MathewW83 said:
I am constructing this crucible to sit just high enough so you can use tongs
That implies that you will run the furnace without a cover. Not a good idea. Generally, the cover reflects heat back to the charge, so you can attain higher (and faster) temperatures.
the center pipe is hardened and I am sure you know that it is not very easy to damage.
Makes no difference. Once you reach a temperature above 1350°F, assuming the material you speak of is an iron alloy (steel), it is no longer hard. In truth, it starts losing its hardness much cooler, and is dead soft by the time it reaches red heat. Worse yet, it undergoes a decarburization by the prolonged heat, assuming the atmosphere is oxidizing. So then, even if it
was heat treated, it no longer will be, plus if it is decarburized by the flame, it no longer can be. In any case, it will shed oxidized iron, as I said previously. Not a good idea.
But hopefully you are wrong, ya right LOL, and it dose work for the amount I am working with. Thanks again for the advise.
It isn't important, to me, that I am "right or wrong". What is important is that you gain an education about matters such as this. People have been working with these processes for hundreds of years. We stand on the shoulders of those that have gone before us, taking advantage of the things they learned through trial and error. It's called not reinventing the wheel.
The point here isn't that what you're trying to do won't work---it will, to some degree. The problem is you are introducing all kinds of potential problems to what should be a simple process. If you continue your quest to re-engineer everything instead of following, at least to some degree, convention, you will spin your wheels endlessly, often on the edge of success, but never really enjoying the sweet taste of total success. I learned that the hard way, ignoring many of the things quoted in Hoke's book, in the process of trying to learn refining. Unlike you, I had no one to quiz----for this was long before the internet, when the refining process was illegal without federal licensing (you likely don't know about that). You, by sharp contrast, are in a unique position. You have at your disposal, a combined total of at least 100 years of refining experience here on this forum. A wise person would pay attention to what they're told. My logic, here, is that there are some things you do not have to experience in order to gain an understanding. This may be one of them.
Harold
