07-03-2015, 07:45 AM
We cut our holiday short. When it rains in outback Australia, this is what happens
And then this happens
and you find you have driven a thousand miles for nothing. Couldn't get to where we had planned so we ended up coming home 4 days earlier than planned.
Which may seem somewhat off-topic, but it meant that today, instead of canoeing on Coongie Lake, I made some progress on the furnace.
I did a big shopping trip, 2 different foundry suppliers to get these supplies for the furnace
An offcut from a roll of ceramic fibre insulation, some foundry cement, 6kg bag of vermiculite and an A8 crucible (already had the A6, thought I'd get a bigger one while I was in the right place).
While I was shopping I also picked up a length of 7/8" 4140 heat-treated shaft for the power feed drive on the mill and some phosphor bronze for the bushes that the shaft runs in. Every time I have to buy bronze the price shocks me.
I got the insulation stuffed into the outer cavity of the furnace
and packed down to leave about a 3/4" space for the capping
I capped the insulation with a mixture of fire cement and vermiculite, which the guy at the foundry suppliers recommended I try for the floor of the furnace. Will be interesting to see how it stands up to the job, easy enough to re-do if it doesn't last. Unfortunately I haven't found a suitable chunk of steel plate for the base yet so I can't put the clay floor in. Hoping to get a chance to make some progress on the air / fuel system tomorrow. Was nice to get a chance to make some progress on this, I'm waiting on a friend to get components for my phase converter so I can get the mill running, might actually get the furnace finished while the other distractions are stalled.
And then this happens
and you find you have driven a thousand miles for nothing. Couldn't get to where we had planned so we ended up coming home 4 days earlier than planned.
Which may seem somewhat off-topic, but it meant that today, instead of canoeing on Coongie Lake, I made some progress on the furnace.
I did a big shopping trip, 2 different foundry suppliers to get these supplies for the furnace
An offcut from a roll of ceramic fibre insulation, some foundry cement, 6kg bag of vermiculite and an A8 crucible (already had the A6, thought I'd get a bigger one while I was in the right place).
While I was shopping I also picked up a length of 7/8" 4140 heat-treated shaft for the power feed drive on the mill and some phosphor bronze for the bushes that the shaft runs in. Every time I have to buy bronze the price shocks me.
I got the insulation stuffed into the outer cavity of the furnace
and packed down to leave about a 3/4" space for the capping
I capped the insulation with a mixture of fire cement and vermiculite, which the guy at the foundry suppliers recommended I try for the floor of the furnace. Will be interesting to see how it stands up to the job, easy enough to re-do if it doesn't last. Unfortunately I haven't found a suitable chunk of steel plate for the base yet so I can't put the clay floor in. Hoping to get a chance to make some progress on the air / fuel system tomorrow. Was nice to get a chance to make some progress on this, I'm waiting on a friend to get components for my phase converter so I can get the mill running, might actually get the furnace finished while the other distractions are stalled.
Lathe (n); a machine tool used in the production of milling machine components.
Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.
Milling Machine (n); a machine tool used in the production of lathe components.