Furnace

[Dakukaruma]

So hey guys i'm slightly confused as what sort of relatively cheap materials i could use in my Foundry project

the names Ceramic,Graphite and refractory all pop up i have explored all of these thoroughly and have concluded that graphite is very efficient for being able to withstand heat and refractory materials are good for insulation but i seem to struggle with picking an appropriate material to make the "Outer Shell" of the foundry (Furnace) Out of Any ideas or heads up ? ((Keeping in mind I'm only 15 and aren't the most intelligent being on earth))

[EdEarl]

In youtube search for "diy foundry furnace"

You will find videos such as this one: How to make a mini foundry

Be sure to get the help of an adult, and have a fire extinguisher and another person nearby when you use the foundry, in case of an accident.

Edited March 21, 2016 by EdEarl

[foxy john]

Forget graphite.

Apart from being a very dirty material to work with, ( think lead pencils ) it is also combustible. So not only would you get filthy, your furnace could catch fire

 

Ceramics would be a very good choice and also readily available - wall or floor tiles. They are also pretty good insulators, so will keep the heat in. You can use ceramic tile adhesive as the cement.

[Sensei]

In your case (and my too) I would start from clay, as internal material, preventing lost of heat.

It could be purchased in supermarket for pretty low price.

It's plastic prior heating. It's used by sculptors.

You can create any shape with it that you want.

f.e. sphere with couple holes for air/Oxygen supply.

$20 per kg here in Leroy Merlin (310 grams for $6.2)

On auction websites I see it for $3.2 per kg with delivery.

 

Delivery of air/Oxygen could be done by fish aquarium air pump.

They differ by volume of air pumped per minute (mentioned on the box), and thus required power.

I purchased aquarium air pump for $15.

It has two pipes, each one 2.25 L/minute of air flow = 4.5 L/min capable at max (smooth regulation of power). 5 Watts (not much).

I used it for making Sulfuric/Sulfurous Acid etc.

It's pretty noisy at max power though.

 

The other way could be reusing old broken computer/power supply fan.

Unfortunately I don't have volume per minute data for this type of fan.

Probably they will vary from model to model (and won't have mentioned V/min on the box like fish air pump).

But it's worth checking, and you can dismount them at no cost, and use computer power supply to power them.

 

Are you going to use Carbon, Methane, or something else.. ?

Carbon you should blend in coffee grinder (purchase one cheap just for it) to dust.

 

Good luck.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Sensei