Aluminum Casting Part 4 + Vevor Melting Furnace Review

[@carpespasm]

Some constructive criticism to chime in with: 1: Outdoors and with that much ventilation you're not in any real danger of the fibers from it. Good to have on if you're doing brass to avoid zinc flu, but better temp control will help with that too. 2: A wire mesh face shield is a very good plan to wear any time you're doing casting. Also closed all-leather boots, non-synthetic clothes, and a thick cotton or leather apron make a decent PPE set. Nylon and Rayon clothes melt to your skin, cotton and leather just char. 3: You should definitely make a set of pickup tongs and a pouring handle ring. That'll give you better control of the crucible and you'll be less likely to crack it or drop it from the small gripping area of those packed-in tongs. 4: A skimmer made from a big shallow ladle is how you take care of that crusty slaggy stuff (called dross). Skim it off as best you can before pulling the pot for a pour. 5: degassing the liquid metal is a good way to avoid bubbles in the casting. a little folded aluminum foil packet of salt or borax works well. 6: pre-heat your molds and keep your casting sand and molds dry. At least hot enough to boil off water. Water in your molds makes bubbles in the casting at best, and at worst can make the mold violently explode, tossing molten white hot metal all over the place. (you did get that face shield right?)

[@johnmf6096]

Thanks for saving me the time and typing this out first. You're exactly right on every point.

[@Peter_S_]

+1 on the thanks for a great post.

[@iamgriff]

Yes the FACE SHIELD

[@KevinKidd_CSRE-AMD]

Zinc flu... I have never heard it called that but I definitely had a case of it in high school shop from practicing brazing on galvanized sheet metal. Sick, sick sick...

[@elgato7557]

Man this channel really has everything. Love your content bro keep it up

[@BionicleFreek99]

Typically slag and dross is removed with some kind of a spoon, ladle or other similar device that can scoop it off without removing too much of the melted metal, if you're casting metal that's below the melting point of steel, a ladle bolted to a long piece of metal with some small holes drilled into the bowl of the ladle may be ideal for this application.

[@saveitforparts]

I had a big spoon but it melted!

[@BionicleFreek99]

@@saveitforparts Woah! did not expect a response let alone one saying it melted!

[@Vizimech]

@@saveitforpartsstainless steel kitchenware is cheap and readily available and should stand up to the heat for short periods such as skimming slag off the top. (Assuming whatever you were using wasn't already stainless steel)

[@aegis3d]

Another tip: drinking cans are made from aluminum that is optimized for pulling the material thin. For good casting aluminum you can go to scrapyards and get broken transmission cases and other big chunky car parts that are made from aluminium, those are aluminium alloys ment for melting and casting.

[@rustblade5021]

i may have missed it but make sure you preheat those metal molds first with the roofing torch

[@gushhnet]

And don't throw wet aluminum cans into a crucible... That's a recipe for a serious injury if the steam manages to get the aluminum airborne...

[@foxhannah]

I'm an engineer that works with that fiber often, after the first fire kao wool doesn't release any fiber. it's pretty safe but it's always a good idea to have plenty of ventilation

[@AlexPlusLEDS]

Make sure to preheat your molds before dumping hot metal in them.

[@nathanaelvetters2684]

Almoat learning more from the comments than the video. KZbin comment sections on high quality channels are a goldmine of advice and knowledge of how to do things. Thank you for fostering a community like this, whether you mean to or not.

[@theguru18]

you might want to get sum proper crucible handling tools, the tongs your using are for blacksmithing. also borax for your slag problem

[@aaronhughes9872]

I just started this journey back in July - enjoy!! I picked up some rigidizer, and later some refractory cement to handle the ceramic wool issue.

[@jizmoglass4202]

Eye protection is very important. I've seen that stuff jump out of crucibles. Be very safe.. CHeers.

[@Peter_S_]

Face shield is a really good idea.

[@crookedtool]

Great video. 👍 You're supposed to skim the dross off the top occasionally before you pour it.

[@paperswan]

Oh man, i just flinched when I saw how close it was to your feet... But, as a guy who wants to make my own sword, this gave me motivation

[@tobhomott]

My approach has always been custom building furnaces for the type of usage (one and done melts starting from cold vs back to back melts all day long) and for the size of the biggest crucible and particular type of burner I have in mind for it, using free scrap steel and putting my money into the lining where it really matters. Researching furnace build projects is how I learned to spot the flaws in basically all of these kits marketed to newbies. Paying for new steel fabrication of the outer shell doesn't leave much room for anything else at the price point these kits sell at, so a few corners always get cut IMO. As others have said, regardless of what the manual and marketing text says, those tongs are NOT safe to use for manipulating a hot crucible. And you don't need a decade of furnace building hobbyism under your belt to figure out that banana shaped lid is a problem... You'll also want to trust your instincts about the unsealed fiber blanket lining, that is another red flag to watch out for with many of these kits. Good that they are sending you some refractory. Sounds like someone along the chain is spending your money on white stickers instead of refractory to save a buck... One thing I do like about your furnace is that it's literally the only such kit I've seen on KZbin that seems to have the burner aimed correctly. All the others have the burner aimed almost right at the crucible as if to intentionally burn up crucibles before their time. Yours creates a proper swirl of flame around it for even heat and a longer useful life for your crucibles. 👍 Your old brick furnace could have worked ok with solid fuel because it effectively self-insulates. My old charcoal furnace has also sitting unused for about 8 years now, lol. It can take a while to figure out how much air to give a charcoal furnace and proper coal management makes a big difference. But it would take forever to melt a crucible of metal using propane in that furnace with so much thermal mass and no real insulation. Those bricks would have melted before long anyway. Once you get your PPE and crucible tools up to snuff, seal up that lining, and somehow get the lid to behave, you should have no trouble melting (not smelting btw) brass or bronze. Loads of people use kits like this and love them, which goes to show a furnace doesn't have to be perfect to melt metal and have fun with. Congrats, be safe, and make some cool stuff!

[@mazdawg1138]

When the lid is off at the 10 minute mark, that thing reminds me of the warp core with its lid off at the end of Wrath of Khan!

[@3dguy839]

I saw the movie but forgot scene Googled it Lol looks like it I was surprised that the lid warped that quickly (no pun intended) Wonder if putting on refractory cement would have lessened the warping

[@iamgriff]

9:00 Lmfao! I was expecting something a little bit different than a cold war era pyrometer. I had a good laugh when I seen you using that.

[@justinp2850]

Great video! Looks like that furnace heated up and kept heat just fine. I think the furnace was probably meant more as forge for blacksmithing with the option for smelting (giving the two burner design). I think the problem you were having lighting it is that there’s no choke on the burners air inlet. If you can find a way to control the air going in, it would make it easier to light and control the temperature.

[@michaellichter4091]

A beautiful melting furnace, the results are impressive, and I'm excited to see what future projects will bring. I hope you also get to test one of the company's electric melting furnaces, which can melt aluminum as well. Brass is a very interesting alloy because it hardly expands when heated, making it suitable for cartridge cases and nozzles for 3D printers.

[@timonelson6499]

I got into your channel for the radio tech you highlight (very close to my day job thus super interesting to me!) but during peak covid I lived in MN and made my own aluminum forge so super stoked to see you keep trying it! Mine was charcoal based, with a shop vac hooked up backwards blasting air into a charcoal fire to make it hot enough. My neighbors at the time gave me a couple of large cast iron ladles which could stand the heat necessary to melt cans down; I just strapped them to a large stick to keep proper distance from the fire. I've still got a couple of pucks that I cast as well as a fishing trophy that I try to show off as much as possible. Great vid, keep the good work up!

[@AR-cp5dz]

Looks like Vevor has changed their tune about the cement. As of 9/16/23 (the day after you posted this video), this question was asked and answered on the site you linked to: Question: Does this unit come with the refractory cement or does the cement have to be purchased separately ? Answer: No, this unit does not come with refractory cement, this will need to be purchased separately. By vevor on Sep 16, 2023

[@saveitforparts]

Yeah I think there was a mix-up between departments or something? Mine still worked without the cement, just warped the lid!

[@memejeff]

Great stuff. This will come in handy a lot I bet.

[@kevinleee3408]

Very neat I would like to see more

[@dantedesantis3924]

I feel like I've already learned so much from watching your videos! Thanks so much for sharing such stimulating content

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

My 12kg unit arrives this week, on the website it says it's provided with refractory cement. I think the insulation is aluminium silicate.

[@compirate]

You could add some angle pieces to the outside of the lid as stiffeners to help prevent warping.

[@drgti16v]

Thanks for the review. In the future I'd love to get back into casting. Spent 4 years in HIgh School in metal shop and we had to do one casting project per semester. Load of fun stamping the casting mold.

[@anfroo9660]

finnally something other then radio junk and sattelite transmitions

[@saveitforparts]

Ha, I've been doing a bunch of those lately because I'm interested in it and KZbin gives me more views for those! I have tons of other projects too, just have to find time for them all!

[@devinholland2189]

With a little more packing and some non clumping cat litter mixed in you should be able to pull off some more detail and less sand grains in the castings.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

If/when you decide to buy so molds, remember they need to be preheated, or you can get steam explosions and have a really bad day. If you decide to ditch the fire brick in the furnace a scrap of piece of cardboard goes a long way in preventing the crucible from sticking to the refractory cement. Have fun, stay safe.

[@hypercube33]

In highschool a friend and I made our own charcoal from scrap pine wood and man that stuff gets way hotter than the junk you buy at the hardware store in a bag. You kinda scare me not preheating your molds at all - at some point one of those is going to have some moisture and go pop when you pour 2000f metal in

[@illa-noisemusic1081]

try mixing used motor oil with your sand. about a qt per five gallons of sand. Then do your casting. It will turnout 100% better. As for temp control without a digital ramp control its all guess work. I wouldnt sweat it. Also helps to run your sand thru a screen before casting.

[@SteveCrosby789]

I am not a safety hound or anything like that, but pouring molten metal can be pretty dangerous. sometimes the proper tools and safety equipment can prevent serious injury. if you are gonna continue I suggest Hard soled leather boots, proper pouring equipment, leather gloves and apron. If that crucible breaks or gets loose from the hand clamp you are using you will be seriously injured in seconds.

[@dagmarsuarez3033]

Regards melting brass. In the Roman empire there was a whoppin' big coin called a sestertius. Bronze of course. As time went by and some Emperors became unfashionable - look up the term Damnatio Memoriae for fun - they had a lot of coins that were candidates for melting down. Oh, sometimes it was just because they were worn smooth. Some of these stayed in circulation for a century. Anyway, the later ones were made of recycled earlier ones and indeed, the color of the coins is different. Probably as you say from burning off some of the constituents. Bronze is copper plus tin, Brass is copper plus zinc, but the same process is in play. Sent ya an email this morning on Underground stuff.....

[@Mountainmonths]

maybe flux would help with the brass?

[@BillyBob-si2db]

You should be very very concerned about the zinc at the temperature you were at. Major toxic fumes from boiling. Zinc.

[@asn413]

be nice for doing lost wax process in sculpture

[@meola69420]

Manuals specs are in metric, the science people will be happy! I've looked at blueprints for bridges where the deck is measured in millimetres, well the whole blueprint is, but the entire deck length being over 4 million millimetres, too funny. I'm not super engineer educated, but I believe It's something to do with variance over time, millimetres make it much more precise over inches. Edit: Cans aren't a pure source of aluminium, they are usually the 3004 alloy (Aluminum Manganese) for the body, as it is a softer alloy, so it is drawn into the round body shape easier, and the pop top is made of the 5182 alloy (Aluminium Magnesium) which is a harder alloy more suited for the top of the can. Up to 1.3% Manganese in 3004 and 4.5% Magnesium in 5128, so you will end up with a lot of slag when you smelt it. Usually most aluminium foils are upwards of being 99.996% pure provided they don't have some extra heavy-duty gimmick, which is usually a polymer coating, but that may just be utterly destroyed in the smelting process.

[@gannas42]

Way cool video. I blew a chunk out of our concrete patio (don't worry it was already trash) last time I smelted aluminum. The lack of cement with this type of furnace is concerning... very concerned about the fibers. Edit: it does seem irresponsible for Vevor to not mention the risks up front. 🤔

[@Peter_S_]

The alloy used for cans is usually 3104-H19 or 3004-H19 which is aluminum with about 1% manganese and 1% magnesium, and I've heard countless times that it's just not a good alloy for casting no matter what you try.

[@DadofScience]

I've been thinking about aluminium casting as a way to make face plates and bezzels for electronics projects. I like the Vevor gear and it's good to know this is a reasonable option.

[@macuser2469]

you need a fire brick on the bottom and a piece of paper to let the bowl free to not wield to the brick.

[@3dguy839]

Thought the aluminum rail key was a spot on for a Squidward self portrait 😅

[@coryengel]

I was pretty sure for a while you were making aluminum casts of SpongeBob, Squidward and Patrick Star. 14:42

[@michaelthompson5560]

I melt copper and u can use a steel rod with a 14 gauge steel plate welded to it to skim off the slag..

[@bobweiram6321]

I would coat the ceramic wool with some ceramic wool.

[@jedharding3492]

Vevor - please send Gabe a still for review. Thanks.

[@ElDJReturn]

This is super cool! With a bit more practice I could see you doing what Robinson Foundry does!

[@Dr_Wrong]

I've read comments on other similar video about casting aluminum, and there seems some consensus that specific Alloys of aluminum just won't cast sharper edges/corners..

[@saveitforparts]

Yeah, the stuff beer cans are made from doesn't seem to be all that great!

[@vvorldnewsmedia]

This is great love the video and what do you know I'm I n the need to buy one. I don't need it for anything big or what not, just pissing around thank you again my friend god bless from Canada.

[@checkmatekingtwothisiswhit7685]

Shine the aluminum up with a wire brush on a drill.

[@arnoldgrubbs2005]

Interesting review! I am interested in this sort of thing, along with the radio projects. I have been watching "Windy Hill Foundry" on KZbin for a while... very interesting stuff on mold making..

[@JT-lo3ru]

Always use cement but rigidizer first

[@raymondleavitt8286]

Devil forge # 1

[@johndaviddukejr2325]

Interested to see a more controlled pouring method.

[@PhonePhreak3z]

I want one so bad!

[@DerrangedGadgeteer]

On the subject of your original smelter: did you use regular bricks, or fire bricks? There's more difference between firebricks and regular brick and mortar than just being able to withstand fire. They're much more reflective to infrared, and they make it much easier to melt things. I built a furnace with kiln bricks for a waste oil burner, but it'll happily melt cans with nothing more than sticks for fuel.

[@malfunctionjunction6212]

A friend and I once had his concrete driveway burning, magnesium shavings burn really hot, we found out.

[@Eargesplitten-Loudenboomer]

That starfish was perfect, 15:14 have you looked in to Lost PLA casting? I think that would make a great video

[@RichardT2112]

Im having T2 flashbacks 😂

[@louielinux]

"Back in my day we didn't have no refractory cement"

[@B_T_B]

Okay.. I'm glad I dont live near you as would be an utter pain. I spend my time 3D printing, music and sat stuff and "Ethical hacking" I cannot add making 'Sandland' and now Casting.. I know for a fact the wife would dishome me. IF however I moved to Canada with the whole family it would work out cheaper 😜Joke aside. Brilliant, love the videos, to see maybe casting one day... One day!

[@shaggyrandy1264]

Look up the okie scrapper he melts lots of stuff!

[@raymondleavitt8286]

should have had a Dévoluy forge

[@coolgamer125bmd6]

Hi I was wondering if the noaa sawbird is even worth getting

[@saveitforparts]

I find it helps in obstructed / radio-noisy areas (city).

[@coolgamer125bmd6]

@@saveitforparts ok

[@McRocket]

Smelting metals? Intercepting satellite data? Digging, huge tunnel complexes? Constructing one person, flame-throwing/potato-launching tracked vehicles?. Ummm...you are not bent on world domination, are you? 😉 ☮

[@Wulffe]

Whoop whoop!

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

Why were you not using the lid, i rewound but couldn't find the reason ?

[@saveitforparts]

The lid kept warping and didn't fit very well. I ended up getting some refractory cement later and coating the inside.

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

Thanks for replying.@@saveitforparts

[@ahbushnell1]

thermocuple???

[@Backtrack3332]

Nice

[@petevenuti7355]

Your resprator likely saved you from getting drunk on zinc fumes... The Fibers are the least of your concerns , but if you are worried, spray down the blanket with a little sodium silicate (waterglass) , it will cause the surface of the blanket to melt together into actual glass, don't use much as too much of the blanket may turn to glass and melt through. Sodium silicate is a good chemical to have around, it is good for bonding another layer of rockwool or to repair it in the future, it will help bond your cement and make your cement harder and less porosity , it also makes a good flux like Borax, also mixed in your sand molds it makes them sturdier and able to hold more detail... beyond that i would definitely go with everything @carpespasm said, he said everything else i could possibly think of. Not having the right tongs made me cringe... Maybe now you can forge your own!

[@saveitforparts]

Those were the tongs it came with, I have some other old tongs around somewhere, just forgot to dig them out!

[@petevenuti7355]

@@saveitforparts your not kidding are you!... They should be ring shaped, the graphite can be brittle as I'm sure you know..

[@scowell]

Man, taping over the instructions where cement is mentioned is shady AF. Having the lid warp like that, chimpy. Here's hoping round 2 goes better.

[@JesseAkersKnives]

At 8:40 it looks like the lid has warped quite a bit. Optical illusion?

[@saveitforparts]

Nope, it really warped a lot!

[@JesseAkersKnives]

@@saveitforparts Hmm, that sux! I just ordered the 6kg version this morning.... 🙄🤣

[@saveitforparts]

If it comes with cement, or if you can get some separately, that might help! I added cement to mine and plan to keep using it, the warped lid doesn't seem to be a huge deal.

[@diederikvandedijk]

I don't get it. You seem to worry about some fibers in the air and wear a respirator (probably a good idea), but you neglect to wear any other protection against heat, explosions, splatter etc. It doesn't make sense to me. You obviously underestimated the risks involved.

[@lutomson3496]

I have a Vevor still cheap garbage does work with extra steel under the tank as its so cheap and thin burned my first batch as I did as the directions said instead of common sense look at how that cheap top warps by the heat

[@dangeroustoman]

Nothing i hate more than a review and not telling how much it costs in the first few minutes.

[@DougPeabody]

Now its time for you to get out prospecting!

[@saveitforparts]

I already have some copper ore chunks around!

[@rimc8783]

Did the lid to the furnace warp on the first uses or did you drop it?

[@saveitforparts]

It warped. I bashed it back into shape and stuck some refractory cement on it for next time.

[@rimc8783]

@@saveitforparts I Have been viewing lots of these small furnace for melting copper, brass and aluminum. I was surprised to see that one warped on the lid.

[@sleddarcheddar]

So I believe you're local to me in Minnesota. Would love to hang out and offer assistance in some of this if you'd be receptive. Shoot me a message if so.

[@sleddarcheddar]

Just watched more. Holy crap dude. Was that casting sand absolutely dry? You've got huge balls casting like that.

[@saveitforparts]

Yep, pretty dry, It comes out of the tunnel a little damp but I've had it for a while, let it dry out and then stored in a sealed bucket.

[@ahbushnell1]

don't breath zinc fumes.

[@Dr_Wrong]

Looks like Vevor sorta sucks..

[@KingSchmandmann]

Can you please provide some non freedom units inside the video? As non american you have to pause the video, open google, type in 2000 fahrenheit und check what this means and then go back to the video,

[@tonypino2858]

Mooie Smelter kunnen Bauwen

[@raymondleavitt8286]

😅😅😅

[@johnmf6096]

Compared to a Devil Forge, this thing is a POS.

[@joetri1970]

It's a cheap Chinese pot with a burner but if you don't give it a decent review you won't get free junk anymore sold.

[@saveitforparts]

It did legitimately work better than my homemade brick one!

[@jimcatanzaro7808]

You need borax

[@astroguy8210]

#sifpnotifactionsquad

[@seventhson9441]

Saveit, You know that Old Saying,...... I just made up,...... "" If you haven't started your driveway on fire lately,..... you probably haven't been having any fun !!! "" ----------------- I've got a single rail, railroad bike in mind. It either ( Mechanically, not Electric ) spins and "tips" a spinning independent gyro wheel, OR, Swings and Tips, a spinning gyro wheel. ( probably mounted out in front of the bike !! ) Maybe drive the, Geared Up, spinning gyro wheel ( From the, front bike wheel ) with,.... [ Joining Urethane Round Belt - A Better Way ],..OR [ Poly drive belt joining tutorial, the simple way. ] OR delete this post !!!!! 🤪

[@saveitforparts]

A single rail gyro bike sounds awesome! I'd probably crash one though 😂

[@seventhson9441]

@@saveitforparts Something tells me you keep working at things even though the "" Proof Of Concept "" ends up in a Crash or Two !!!!! 😦 😰 😭 I may just toy around with it. One thing for sure,..... Gonna make at least 3 Poly belts to make sure I have spare belts. Here's another old saying I just made up,... "" Don't ride a single rail bike out any farther than ,..... you're willing to ' Walk It Back ' ""

[@hacktheory1337]

don't become a review channel plz

[@saveitforparts]

I do occasional reviews, but I try not to do them too often 🙂

[@BillyBob-si2db]

Dude you are worrying too much about fibers. That's kind if penny wise but pound foolish. You're an accident waiting to happen. Be careful. Better PPE.

[@melvin4524]

Aluminium, not aluminim. Aside from that, pretty cool video dude. Keep it up

[@ElvianEmpire]

the US calls it aluminum. it's just how it is.

[@durinf]

Protect your moneymaker! Face shields are cheap!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@saveitforparts >>> Great video...👍

[@aeonarchon2.0]

i wish you were my bestfriend hahahahahaha