MarksWorx MiniFoundry Projects10

Marksworx MiniFoundry & Furnace

Full view Mark welding another shot of Mark welding

I just had to put in a couple pix of myself out welding some gear. I think this is a good time to show some of the tools I have made and use.... it is not unusual to see homemade or modified tools in the backyard foundry workplace.

my old tyme Lincoln Arc welder

And this is a older gently used Lincoln Arc welder, I picked this up for $100 off of CraigsList and saved about $125 as they sell for new at Home Depot for about $225. I also got about 30 feet of feeder cable so I can plug into my 220V dryer receptacle and the cable will reach all the way out of the garage so I can weld out in free air.

I found that for the most part I already had enough tools to make or fabricate foundry working tools. One of the most useful for me besides the welder is the 4 inch grinder, mine is a Ryobi, it was cheap, but it works well. I get the thinner cutoff wheels for about 2 dollars each and they make short work of cutting through some thick steel pipe or angle iron. If I had to hacksaw this much I would have gave it up long ago!!!

a photo of my 4 in Ryobi grinder & gloves a piece of 4 inch pipe from old satellite dish support turns into some crucible materials

a piece of raw pipe before it magically becomes a crucible a few minutes later the pipe is cut to size

As you can see in the photo above, the thick steel pipe cuts nicely but it wore the cutting wheel down over 3/4 of an inch in just this cutting...so the tip is: Buy more cutoff wheels...buy em in bulk!! And wear your safety googles when using the cut off wheels too...the sparks and grit will surely get into your eyes! And also a pair of decent work gloves...keeps out the splinters and sharp bits of metal shavings.

first crucibles made from pipe casings

And even though my welding is butt ugly, these crucibles worked!! well for the most part as I will show n tell later. They don't need to be completely water tight but the molten metal may be viscous enough to find its way out of even the tiniest seam or hole. You will want to 'season' your crucibles before you use them to build up an oxide layer on the metal which reduces the amount of flux corrosion and mixing of the molten metal with the crucible metal and helps keep your melt as pure as possible. Simply put them into your furnace, heat them to a red glow and let them cool...ready for use.

CONTINUE TO PAGE: ELEVEN

SEE MORE CRUCIBLE BUILDING AND FABRICATION ON PAGE 34 also!!!!!!!!!!

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