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+--- Thread: I started to melt some Cast Iron today (/thread-1593.html)
I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-10-2013
but instead I made one hell of a mess, about the time I was getting hot enough that I could start melting really good, the propane bottle decides to freeze up and drop the pressure on the burner.
guess its time to go back to school and reteach myself how to melt Iron.
click the photo to see the video
![[Image: th_20080118212809.jpg]](http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd484/Superdave257/th_20080118212809.jpg)
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - oldgoaly - 08-10-2013
DA
what size tank are you using? propane is a good refrigerant! they chlorinated and fluronated it so it was not so combustible!
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - doubleboost - 08-10-2013
I put the bottle in to water when melting bronze
Or get it hot then swap bottles
I had problems with ice when running a gas turbine on propane putting the bottle in to water sorted it
John
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-10-2013
Goaly the bottle I was using today was a 40 pounder, and the burner I was using in the furnace in that video should of melting an A10 full of cast iron without ever showing frost on the bottle with it sitting in the sun.
John I know all that but I have never had to put one of my bottles into a water bath to keep up with the gas flow.
the second time I tired to do this today I dug out my oil burner and stupid me didn't do what I should of which was to check all the ports on it for bug's damn little nasty bugs that love to plug up stuff they got no right getting into, (ok enough of that) so in the middle of trying to remelt what was in the crucible with my oil burner I had to shut it down and dig some damn bug larva out of the needle valve for the oil. so I finally just said to hell with it and shut every thing down as I was getting hot, was out of propane, and with what it cost to fill the gas bottle I', not a real happy camper at the moment.
Hopefully my buddy ever gets off his haunches and fixes his winch he'll drag his 500 gallon tank over here to store it and I get the free use of all the gas thats left in it. and I don't know how much that is but at least its free.
I really didn't think that I was going to have this much trouble or I would of started a lot smaller pour. cause it was melting find up almost to the point that I almost had enough to make the pour with.
damn I wish for the good ole days when I was burning between 10 and 18,000 gallons of the propane a day cleaning contaminated soil.
DA
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - oldgoaly - 08-10-2013
usually see an arrow on a pic if it is a movie, 500 gallon tank lasts a long time but it puts a hurt on the bank account. When you fire that crucible the next time I think you need to go low and slow to keep it from breaking.
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-10-2013
if it comes from youtube, I normally stick all my photos and videos that I may email or post in a forum in Photobucket.
If you want to kill some time take a look theres a couple on there
http://s1222.photobucket.com/user/Superdave257/slideshow/
the tank will never be full when here at my place thats not to say that I won't put some in it when I have a couple extra dollars just to keep me from having to run to town to have my bottles filled,
I was lucky today in that it was still pretty hot when I put it in the other furnace and tried to remelt it. damn good thing it wasn't the brand new A20 SiC one I got sitting on the shelf I'd of been PO'd big time.
DA
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-10-2013
here's a little video that I made out of a bunch of little clips that I took during the mess I made today.
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-11-2013
checked the crucible this morning after things had cooled down some, there's no cracks in it now will have to see what happens when I try to take it back up to melting temp.
here's a little short video showing what you don't want to happen
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - dallen - 08-11-2013
this is what came out of the crucible after I tapped it a couple times with a piece of rebar to see is any of the slag would break out. The whole mess came loose without doing any real damage to the Crucible.
![[Image: mess-from-crucible.jpg]](http://s1222.photobucket.com/user/Superdave257/media/mess-from-crucible.jpg.html)
RE: I started to melt some Cast Iron today - oldgoaly - 08-11-2013
lucky dawg! be careful with that crucible it may have very fine lines of the start to a crack. Now what can you make with that lump of iron?