# Holiday Fireworks!



## coppermine (Jul 3, 2014)

I usually spend my time here reading,(so much info, so little time) but I thought some of the techno-junkies here would get a kick out of this. It is a good representation of the majority of my equipment...crude but very functional. It doubles as the burner in my metal casting furnace. I can throw in a half dozen smaller plastic ic's at a time with no smoke!


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## justinhcase (Jul 3, 2014)

Very nice multi-fuel set up.Are you using any heat from the flame to pre heat your fuel??
i did a similar burner that ran off of chip fat but I had to put several coil's of the fuel line inside the pilot light before it vaporized enough to give an good heat.
Love the re-purposed tin opener not sure it is fit for the purpose tho .
I always give my kit a little light kick just to make sure it will stand an accidental knock if worst come's to worst.


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## glorycloud (Jul 3, 2014)

Nice re-use of an old PC power supply as a support / stand! :lol:


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## Irons (Jul 3, 2014)

Burner with a Bipod. Reminds me of the Galil with the bottle opener.


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## butcher (Jul 3, 2014)

I am not sure if one more pipe stuffed into that burner tube just for good luck would help or not.
Thanks for sharing.


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## justinhcase (Jul 3, 2014)

http://www.thsengineering.com/2009/03/waste-oil-furnace-secrets/

Been using may new burner.I to use multi-fuel but gas and charcoal.
Sprung out on a professional burner as to get the most effective use of fuel take's a little precise engineering.
I think the saving of fuel over the life time was worth £45.
\it works quite well for good size melts. am going to see if it can be used for incineration.
The castable refractory cement is meant to be good up to 1400c so it should hold out .


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## coppermine (Jul 3, 2014)

I've been using mine for 2 years without repair.(made of refractory also) The burner is surprisingly stable. I usually put a brick on the oil feed tube, that holds it in place pretty well. It get's locked in place in the kiln with set screw's. I have a slightly larger piece of tubing, just haven't taken the time to replace it. The small burner tube makes it twice as loud as it should be. 
The propane(just barely cracked open) doesn't preheat the oil. It's mostly for initial start-up, and helps the waste oil burn clean.(500 ml. diesel to 1 gallon waste oil mix) As long as I keep it over 70 deg.f., it burns fine. I have a different oil container for winter preheat. 
I have an endless supply of waste oil, and can run at least 40 hours on a 20 lb cylinder. In my eyes, that's cheap entertainment!


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## justinhcase (Jul 3, 2014)

Very nice cart.
I am thinking of insulating mine with an outer layer to conserve energy.
the out side get's to 200-300c even on small melts so I think that would be the biggest improvement I can make.
Lovely to see improvised engineering in action it what made our world as good as it is.
Do you use your fire bricks for just incineration?
I have not had enough E-Wast yet to need to so have not tried.
My wast fuel was a project to separate aluminum and iron wast for a local caravan park.
They had an endless supply of used chip fat and old caravans.
Match made in heaven really
I just made a gridded in the bottom of the furnace aluminum dripped out and steel was removed when the furnace was filled.
Made a little when the alternative was expensive disposal every one was quite happy.
J


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## coppermine (Jul 3, 2014)

Fire bricks are the simplest, most effective system to ash plastic ic's(in my opinion). It's not practical in the kiln... I tried . Clay bricks will work too, there just more prone to crack. But hey, you can usually get them for free if you find an old chimney that was/being torn down. 
I built mine originally for melting the copper pulled from spent AR,(cup cake on top of furnace) :mrgreen: but transistors, ect. add up. I wonder if your steel grid-drip system would work on electric motors? Hmmm....food for thought!


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## Geo (Jul 3, 2014)

coppermine, the copper may melt but it would dissolve the iron grate. Molten metal, and especially the transitional metals, are solvents for other metals.


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## Smack (Jul 4, 2014)

Those toroids you have in the bucket can be run in a ball mill. The powdered iron insulator that the copper is wound around will disintegrate and you can just pick the wire out of the powder.


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## justinhcase (Jul 4, 2014)

How do you stop loss of material when you use just Fire Brick's?
I was hoping the centrifugal action with in the furnace would help hold in the heaviest ash within.
And had a plan for a Baffle chimney to put on top of the heat exit port.
But it would be an easy job to build a polystyrene mold so as to cast a new tailor made incinerator if the centrifugal furnace would not work.
I will look at some commercial solution's thanks for the tip.
J


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## coppermine (Jul 4, 2014)

I was wondering how the steel would hold up. Ball mill was my initial thought, that's what I was saving them for.Thanks for the tip. I have one half done(like a half dozen other projects!). 
J, If you look at the first photo, you'll see a piece of plate steel under the bricks. I get 98% with a 4" putty knife, and then gently pick up the bricks at end of session. There's no loss of material, smoke or smell. This system is what I prefer, but there are several ways to accomplish this task explained on the forum. Try a couple different methods until you find one your comfortable with. Most importantly, BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN!!


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## justinhcase (Jul 4, 2014)

I had read that if you incinerate some material it would be very lightly to loos some value up with the smoke and hot gasses,always trying to save the last little value.
As I am trying to convince some local firm's to trust me with carpets and old polishing wast I though I should make sure I have a reliable system before I am lucky enough to get any item's like that.
Always fun to try to improve.
I very much like your Spinning chain contraption just behind your furnace. is it for pulverization or just mixing??
It reminds me of one of the mine eating tank's.
J


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## coppermine (Jul 4, 2014)

Your right. There is a limit to incineration. Too long or hot and the bond wires will turn to tiny bee bee's. Run a search for "plastic chip", just for starter. There are many variables for search's.
The chain thing is a rock crusher(flail mill I think?). I have a load claim in state of New Mexico for vacation. I thought about toroids in there, but don't think they would fair very well. Rocks come out 200 mesh!


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## justinhcase (Jul 5, 2014)

Lucky man .
I have never seen any Au in the wild.
People have enough problems convincing me to put on a shirt and tie as it is and I do not think they would have chance if i had a claim to work.
Love your improvised /re-purposed kit I think some time's it can work better and longer than the store bought variety,very much looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.
J


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## philddreamer (Jul 6, 2014)

I finally had some time this weekend for some "firework", too!

520g of silver, 80g of cemented and the rest was sterling silverware. 

I tell'ya, I just enjoy firing up that furnace! 8) 
Butcher says I'm just a firebug... well, I resemble that remark!!! :mrgreen:

Phil


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## Geo (Jul 6, 2014)

Yall just keep making me feel ashamed. :lol: Good job guys.


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## butcher (Jul 6, 2014)

I really like the glow of that furnace in that picture.


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## philddreamer (Jul 6, 2014)

Then you will love the glow in this other picture! 8) 

The auto settings adjusted for the glow, and light outside the furnace "turned" darker when I opened the furnace...

This heat is created from a simple propane torch. It melts copper, too!


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## justinhcase (Jul 6, 2014)

My goodness your furnace lining must be made of extremely good insulators to get away with just a Propane torch.
Very nice have you worked out a system of rarefied atmosphere to work with the copper or are you using a very thick flux? 
The best I have ever managed with Cu was a rather nice glaze on some bonzi dishes.
Good photos keep it up.
J


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## philddreamer (Jul 6, 2014)

No reason to be ashamed, Geo. I've picked up a very good pointers from you, too!

Coppermine wrote:


> I built mine originally for melting the copper pulled from spent AR,(cup cake on top of furnace)...


Coppermine, I wanted to ask you, what type of flux you used on the "cup cake"?

Justin, those are kawool bricks. They do hold the heat inside very well. I need to be very careful when I open the front, it lets you know how hot it really is in there, right away!!! :shock: 

I've thought of using some argon since my friend has a welding shop and we use it often, but I wanted to melt "now", so I just added plenty of borax, just to make sure that the flux would cover the puddle; and that when I poured, that the slag would cover the bar. The surface was much smoother and cleaner than other melts. I'll be doing some searches on the topic, since now I'm at the point...

My cemented silver looks good, and so is the sterling. Just added lots of borax; and a good stirring before pouring. I bought a 1/2 inch x 24 inch graphite rod and a stir thru the opening on top.

Thanks!

Phil


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## coppermine (Jul 7, 2014)

SHEW! I think I singed some facial hair just looking at the the pic's!! Job well done!
I melt in an A6 and A8 clay graphite crucible. I tried cast iron at first, but had trouble with flaking. I just poured into an old cupcake pan, cold.( I love yard sales!) I don't put anything in the steel pan. I knock them out as soon as they solidify, still red, before the steel contracts. Probably should use borax though.  I rarely have a problem with it. If I do, there .50 cent pans and peel like a sardine. Just don't use anything with a ring/lip in the bottom, tapered helps.
I've read an awful lot of your posts Geo. You and the other vet's here have been a tremendous help with all my refining questions.(hint; all the answers are in the search box!) Thank You!


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## Geo (Jul 7, 2014)

I try to give credit where credit is due.


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