# A solar furnace



## Irons (Feb 1, 2011)

Here's an inexpensive idea to generate the temperatures required to melt metals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjFIFGHiC4


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 1, 2011)

Set up a crucible on a swing arm and you have a furnace. That's hot.


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## stihl88 (Feb 1, 2011)

Wow, she's throwing off some heat, anyone for a sun tan! 

That reminds me of a Fresnal Lens Death Ray, i grabbed this from Instructables website a few months back thinking someone here might be interested.
Ive converted it to PDF format for ease of use.


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## Platdigger (Feb 1, 2011)

Well, as long as the air is calm, you would not have your powders blown out of your melting dish.


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## Irons (Feb 1, 2011)

Platdigger said:


> Well, as long as the air is calm, you would not have your powders blown out of your melting dish.



You would want to put a refractory container, perhaps with a Quartz window, to hold your melting dish and contain the heat.


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## joem (Feb 1, 2011)

Just don't forget this in your back yard pointing at your house on a sunny day
:shock:


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 1, 2011)

Will not be a problem there is only a small area that the energy is focused on to generate that amount of heat. It's just like taking a pair of glasses or magnifying glass and directing the sun's beam to a small point to generate the heat needed.


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## seawolf (Feb 1, 2011)

Maybe a crucible with lid on a BBQ rotisserie to make it heat more evenly.
Mark


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## Drewbie (Feb 1, 2011)

I was thinking of something similar to this just last week. What got me thinking of if was when I was dismantling a crashed HDD to recover the magnets for testing rocks.

I was looking as those nice mirror-surfaced platters and thinking, you know, if I glue enough of those to an old satellite dish...

Add a solar panel to the side to power a fan for oxygen supply...

Aside from the furnace or chemical warming capabilities, you have a rig that will run silently and a long way from a power supply, so you can do your work in a remote location where noxious gas fumes are less concerning to neighbours. Cheaper than propane, too.


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## patnor1011 (Feb 1, 2011)

Nice. One pic is of his idea and tea pot  another is a way how to crock pot without electricity . That one can be constructed very easily.


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## Drewbie (Feb 1, 2011)

Those pics show two extremes - big flat mirror surfaces broadly focusing the sun's rays towards a black container, vs the last pic which appears to be overengineering to the extreme. Focusing the radiation intensely - the way you would want to do it for high temp furnace - then dispersing it to a pot using conduction.


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## Irons (Feb 1, 2011)

I think I'll have mine polished and Rhodium plated for higher efficiency and build in a solar tracker to always keep it at an optimum position in relation to the Sun.

Chrome plating might work well too, depending on what the dish is made of. Gold would be excellent for IR reflection.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 1, 2011)

Irons said:


> I think I'll have mine polished and Rhodium plated for higher efficiency and build in a solar tracker to always keep it at an optimum position in relation to the Sun.
> 
> Chrome plating might work well too, depending on what the dish is made of. Gold would be excellent for IR reflection.



Your too cheap for the Rhodium plating 8) . I kind of like the idea of the hard drive platters in conjunction with the solar panel :twisted: .

Where is it that they have the tower surounded by 20-50 acres of mirriors that cause wind convection up the tower from it being heated by the mirrors, the convection of the air turns wind turbines. I think that is in Australia?


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## Irons (Feb 1, 2011)

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Irons said:
> 
> 
> > I think I'll have mine polished and Rhodium plated for higher efficiency and build in a solar tracker to always keep it at an optimum position in relation to the Sun.
> ...



There's one in Spain too. it uses Rhodium plated reflectors if I remember correctly, but you're right, no way would i spend that kind of money for an extra few percent improvement. :lol:


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## Drewbie (Feb 1, 2011)

I don't think they use wind convection.

They use steam to drive turbines. Closed loop system.

I'm going on a HDD collection spree and will be pulling an old dish off the roof tomorrow.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 1, 2011)

Drewbie said:


> I don't think they use wind convection.
> 
> They use steam to drive turbines. Closed loop system.
> 
> I'm going on a HDD collection spree and will be pulling an old dish off the roof tomorrow.



There might be some like those but the one's me and Iron's are talking about are ran by air convection up the tower. The turbines are located in the bottom of the tower if memory serves me right.


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## HAuCl4 (Feb 8, 2011)

Great post Irons!. Thousand ideas possible!. A Stirling engine to generate clean power/electricity for example. Hydrogen for long term storage, or a lead battery array for nights and days with little sun?.

Melting without a torch or crucible, just pick a large quartz rock and off you go. What an idea. :idea:


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## Drewbie (Feb 9, 2011)

Well, I think you still need a crucible - and a system for suspending it at the focal point of the dish without the suspension system melting.

I've made a start on my first attempt - have to wander around town tomorrow and try to find a source of some more hard disk platters. Currently have 7 platters glued to the offset feed dish - putting my hand at the focal point produces nearly enough heat that I can't keep it there.


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## HAuCl4 (Feb 9, 2011)

Drewbie said:


> Well, I think you still need a crucible - and a system for suspending it at the focal point of the dish without the suspension system melting.
> 
> I've made a start on my first attempt - have to wander around town tomorrow and try to find a source of some more hard disk platters. Currently have 7 platters glued to the offset feed dish - putting my hand at the focal point produces nearly enough heat that I can't keep it there.



I meant burn a hole in the quartz rock and put the gold in there to melt it, the rock acting as crucible. Caveman style!. :lol:


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## Irons (Feb 9, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> Great post Irons!. Thousand ideas possible!. A Stirling engine to generate clean power/electricity for example. Hydrogen for long term storage, or a lead battery array for nights and days with little sun?.
> 
> Melting without a torch or crucible, just pick a large quartz rock and off you go. What an idea. :idea:



Quartz would probably shatter. A chunk of Talc or something similar would not if it were dry and it's also a good insulator. What I don't understand is why he didn't leave on the support for the Microwave receiver. It's already positioned.


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## joem (Feb 9, 2011)

Irons said:


> HAuCl4 said:
> 
> 
> > Great post Irons!. Thousand ideas possible!. A Stirling engine to generate clean power/electricity for example. Hydrogen for long term storage, or a lead battery array for nights and days with little sun?.
> ...



he probably melted it off first in the focal point just for fun


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## Drewbie (Feb 9, 2011)

Found a wee PC repair shop in the centre of town that sold me 50 HDD platters for US$12.

So now the dish has 49 platters glued to it. Tomorrow, when the sun is out, it gets a test run.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 9, 2011)

You might have some holes in that plan.  

OHHHh I know that was bad. but I couldn't help it. 8)


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## Drewbie (Feb 9, 2011)

Groan.

I guess you're here all week, too?

:lol:


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 9, 2011)

Yep 2 gig's during the day and 3 gig's at night till Harold comes in.  

I'll take Sunday off. :mrgreen:


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## 27182 (Jan 17, 2012)

I've melted pennies in my back yard for fun with a fresnel lens from (I don't remember where); and also using foil. I hope you have some cutting glasses, and or a welding hood. If I remember correctly there's around ~ 2kW /m² in sunlight. Fun stuff. Post more pics when you get them.


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## jimdoc (Jan 17, 2012)

jimferguson said:


> Given video is very informative. I think solar energy has a power to melt the metal. Even its also a Eco friendly idea. I am also using a solar furnace in my home. Its also a good option to get green. There is no harm from the solar furnace.
> 
> "Links left out because they are spam"
> 
> ...


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## publius (Jan 17, 2012)

jimferguson said:


> Given video is very informative. I think solar energy has a power to melt the metal. Even its also a Eco friendly idea. I am also using a solar furnace in my home. Its also a good option to get green. There is no harm from the solar furnace.
> 
> Snip... to remove spam


I wonder if an IP ban is in the offing? :roll:


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## Harold_V (Jan 18, 2012)

publius said:


> jimferguson said:
> 
> 
> > Given video is very informative. I think solar energy has a power to melt the metal. Even its also a Eco friendly idea. I am also using a solar furnace in my home. Its also a good option to get green. There is no harm from the solar furnace.
> ...


Done!

Harold


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