I am glad you mentioned rigidizer and the risks of using uncoated ceramic wool insulation. For the home builder there is a pre coated product available and I would hope the manufactures would start using it.

Always a good day when Thubprint puts out a video.

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Opinion from a scrap yard’s perspective: Would not suggest creating personal ingots if you’re looking for profit on your scrap. You will have a tough time selling your material and likely downgrading your metal. You won’t be able to certify the metal in your ingots. Smaller yards won’t be able to verify the chemistry and although larger operations could run their tests they will likely downgrade knowing quality won’t be consistent from a garage smelter. Melting is definitely fun, would only suggest if you’re just looking to create cool content online and not looking to profit off this metal.

@jayc8180

Жыл бұрын

I agree. Eventually you will find someone that will buy them but it’s tough. Most yards won’t especially if they don’t know you. Surprisingly there’s people that will buy them on eBay. Even at crazy premiums for some reason. Personally I think a few 5 gallon buckets of bare bright solid core is just as pretty😂

@joeldobbs7396

Жыл бұрын

I can verify this, I worked at a foundry that processed lots of aluminum, every batch was sparked on the spectrometer with the sheet included with the ingots. One exception was a nail company that paid for aluminum ingots for deoxidizing their alloys, but they only wanted extruded aluminum. Lead would be another exception, we melted down anything from poo pipe to used medical isotope casks for mill anchor. Hahaha, Zinc fires are great indoors, nothing like coming in to a dusting of snow. Oh, and slag is from smelters, what you skim off is called dross.

@joshp6061

Жыл бұрын

eBay is huge exception to this, copper melted into ingots (especially when finished/polished) sell for minimum $10 per pound and even up to $50

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Oh I’m aware, you’re 100% right all the way down 😁 I’m only doing it because it’s a fun visual representation of the content recovered from specific scrap items (and the internet seems to enjoy scrap melting vids)

@goodtimeeric

Жыл бұрын

If you're looking to profit, don't sell your copper and brass to the scrap yard.

Superb! I always enjoy your product review vids, even for products I don't intend on purchasing. Your thoughtful presentation is always welcome, and the videos are fun.

I am so happy for you that you got your new toy! Looking forward to a bunch of videos of you making cool, weird stuff.

Nice addition to the program. Remember to preheat your molds to avoid steam explosions. And always wear a respirator please.

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

10/4!

@adamdaley8090

Жыл бұрын

@@thubprint I watch BigSparksD melt a lot of stuff. You and him are my scrap/melt Friday routine.

This is so exciting, I was hoping you were eventually going to get something like this. can't wait to see how the bars pile up

I got the exact same Furnace and love it. Meets all expectations for my first one.

I am just getting ready for my first aluminum melt in my Vevor 6kg furnace. I have it all put together and ready. Cant wait to get melting.

Thanks for the video. Great info. Mine is in the mail along with that ceramic wool rigidizer you recommended. Keep up that good work brother.

you need to heat the molds up as well. or the bar will have spots and cracks, and will splatter.

@jamestran347

Жыл бұрын

you mean warm up the mold?

Excited to see you start the metal stack like bigstackD!

Ooh new toy day! Happy for you mate, looks fun.

If the lid does burn out at the opening and enlarge, I think cutting a larger hole (square for ease or round if you are up to it) and replacing it with a piece of stainless steel sheet larger than the hole with the exact same size center hole, held in place with solid steel rivets or steel bolts would end future issues. Use a slightly thicker piece of stainless steel if available. I would imagine that as the original steel erodes, the insulation will also. To cut out the patch, an electric or an air powered "zizz wheel" (cut off tool with a thin a thin abrasive disc, some people call it a "death wheel) cut off tool. Just make sure the blade is in good condition, worn evenly, etc. Thanks for posting this. I just got a notification from Vevor about their stainless steel 12KG model. It looks like the same tongs are supplied.

9:34 Actually, the ceramic wool will degrade with each subsequent firing without a well applied even coat of rigidizer or appropriate coating. Even the coating will eventually break down and expose the wool. It needs to be periodically maintained. Ceramic wool has been compared to asbestos due to some similarities with those minerals. Your assessment of this product was pretty spot on. Some good suggestions for minor upgrades that would improve the product without terribly impacting the cost. Shoot, they don't even need to make the changes. Just put a slip of paper in the box with your suggestions and let the DIYers do it themselves.

Awesome review, thanks for posting the review.

Got this one for my birthday, it looks very well working

Thank you for the great review! We’re so happy you loved your experience and can’t wait to have you back in the future.

This is pretty cool. Looking forward to seeing you melt many things lol

I look forward to seeing you out in a dumpster and find something you want to melt then run home as fast as you can strip down what ever it is you are melting and get the melting process started later experiment with different molds. This will be a cool addition to your channel.

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

That’s a really neat idea! Just a solid one-day challenge from dumpster diving to ingots. I’ll be sure to give it a go!

Nice review Thub! At least you'll be able to keep your shed warm now! 😉😊

Thanks Man ! - Great demo and review ! - Well done bro 👍👍👍👍👍

Nice review, now that you have a proper melting station I cant wait to see you start melting stuff - imagine a giant stack of those bars

very nice to see a review , just got mine

You need a bimetal pyrometer to monitor temps. Drill a hole 3/4 upper furnace hight and use an angle so the tip 4" of the thermocouple is to the side of the fiber insulation. Use Sodium Silicate mixed with Kaolin powder as an adhesive to seal the probe hole. It makes a decent mortar also. I built about 20 furnaces like yours that could melt 200 pounds of copper.

@billymacktexasdetective5827

8 ай бұрын

The average Joe screwing around on the weekend in their garage doesn't need to monitor temperatures...

@Slangevar333

5 ай бұрын

Thanks Tim, I just got one last week and want my first firing, melt and pour to go as well as it can. I have a pyrometer (for firing a pottery kiln) but haven't yet considered applying it to this task. Your install description is helpful. I made cast sculptures 40 years ago using wax investment and also sand casting process. I don't want to overheat brass and do want to monitor the temperature to be able to plan for time and to calculate gas usage. The sodium silicate & kaolin combo for sealing up the kaowool surface sounds like a good treatment and will apply that. I have used a water- alumina - kaolin mixture to keep kiln shelves clean. I think I may add some alumina to increase the heat durability of the coating and reduce the possibility of cracking, what do you thinks?

I just got mine yesterday and found this video to familiarize myself with it. Thanks for the tip on sealing the ceramic. I did notice my furnace lid has 3 ea 3/4" x 1.5" tabs to hold the lids insulation in. No need for screws in my case. Good job on the video.

@Typical.Anomaly

5 ай бұрын

How'd it hold up? I have one in my eBay cart, waiting to pull the trigger.

@jakkll

5 ай бұрын

@@Typical.Anomaly still love it but you should know it is not a daily burner. I use it very infrequently. The ceramic will need replacing soon and I've only put maybe 10 burns on it. The joint at the burner flange gets red hot too indicating that it will be a failure point in the future. Lastly, the burner does "flameout" or becomes too o2 rich (or gas rich, can't tell) and loses its jet so I have to reset the fire. That's easy to prevent though by making sure the pressure at the tank is high enough and just babying the mix with the sleeve until you get familiar with it. Good furnace for the money though. I'm still satisfied cause I know what it can and can't do. I've melted copper but not gotten much higher than 2400-2500 degrees. Will have to custom build for steel if I want 3-4k. Or buy a 10k dollar unit lol.

thanx thubprint, very well spoken and great explaintion, spot on!!😀😀

Love the product rating at the end 🤣

A full ceramic mortar coating is better, and you should always preheat your molds to prevent explosions and get a smoother cast. You can always remelt if you get a lot of holes or a bad cast

@DIEmicrosoft

7 ай бұрын

You Should Preheat Everything. Thermal Shock Hurts.

Sending love from Minnesota, Big inspiration to scrap thanks really exciting hobby!

Very cool i have been thinking about getting one of these.

I bought mine based on this review. They have improved the lid to keep the insulation in. But the tongs and the gloves are crap as you say. Great fun! And thanks!

Havent watched this one yet but stoked to see your new setup up, no word of a lie, I have been watching your pouring videos all morning and I was thinking you needed a new setup, Like bigstackD Casting. Then Boom new video, new setup. Update: great video, I think the porous copper was from moisture in the mould. I tried the Discount code with no luck

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Another bounce on the discount code.. that’s annoying. 😕

@MrRichardCopeland

Жыл бұрын

@@thubprint no worries, keep up the excellent content

Thank you for this great video, you encouraged me to buy a vevor melting furnace. Just a question with which spray did you spray the inside of the oven and harden the ceramic wool?

awesome!! that thing will heat up your garage very nicely too

Mine JUST got to my door!.... Hence me coming here to see what you had to say about it! I feel a lot more confident in the purchase now. I only paid about $120 for the EXACT same setup. With some of the projects that I have in mind to do, I feel like it was money well spent now. All I need now is another pair of tongs, maybe a couple of different sizes of crucibles, and a couple of different molds (not to mention better gloves)... Thanks for the review buddy! It was really helpful! 👍

@msoul3248

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for your reply. I am in the same boat. Where did you go for your crucible, mold, and tongs purchases?

@sarlaccstapeworm990

8 ай бұрын

@@msoul3248 If I'm not mistaken, I think I got the extra crucible straight from vevor's site (for about $40). I can't remember who makes the extra pair of tong's that I got, but if I'm remembering right, I just shopped around on Amazon until I found a pair that was a little more affordable than what they were going for on Vevor's page. The ones I wound up getting were about $35, but they were $60 - $70 everywhere else I looked. 👍 (P.S. Still haven't got the molds that I want yet... been using muffin pans and stuff like that. lol)

Thanks for a great video

did you temper the crucible first? slowly heat in a domestic oven to dry it out. then heat in furnace to highest temp you plan to use it at, and hold this temp for around 20 min. seems to glaze the crucible and make it last a lot longer without the flaking you saw. experiment with some casting, its great fun!

Love your channel bro

That's a nice review video, thanks for that. Any recommandations on the sealant ? More specifically brands cause that stuff is certainly called by a different name over here in france, and I wanted to be sure I got the right stuff

cheers, stay learning.

brilliant.. sound advice

I am glad you posted this video. I am new to this and debated making my own or possibly a purchase like the devil forge(before I saw this). I have most if not all the items needed except the batting and the burner to make. I have noticed many saying “its not worth it to melt down” or “your scrap yard may not take it” but I find my need is a little more of having large sized buckets of copper, aluminum, cast(fan motor ends) that I would like to convert to smaller stacking units. I need more info on useable sized quality crucibles (where to get) and tongs and it would be nice if anywhere had a forum where discussion on the topic could be accessible. Thanks again👍🏽

@thubprint

8 ай бұрын

I know Reddit has a sub filled with good (and bad) advice! I noticed a lot of the people there strongly discourage buying a melting furnace because it’s “so much cheaper” to build your own. And while I am a huge fan of the DIY approach, I did the math and I think it costs about the same if you have to go buy all the components to do it

@msoul3248

8 ай бұрын

@@thubprint yes, while the model you evaluated was out of stock, the next model up with two burners (i think an extra $90) was available (it may not have the gloves but I have that taken care of already). You have more experience at this so where do you get your molds?

thumbscrew hose clamps are way cooler(easier to use) than conventional hose clamp fasteners, definitely the way to go. At least u got a solid torch to heat up those tongs to bend it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and observations on this. Aloha

Do you have a different buyer for the metals than a scrap yard? How much of a premium do you get vs scrap yard prices? Great vid thub!

KOOOL! Now you need a Panda stamp.

Decided to get the wire stripper you use off your web site .I like it better than the china strippers with motors.I can use this stripper in the field with my cordless drill .Thanks enjoy the channel .

Excellent video. where did you get the refractory seal you use at minute 2 in the video to seal the blanket?

Harbor freight has those kinds of hose clamps btw. I like them for things that get removed a lot. Like radiator hoses.

With discount and coupon, Amazon price went from $249 to $145 with free shipping. Thnak you!!

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Nice! I was impressed with the discount they offered, happy to be able to pass it along and help somebody out! That’s gotta be way cheaper than a diy kiln

Vevor eh! They got their hands 🙌 in everything. Just bought a distillery kit from them. Haven’t used it yet. I also like melting. Intriguing 🧐

I couldn’t believe this product could be good at the price.I am an experienced sculptor used to foundries so would be aware of the H&S precautions and would feel confident trying this out. Especially with the recent innovations in high temperature silicone moulding it’s very exciting. So personally I thank you. Anyone who is not fully aware of all the risks should invest in studying all the issues and processes involved first. This baby is not a toy and when things go wrong they go wrong big time!.

I have just started scrapping after watching your videos. Doing it using my old car now.. I think this is way beyond me for now. I would like to see a video of how to use the grinder for idiots (like me) to cut metals. Maybe the types available in the market. The do's and dont's too.

lol that rating system is amazing!

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

😆👍

What a Champion.

Hi, interesting video, I would like to know how long does it take to cast bronze? Thank you

You are good man

I'm looking to be purchasing a smelter soon and I'm just curious as to what size yours is it seems close to the size I'm aiming for I have an electric smelter from vector but it doesn't have the capacity I'm looking for

Hey did u find that the double valve to the propane tank , the male connect is longer then the average male pol connector

They watch the videos and usually make upgrades according to the u tubers recamendations. They make numerous items.

Yaaaaasss 🥰 🥰 🥰

Preheat your cleaned molds. The porosity was created from traces of moisture or something that gassed out from the heated molten metal.

@billymacktexasdetective5827

8 ай бұрын

Traces of moisture did not create the porosity. Molten metal will cause moisture to violently expand 1700 times its original volume into steam. An explosion that won't go unnoticed... The porosity is caused by the failure to degas the molten metal prior to pouring...

I got the 5kg size, I've used it about 10 times and had to customize the burner tip. The hinge weld broke off on it.

Do you have any suggestions with how to clean the inside of the furnace? It's gotten pretty disgusting and then one of my crucibles sprung a leak and molten zinc dripped inside. It makes me worry something might short out.

ordered one from Devil Forge today. I have a smaller electric one already.

cool!

Gotta heat them molds before pouring keeps all that crackling and popping to a minimum. Good work

The tongs should be junked. I've seen ones designed so that the part picking up the crucible are at a right angle to the handles and grasp the crucible around the body - much safer. Have fun with your new toy!!

Good review! Ceramic “ridgidizer “ what exactly is this spray you use to harden insulation? Something off the shelf from hardware store?

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

I picked it up from a blacksmith supply, it’s a colloidal silica suspension. Not terribly expensive and just an alternative to the heavy firebrick cement most folks use

Hi, thank you for this very decent review. I just wonder where to find the ceramic wall sealing solution. Is there any commercial product readily available ? Thank you.

@thubprint

10 ай бұрын

A lot of people use refractory cement, the kind of mortar that is used to build brick fireplaces. I think you can buy colloidal silica on Amazon though, I was just fortunate when I googled businesses in my area that there was a furnace and forge supply house in my area. Advantages of living in a horse town I guess!

I would say if you're going to work with both aluminum and copper based alloys get two sets of equipment and keep things separate. It doesn't take much of one to contaminate the other. I've built a couple of furnaces before and you could do a lot better if you're willing to build a setup yourself. But for someone that's just getting into casting this doesn't look like a bad first setup and going with this could save you a lot of beginner mistakes in building your own equipment - you want to be safe after all. I'd suspect it won't be that durable though (but still good enough to get your feet wet) and if you do stay with it and decide to upgrade I'd plan on replacing most everything.

I'm wondering if my A12 crucibles will fit in there.

Want!!!

Have you ever heard of Devil’s Forge products? They have some good kits as well that could be reviewed.

Great video, but I have to go back to how you seem to treat teflon tape. Its not used as a sealant, but as a means to allow you to tighten the brass further.

Hi! It is good for melting bronze? Can you suggest other ones? Thx!

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

I think it would be great for bronze because you wouldn’t have the problems zinc creates like with brass. There’s plenty on the market, but this company just added a stainless steel version that comes with the cement too, which might be worth looking at

Ahhh, fingertip hose clamp - A booze brewer-kegger dream.

pre heat your molds to prevent metal exploding while you pour. a piece of cardboard between your firebrick and crucible will prevent them sticking.

@joku8900

Жыл бұрын

Seems like I found fellow BigstackD viewer

@ohdannyboy4727

Жыл бұрын

@@joku8900 haha was wondering if someone would notice. I have it ingrained in my brain.

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Cardboard between firebrick and crucible.. inside the kiln right? Neat! I’ll have to watch more of his content to pick up more useful tricks 😊

@ohdannyboy4727

Жыл бұрын

@@thubprint u got it!

I have some solid appears to be still rides from a car wash and their gold tenant on the outside. How do I test it to find out what kind of metal it is?

When you use channel lock pliers to tighten brass regulatators instead of a proper sized wrench you end up rounding off the soft brass & then you will only be able to use pliers. I used to freak out on apprentices if they didn't use a wrench on regulators.

I do not see one so can you link me to the ridigizer you recomend?

Downside of using cast iron molds with copper. I use graphite molds instead and the ingots look way better. You can wire brush the inside of the cast iron molds, but you will have a couple of holes in the end.. Preheat your crucible before using it, that way it will last longer. Now, is it worth it melting every piece of scrap and sell it.. Look at eBay, Etsy and see what some people will sell it for.. 1pound of copper for $35.. For me it’s a fun hobby, so it’s definitely worth it😁.

Awesome! I was balking at getting a Devil Forge because of the price but this is something I can afford. If the code you gave would work. The promotional code you entered is not recognized is the error I get.

id say it looks like a pretty good starter kit! id love to get one one day! CheeRs Thub

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

Oh I’m real happy with it! I understand there’s fancier solutions but it’s cool when the cheap version works perfectly good

@BushDogScrapper

Жыл бұрын

@@thubprint I’d be tickled completely pink with it 🤘🏻🔥♻️😎🤘🏻

7.8 on the maple scale is pretty rock solid science.

They are Beautiful All Sitting Next to Eachother Thub 🤩 I Desperately Want One ASAP Man 🤔👀🛠💪🏼🗑✅

Where do i get the red stuff you sprayed on the inside?

How long did you cure it and how much did you use?

Bro is it possible to remplace propane by butane ?

where would you find Ridgedizer at?

To melt down what you melted how much fuel did you use propane

I want one of these to melt both US and Canadian pennies to make some bars.

Alot of the comments seem to point to the fact that many scrap yards won't look at melted metals because they don't know the purity. Maybe you could do some videos on how to get your metals more pure?

Just a quick question - how did you clean the crucible out between the different types of metal?

@thubprint

5 ай бұрын

I just used different crucibles, I haven’t experimented with mixing them but I’ve read that it’s best to use them for one material only

No link for rigidizer?

My regulator failed on about the 4th use. Won't melt silver anymore. Barely melts copper, but not as hot as it should be for proper pouring. The guage reads 20 PSI but the roar is gone and it just won't melt. The insulation defintely blows off to about 1/2 after 4 uses, thankfully there was a wind. I can save it as it is "Close" to the devils forge and the price was right.

Does it come with crusival and tongs and did you say you got it on Amazon

@thubprint

Жыл бұрын

It included one crucible and a set of tongs yes. It was sent to me but it is the kit they sell on Amazon

I'm currently cleaning out my shed. I'd like to melt down the old nuts, bolts, screws, and nails, rather than throwing them out. It looks like I need to get a furnace that can reach the 2800-degree Fahrenheit level. My preference is a propane unit unless you talk me into an electric unit. Down the road, I'd like to use the resultant metal to mold various projects. Would you suggest this expensive unit for such a purpose?

@thubprint

4 ай бұрын

You want to melt down steel parts? I don’t really understand why but I imagine you’d rather use a horizontal forge so you can get pieces to temperature and remove them for some hammering and shaping and then put them back in. I’ve never heard of anyone getting steel and iron to a pourable liquid at home

my old furnace was just made out of steel starting to rust through so I got a Stainless steel one

Thanks, can i use normal kitchen gas instead of propane?

@NWAHVAC

9 ай бұрын

By kitchen gas, I assume you mean natural gas. Yes it would be possible but you would need a new regulator (since this is how you adjust the temperature) and a new orifice. You could drill the existing one out if we know how many BTU the current one is and you know how to read the BTU charts.