Aluminium Cylinder head melted in a Mega crusible.wmv
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- čas přidán 29. 10. 2010
- This was a bit of an experiment. I was finding it very difficult to break up the aluminium cylinder heads from old motor car engines to fit in a normal crucible so decided to melt the cylinder head in a mega crucible made out of stainless steel
I use this type of aluminium in the foundry as this is the best grade of aluminium to cast with, thats why engine manufacturers use it to cast in the first place, sure you can melt all different grades of aluminium in the foundry but its not that good for casting if you want good results.
So i was wondering how long it would take to melt a complete cylinder head, seeing as i never had a top section to put on the furnace to retain the excess heat, I was guessing it may be a couple of hrs as most of the heat was escaping out the top of the foundry
I have had lots of questions as to what i am going to do with the aluminium once melted. No, I'm not selling it for scrap etc, one day in the future i am going to cast grave headstone plaques for ancestors with head stones
So if anybody knows of a page or site the shows' how they are made, that would be great, link me add me or direct me.
Thumbs up and thanks for watchin - Jak na to + styl
Nice video.I've a furnace that we use to melt large amounts. Say 40 cylinder heads at a time. The key to a quick melt,is thermal efficiency.A very basic way to make your system quicker, thus more cost efficient, is to enclose the whole of your mega crucible, Basically, put a lid on it . I'm in the UK, built my own sloping hearth furnace, runs on natural gas,melt time is 25 minutes, holding well capacity is around 200kg, and when I pour it, I wear furnace trousers !! You are not a moron :)
Sometimes you have to scour the planet to get a cylinder head. Then there is some guy melting the one down you need. LoL
At 12 seconds you made the bell toll for that cylinder head. Poetic!
You just might be one of the coolest guys on CZcams...what a thinker! SWEET! thanks for posting!
the steel cylinder makes a lovely bell!
My suggestion for improvement would be to take the crucible out and preheat the cylinder head in the furnace for a few minutes, then transfer it into cruciible then back into furnace, my reasoning is that direct heating first would help the entire heat get to melting temp quicker rather than letting it heatsoak its way to melting temp from the radiating heat from crucible base and walls.
Ps i was flinching knowing your in shorts when you made that pour lol
recycling in its purest form ! Well done.
I wouldn't recommend putting the slag on the cement floor. The heat will draw the moisture from the cement causing a steam type blister that will burst and send the hot metal everywhere. I would place it in a steel drum or bucket.
+Larry Will
Concrete explodes at high temperatures.
I was brazing a piece of bicycle tubing that was sitting on a concrete floor. Before I knew it, I got a blast . I was told by my neighbor that the air pockets in the concrete expanded and blew up..
Bikerchic
Hope they see your comment,there is alot of people who don't know how dangerous is to melt something on concrete floor.
Extremly dangerous!!
*Cheers*
i learned many years ago about heat and concrete when cooking a lamb over embers and bbq brickets.....concrete started popping....lol...lamb was safe
(WTC BLDGS 1 & 2 Thermite)
The sound of that furnace is so relaxing, i'm literally replaying this vid until I fall asleep.
Nice burner/blower set up.
Thats pretty damn impressive sir, Well done :)
A suggestion for improving the heat. Use some ducting to catch waste heat from the area near the top to preheat the air, leading to higher combustion temps. Probably after the fan. You intake air would go from about 100 to about 500, your flame temps would go up 400 degrees leading to shorter melt times.
Sand casting works pretty good with the very fine sand and I think it is motor oil (used) mixed in the sand to make it sticky and hold together .
I had sand casting in High School shop class and never forgot how much work and fun it was to make/cast something out of molten aluminum.
Liquid aluminum on concrete with even trace amounts of water in the concrete can cause explosions. I worked for Alcoa. They warned me NEVER to allow liquid aluminum to touch concrete.
Other than that caution, and your lack of long pants (cotton works best) I appreciate you sharing your home made technology. Recovering aluminum is a good thing!
very efficient oven congrats
Your knowledge is awesome
the best melting video in utube !!!!!
One suggestion is to show the final product after cooling and of the crucible on the video.
c,est vraiment remarquable votre four merci pour le partage
Wow, that's cool seeing the tanks glow red along the area with molten metal.
4:30 love when he is pouring and you can see where the molten Aluminum is moving by the red hot trail
I'm not sure if anyone already said this, but perhaps you should pour the molten aluminum into a sand mold, so when it cools, it isn't stuck in the steel container you poured it into.
no idea what that steel container is used for?? I would've poured it directly into ingots..
Eddie Bruwer yes, unless you're pouring the metal into a casting, the next best thing is to make ingots
...but instead he poured the molten metal from one melt-pot into another.....not sure why.
angryadrien probably because there were bolts and shit in the other, and he wasn't sure if they'd come out on the first pour
This actually looks like fun.
Cutting alloy heads is easy with the right tools :) horizontal band saw, plasma cutter (200mm capacity super heated gas), laser cutter (cnc), air arc gouge (arc heats metal with copper coated carbon electrode while compressed air blows it away) and even a water jet cutter. Look for fabrication shops! They will usually lend a hand when they can. Hope this helps
Sweet Buttery Jesus, I remember watching this exact video when it was first uploaded 3 years ago.
Now this comment is 3 years old
Two suggestions, since you requested them before the credits:
1) install a mirror at an angle that lets you see down into the furnace without sticking your face or camera over it. It may tarnish, but cleaning or replacing the mirror must be cheaper than a new camera (or face).
2) Have something prepared to do with your next charge. You spent a lot of time and energy to heat the metal, then even removed the impurities. Try a sand casting, limited prep required and you have something afterwards
Was waiting to see a maaaassive ingot at the end. Disappoint.
Nice set up.
Really interesting, dam good job.
amazing how you can see the level of the molten aluminum in the crucible just by looking at the glow coming off of it!
pěkná práce,jen tak dál.
Nice video kevin
Good job.
I see others have already commented - set the whole thing on a sand bed in case of spillage or accidents - and do not fill the crucible with molten metal while it is standing on a concrete floor - also have the garage door fully open in case you need a quick escape route - we've all done it, until it goes wrong..... molten metal + water = superheated steam - steam trapped in concrete = explosion....
I loved watching your video. I'm thinking about doing something like this with my 15 giant garbage bag crushed aluminum can collection.
My suggestions for improvement:
Cut the block into smaller parts: You could do this with a saw or plasma cutter. The block standing that tall and in that size can absorb a ton of heat before it reaches melting temperature. Secondly because the forge wasn't closed you were losing a lot of heat out of the top. The standing height of the block also caused an abnormal loss of heat. From the bottom the heat could literally channel up through the block where there was significantly lower heat than at the bottom and escape. As a result you got this slow melt that got progressively fast as heating was more even and its ability to escape from the metal lessened.
All in all if the block had been cut up you could have fit the entire block in a smaller crucible and closed the top of your forge. I'd guess that would have melted in 1/3 to 1/4 the time.
Great find and idea.
+Nathaniel Garcia I think he left the forge open for the video.
FrostyFooy I don't believe so. He specifically used a really large oversized container for his crucible. The top of his forge could not be closed as a result. He needed the large crucible because his parts were so large.
I think he did it that way because it's much easier to leave it a while longer and burn a bit more fuel than to saw up a huge chunk of metal.
Sawing it up would have taken longer anyway.
Some people heat large castings and then hammer them into chunks, but if you have a large enough crucible, might as well save yourself the trouble and melt it whole.
FrostyFooy yes I did leave it open for the video and Nathaniel Garcia I was not concerned about the heat loss as I said it was an experiment to see how long it would take to melt
Very cool! You can sprinkle a little powdered borax atop the molten metal. That "grabs" the oxidized slag/floaters. Next, slowly swirl a carbon rod around the surface; it picks up all the borax and floaters with it. Do this *immediately* before you pour. Any delay will add more oxidized metal to the surface. This greatly reduces metal waste created by dipping out the slag like you did.
That was pretty cool.
To improve the melting and refining remember to add flux to help slag reach the top and keep the crucible clean, and if possible break the aluminum into thin plates or powder (For an engine block that would be damn hard). It would melt faster when there is a larger surface area.
cool video:) I can't wait till I get a house out in the countryside and can start with all the metalwork hobbies.
although metalwork is my daily work, I'd like to make things that I want to make, like engine parts and knifes etc:)
I love that you can see the stainless steel cylinder starts glowing as the aluminium begins to pour.
Shows how hot it got in there.
Just before posting I saw that the other pot did it as well xD
Yeah! that would be awesome to just watch it melt away. you should definitely make one
the internet can give us things we could not have thought of ourselves. Nice lid mechanism too.
I need the plans to your foundry, that thing is nice!!!
Well done melt IMO. Some comments are from those who obviously understand metals. Some comments are from those who are obviously ignorant. And as Mr.Tinker says from the start...this was a bit of an experiment. It's one thing to comment about something one has knowledge....but for those without knowledge of metals and casting/ foundries, you would do better to keep your comments to yourself.
nice work,congratulations.
Thank you
very good video and thank you for it
My next door neighbour who runs a scrap metal business was doing this and he let the molten aluminum spill unto the concrete floor.
The floor exploded with the heat and blinded him in one eye!
Watching that thing go down, I had the Terminator 2 theme song playing in my head.
Nice work there, looks cool. BTW I wouldn't worry so much about the shorts as putting the burning scale down next to the gas line ;)
My suggestion, I don't know if its already been said, is to make a quick shift lid for the bigger crucible.
It looks like you used a keg, which I also used, the beer kegs are also bigger for a bigger forge.
Make a lid out of plaster that will dome over the top with a hole.
Or Kaowool to wrap around with a hole
Or just anything to try and preserve heat like putting some bricks around the gaps.
Bigger items are harder to melt because they have a larger area to confect and transfer heat, so as the bottom heats, it transfers through out the top, so a lid will at least maintain and bounce back some of that to the item, I think if you could it would cut at least 25% the time off.
That's all I can think of really.... either a hotter fuel, better insulated or a smaller item
hope helps.
That's awesome. I'm building my own smelter.
I'm actually planning on doing the same! But I'm thinking of using it for melting all kinds of stuff...like gold which can be recovered from electronic waste
Technically not a smelter :)
Dude, be very very careful, you are dealing with a very large amount of molten metal.
Consider that your stainless steel crucible may start to wear off without you noticing, causing molten aluminium leakage and a very dangerous accident, also use adequate protection for your arms and legs.
Once I made a mini coal furnace and I used a much smaller stainless steel crucible, and a leakage ocurred because of stainless steel wear out, luckly no one got hurt.
Pd: Sorry for my bad english
i pour metal for a living, and i think your set up is one of the best ive seen so far on CZcams. i am working on creating my own at home. any tips?
awesome, I love how the iron containers turned bright red when you poured it in.
What did you use to insulate your foundry? I'd love to know for my own project. Thanks
I scrap a lot off heads in a year, will rather melt them down in billets , the price in SOUTH AFRICA is high for ali ,good video !!
Good work ! I like.
I do have one question. how do you get that aluminum OUT of the container you poured it into? does it sep when it cools or do you have to remelt it to pour it out?
a time lapse of this would be awesome
Make sure you can get away if something goes wrong. It looked like you had your back to a wall.
Thanks :)
I'm thinking chopping that up into smaller pieces before melt is probably a better bet. if you had something like the furnaces in walker die casting in Lewisburg Tennessee that whole head no problem. but you're working on a much smaller scale, so chop it up. I used to love watching the furnace room dump dumpsters full of scrap aluminum into the furnaces it lasted about 2 minutes and was gone 10 minutes later bull latle skimming slag off the top. next thing was forklift with a latle full comes by fills your die casting furnace up while your shooting aluminum into the die via pre measured hand latle press the button cylinder shoots it into the die mold and couple seconds or so later bam lawnmower deck , or makita table saw top or a water pump housing or even transmission bell housing comes out. send it down to your trim press operator ..hot as 40 hells in there in the summer months. but man did I love die casting.
Ok! Many thanks for your help. I need to create some alloy pieces and this seems the best way to do it. Let's wait for the vídeo then..
Once more, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Rui Tiago - Portugal
muito bom....parabéns.....São Paulo - Capital - Brasil
thats awesome
Yes. Aluminium melts at about 660ºc so it's less likely, but if it was fused steel in contact, it would probably explode imediately.
AND, if you throw water on fused aluminium, it explodes too.
Could you make a dedicated lid for that large crucible? I am just learning about this and looking to get geared up to do this. Would it cut down on the scale if you were to pump argon into the top of a sealed/semi-sealed crucible? Although There would be no easy way to not expose during the pour...
And I'd suggest making another top just for melting cylinder heads. Seems to work well!
Part of me is fascinated and glad I saw this, the other part is appalled. One little error in the handling and pouring of that crucible and you have no legs.
nice video MrTinker could watch this stuff for hours!! just don't let them steal yo petrol or raep you doorta lol. but really, good video!
Do you have a video where you show how to build the foundry, seems a pretty good one, as well as the burner.
you made it out of a keg awesome
Outstanding! How did you make your furnace? Nice job!!!
that is awesome I need to make me one of these to melt down all the soda cans we have. :P
I sent a video response, you and I have similar crucibles (steel with hinge handle). I can do 5 quarts easily in mine and I use all propane, I only use it every now and again anyway. Nice setup brother!
dont put melted aluminium near the gasline! it will lead to catastrophal disaster believe me.
thanks
Awesome
cool set up man...
and yes get you something to protect you.
and something that you can rip off fast if you do get splashed. protective gear needs to be able to be ripped off fast that hots stuff can stick to you.
but most of the time the steam of your flesh blows it back off of you. unless it gets in your shoes with you. a good splash guard between you and the pouring ( a tin wall) will help. still i would suit up. but we all have done things we know we should not.
That was a pretty cool video nice melted aluminum. Make sure to ware proper clothing if that stuff gets splashed you will be in a lot of trouble be very careful.
5 years in an iron foundry, and all I wore was welding gloves for protection. if you were to spill molten metal on yourself, pants ain't gonna help ya. so I say "if it feels good go for it"
as far as suggestions, try pointing some heat down on it from the top also, or a cover. both would help melt times
Anyone else think it was pretty cool the "Mega Crucible" was translucent and you could see the pink flowing as the aluminium was.
Fantastic i love it
I do silver casting and I never wear pants. Cloth just catches fire and helps hold the metal against your skin should you spill it. Inless you're wearing thick rawhide chaps, cothing does nothign to protect you.
I went to school in the 1950's we did aluminum casting in third year I was 13 years old I made the base for my Hall stand18 inch Diameter by 1-1/4 inch thick with dished pockets for which I made planished copper inserts. The little darlins are not allowed metalwork class anymore in case they get injured . A wealth of Knowledge is being denied to them
Get yourself some firebricks for a platform. If there is any moisture in your concrete floor the extreme heat could cause an explosion.
if you poured it out Into muffin pans it would melt alot faster when you need to cast with it cool video
WAAAAYYYY COOOOOL!!!!!
However I was literally cringing in my seat when I saw you pouring that while wearing shorts and those boots with rubber bottoms though.
Keith Noneya Yeah most of us aren't pussies and care about "safety".
So, long pants would have prevented any splatter from coming into contact with skin?..
I can't believe there are people who have to come flame some guys foundry video. Seriously, is that what you do when you can't hack Warcraft anymore?
I liked it, I never did that with anything but gold and silver, and its a very tabletop thing. Good vid.
That's damn cool!
You can use a large band saw to cut up the cylinder heads with the correct blade and a lube stick, also if you use electric heat instead of gas it will reduce the hydrogen bubbles in the aluminum, anytime a hydrocarbon is burn't water is created thus the hydrogen bubbles or contrails behind jets or water pouring from the tail pipe on your car, also use steel dies for molds, heat them to 500 degrees F and paint with mold release paint, and if you want to stay with gas heat, degas with warmed up nitrogen (liquid nitrogen runs -250 F so be carefull) injected at the bottom of the crucable.
My foundry teacher would not let use use gloves because spraying molten
metal would get into them. He also said that flying molten metal would
bounce off of skin, but catch on any non-smooth surface. I learned while
melting lead that he was right. You can burn yourself with bare legs,
but I worry more for those shoes with their open tops...
--jason
good vid i enjoyed watching it
awesome video i want to do that.
That was mixed in the slag he removed. In fact, I would guess it composed most of the slag. I have melted cylinder blocks in my highschool, and we always removed the iron sleeves before the pour.
--jason
if you want to speed up the melt i suggest a lid for your foundry help keep that heat trapped longer there still has to be a hole in the top just make it a little smaller than the diameter of your crucible but allow it to sit about 2 inches above the top of the crucible
Crucible failure there would be really bad... You should probably rest it on some refractory bricks, and pour it straight to smaller ingots, as these would be easier to melt later, it seems you're pouring to another crucible to melt later which is a bit of a waste of energy. Now, pouring a cylinder head would be cool. :)
Looks good man, but pouring aluminum on concrete is a bad idea. It can explode the concrete. If you don't have somewhere you can pour over dirt, than spread some dirt over the concrete. Good luck, I'm working on a waste oil burner for my castings btw.