бұрын

I was brazing a piece of bicycle tubing that was sitting on a concrete floor. Before I knew it, I got a blast . I was told by my neighbor that the air pockets in the concrete expanded and blew up..

@bornahorvath6598

7 жыл бұрын

Bikerchic Hope they see your comment,there is alot of people who don't know how dangerous is to melt something on concrete floor. Extremly dangerous!! *Cheers*

@halimspahi168

7 жыл бұрын

i learned many years ago about heat and concrete when cooking a lamb over embers and bbq brickets.....concrete started popping....lol...lamb was safe

@HUBBABUBBADOOPYDOOP

6 жыл бұрын

(WTC BLDGS 1 & 2 Thermite)

4:30 love when he is pouring and you can see where the molten Aluminum is moving by the red hot trail

A suggestion for improving the heat. Use some ducting to catch waste heat from the area near the top to preheat the air, leading to higher combustion temps. Probably after the fan. You intake air would go from about 100 to about 500, your flame temps would go up 400 degrees leading to shorter melt times.

very efficient oven congrats

Thank you

the best melting video in utube !!!!!

I'm not sure if anyone already said this, but perhaps you should pour the molten aluminum into a sand mold, so when it cools, it isn't stuck in the steel container you poured it into.

@eddiebruwer2094

9 жыл бұрын

no idea what that steel container is used for?? I would've poured it directly into ingots..

@angryadrien

9 жыл бұрын

Eddie Bruwer yes, unless you're pouring the metal into a casting, the next best thing is to make ingots ...but instead he poured the molten metal from one melt-pot into another.....not sure why.

@dylanzrim1011

7 жыл бұрын

angryadrien probably because there were bolts and shit in the other, and he wasn't sure if they'd come out on the first pour

Was waiting to see a maaaassive ingot at the end. Disappoint.

pěkná práce,jen tak dál.

the internet can give us things we could not have thought of ourselves. Nice lid mechanism too.

Cutting alloy heads is easy with the right tools :) horizontal band saw, plasma cutter (200mm capacity super heated gas), laser cutter (cnc), air arc gouge (arc heats metal with copper coated carbon electrode while compressed air blows it away) and even a water jet cutter. Look for fabrication shops! They will usually lend a hand when they can. Hope this helps

awesome, I love how the iron containers turned bright red when you poured it in.

I loved watching your video. I'm thinking about doing something like this with my 15 giant garbage bag crushed aluminum can collection.

Nice set up.

This actually looks like fun.

Liquid aluminum on concrete with even trace amounts of water in the concrete can cause explosions. I worked for Alcoa. They warned me NEVER to allow liquid aluminum to touch concrete. Other than that caution, and your lack of long pants (cotton works best) I appreciate you sharing your home made technology. Recovering aluminum is a good thing!

My suggestion, I don't know if its already been said, is to make a quick shift lid for the bigger crucible. It looks like you used a keg, which I also used, the beer kegs are also bigger for a bigger forge. Make a lid out of plaster that will dome over the top with a hole. Or Kaowool to wrap around with a hole Or just anything to try and preserve heat like putting some bricks around the gaps. Bigger items are harder to melt because they have a larger area to confect and transfer heat, so as the bottom heats, it transfers through out the top, so a lid will at least maintain and bounce back some of that to the item, I think if you could it would cut at least 25% the time off. That's all I can think of really.... either a hotter fuel, better insulated or a smaller item hope helps.

Yeah! that would be awesome to just watch it melt away. you should definitely make one

Do you have a video where you show how to build the foundry, seems a pretty good one, as well as the burner.

cool video:) I can't wait till I get a house out in the countryside and can start with all the metalwork hobbies. although metalwork is my daily work, I'd like to make things that I want to make, like engine parts and knifes etc:)

Sweet Buttery Jesus, I remember watching this exact video when it was first uploaded 3 years ago.

@ninjaethan4558

6 жыл бұрын

Now this comment is 3 years old

Really interesting, dam good job.

c,est vraiment remarquable votre four merci pour le partage

What did you use to insulate your foundry? I'd love to know for my own project. Thanks

One suggestion is to show the final product after cooling and of the crucible on the video.

Very cool! You can sprinkle a little powdered borax atop the molten metal. That "grabs" the oxidized slag/floaters. Next, slowly swirl a carbon rod around the surface; it picks up all the borax and floaters with it. Do this *immediately* before you pour. Any delay will add more oxidized metal to the surface. This greatly reduces metal waste created by dipping out the slag like you did.

Two suggestions, since you requested them before the credits: 1) install a mirror at an angle that lets you see down into the furnace without sticking your face or camera over it. It may tarnish, but cleaning or replacing the mirror must be cheaper than a new camera (or face). 2) Have something prepared to do with your next charge. You spent a lot of time and energy to heat the metal, then even removed the impurities. Try a sand casting, limited prep required and you have something afterwards

nice work,congratulations.

Good job.

To improve the melting and refining remember to add flux to help slag reach the top and keep the crucible clean, and if possible break the aluminum into thin plates or powder (For an engine block that would be damn hard). It would melt faster when there is a larger surface area.

Watching that thing go down, I had the Terminator 2 theme song playing in my head.

for a pour so big I feel like you would want something long and thin. like a long metal planter type deal. that way you have greater surface area to let it cool.

Thanks :)

I love that you can see the stainless steel cylinder starts glowing as the aluminium begins to pour. Shows how hot it got in there. Just before posting I saw that the other pot did it as well xD

Nice video kevin

Good work ! I like.

That was pretty cool.

would like to know how you made your burner from the keg and what materials you've used, also like the quick release set up and blower combi you should post a how to

I see others have already commented - set the whole thing on a sand bed in case of spillage or accidents - and do not fill the crucible with molten metal while it is standing on a concrete floor - also have the garage door fully open in case you need a quick escape route - we've all done it, until it goes wrong..... molten metal + water = superheated steam - steam trapped in concrete = explosion....

Outstanding! How did you make your furnace? Nice job!!!

I need the plans to your foundry, that thing is nice!!!

My next door neighbour who runs a scrap metal business was doing this and he let the molten aluminum spill unto the concrete floor. The floor exploded with the heat and blinded him in one eye!

Part of me is fascinated and glad I saw this, the other part is appalled. One little error in the handling and pouring of that crucible and you have no legs.

i pour metal for a living, and i think your set up is one of the best ive seen so far on KZread. i am working on creating my own at home. any tips?

I do have one question. how do you get that aluminum OUT of the container you poured it into? does it sep when it cools or do you have to remelt it to pour it out?

thanks

Ok! Many thanks for your help. I need to create some alloy pieces and this seems the best way to do it. Let's wait for the vídeo then.. Once more, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Rui Tiago - Portugal

if you want to speed up the melt i suggest a lid for your foundry help keep that heat trapped longer there still has to be a hole in the top just make it a little smaller than the diameter of your crucible but allow it to sit about 2 inches above the top of the crucible

what fuel are you using and how thick are the stainless crucibles please i have lots of copper and zinc coated copper cable to smelt and also what insulation material did you use for the furnace was it wool or fire proof mortor

very good video and thank you for it

Fantastic i love it

a time lapse of this would be awesome

When smelting old cylinder heads and transmission cases do you have to pre clean the parts or does all the crap simply burn off? If it does burn off does that just increase the dros on top?

Could you make a dedicated lid for that large crucible? I am just learning about this and looking to get geared up to do this. Would it cut down on the scale if you were to pump argon into the top of a sealed/semi-sealed crucible? Although There would be no easy way to not expose during the pour...

Nice work there, looks cool. BTW I wouldn't worry so much about the shorts as putting the burning scale down next to the gas line ;)

I believe it's also used to control how it expands when the inevitable heating from engine operation occurs.

Really neat video! How much would it cost to get a setup like you have going? And what kind of fuel do you use to melt aluminum? Would you use the same for copper and bronze?

Hi, nice video, i do have some suggestions but they are all different, i think it depends on what you wish to do with the melt... i mean what is it for or what do you want to make from it?

Thought I saw steel pipe plugs on side of head still there ,were the valves still in head also?

I sent a video response, you and I have similar crucibles (steel with hinge handle). I can do 5 quarts easily in mine and I use all propane, I only use it every now and again anyway. Nice setup brother!

Yes. Aluminium melts at about 660ºc so it's less likely, but if it was fused steel in contact, it would probably explode imediately. AND, if you throw water on fused aluminium, it explodes too.

Anyone else think it was pretty cool the "Mega Crucible" was translucent and you could see the pink flowing as the aluminium was.

5 years in an iron foundry, and all I wore was welding gloves for protection. if you were to spill molten metal on yourself, pants ain't gonna help ya. so I say "if it feels good go for it" as far as suggestions, try pointing some heat down on it from the top also, or a cover. both would help melt times

You should have a lid on it if you want to melt it in half the time! How much gas did you use? Good video, thanks for uploading

very interesting. what are the bits you remove before pouring the molted aluminum? I would think that with enough temp everything would either burn up or melt giving you a nice clean block of aluminum, is that not the case? (I know nothing about forging metals/smelting)

Well done melt IMO. Some comments are from those who obviously understand metals. Some comments are from those who are obviously ignorant. And as Mr.Tinker says from the start...this was a bit of an experiment. It's one thing to comment about something one has knowledge....but for those without knowledge of metals and casting/ foundries, you would do better to keep your comments to yourself.

Yes. I've seen this happen and it was pretty frightening!

dont put melted aluminium near the gasline! it will lead to catastrophal disaster believe me.

how do you clean and maintain your crusible? or do you just never melt any thing but Al once you've used it?

how do you remove that large slug from the second crucible ? Or you have plans to remelt in that again and pour nuggets ?

good vid i enjoyed watching it

when you pour it, pour it through a steel mesh - that'll capture any slag you've missed. If you're having trouble with oxidation you can throw some charcoal / carbon blocks in with the melt which burns to create carbon dioxide. I'm not sure if oxidisation is a problem with aluminium since I only work with precious metals. Interesting to watch through. What did you do with the ingot?

What do you do to ensure there is no remaining water/anti-freeze in the cooling jacket? That could ruin your day if some moisture got into the molten aluminum. I've never cast anything but lead, this looks most interesting. And I could really use some impossible to find aluminum replacement parts for my boat.

What i was told by a guy that has done foundry for about 30 yrs is that the cans and extruded aloy is not the best for casting, I use engine parts like heads and exhaust manifolds because in Australia the motor companys use first grade alloy in the first place to cast their parts

the chunks on the floor are the by products of the melt. Impurities rise during the smelt so he was skimming the waste off the top and dumping it onto the floor.

Dude, be very very careful, you are dealing with a very large amount of molten metal. Consider that your stainless steel crucible may start to wear off without you noticing, causing molten aluminium leakage and a very dangerous accident, also use adequate protection for your arms and legs. Once I made a mini coal furnace and I used a much smaller stainless steel crucible, and a leakage ocurred because of stainless steel wear out, luckly no one got hurt. Pd: Sorry for my bad english

What happend to all the steel like the valve guides and water pump shaft?

So do the steel parts just sink to the bottom and then you scoop them out?

What about the steel in the head and the waterpumps? those dont mix do they, what about that, does the two seperate??

Do you have a video of how to make the furnace?

for best quality aluminuim take the valve stem guides out also the valve seats can be hit out from the reverse side once the stem guides have been removed and any studs,plugs and bolts.

Make sure you can get away if something goes wrong. It looked like you had your back to a wall.

and wat was your heat source just astatine? do you think forced air and wood would do it

Would leather protect? I'm looking to get into blacksmithing and forging.

Good job - just interested to know if your furnace is lined in concrete or true refractory compound?

That's damn cool!