Diesel Foundry Furnace Burner - Part 3

[@RyanMartin-wg7gm]

Thanks alot Dad that turned out awsome I can't believe it I can't wait to see that pup in action ha ha ha see ya 🎉😊

[@Rustinox]

Drilling holes in sheet metal with a piece of cloth is a trick my granddad showed me. To me it was like magic. He never told me why it works, but it works.

[@Preso58]

It does seem like the most unlikely solution to what is usually a scary process but it does indeed work. Regards, Mark

[@mgmoody42]

The Candy Apple Red is going to make the furnace run faster also. Good going!

[@d00dEEE]

Hmm. Maybe add a racing stripe to the furnace body, too?

[@mgmoody42]

@@d00dEEE It certainly wouldn’t hurt!

[@andrew5792]

Mark I drove by on the highway today, I can't believe you didn't wave back.

[@foxwhiskey]

Absolutely great job. It's always a pleasure to watch your vids and listening to your explanations (which are sometimes humorous "between the lines".😊) Greetings and best regards ! PS: can't wait for the next part.

[@Preso58]

Thanks for that. I am due to do the first serious test run in the furnace tomorrow. I have all the blower and pump controls finished, tested and ready to go. That will be detailed in the next video plus the test firing. Regards, Mark

[@11THEFEZMAN11]

Just toss a burning rag into the furnace before turning on the propane. It’s much safer than fiddling with trying tl light it with a torch

[@MgBaggg]

Diesel*

[@11THEFEZMAN11]

@@MgBaggg he wants to use both, diesel and propane.

[@Preso58]

I am hoping to make a sort of long wire handled fire starter which will be soaked in kerosene. It should be reusable and long enough to reach right down to the bottom of the furnace. An electric igniter would be cool though. Regards, Mark

[@11THEFEZMAN11]

@@Preso58 a battery powered piezo ignition system would be cool.

[@sparrafien]

@@Preso58 saw at our gas supply shop here in South Africa, a square bar, with a perlite and i guess plaster of paris "bullet" at the end, that you can soak in kerosene or similar liquid, and use that to ignite the torch, if the handle is long enough, you just stick it in there, pull it out and store it away for re use

[@eddiekilby]

Very well design.👍👍👍👍

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Probably should add a fuel filter to keep the nozzle clear of debris Great build Mark, thanks for sharing Cheers

[@Preso58]

There is a very fine mesh filter on the back side of the nozzle but I take your point. A cheap inline filter would be a good addition to the system. Regards, Mark

[@d.jensen5153]

@@Preso58 That's right. Your comment brought back memories from 1974, when I mucked around with oil burners a bit. Some nozzles had a cylindrical cage filter and others a sintered bronze filter. I still have examples of both in a box somewhere. If I were to add another filter, I would put it ahead of the oil pump. ;)

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

An incredibly beautiful looking burner. I remain in awe 😮 Looking forward to seeing the burner in action. Good luck with the cart. 👏👏👍😎

[@Preso58]

Thanks. I have the service cart mostly back together now but the little console that contains all the electronics is going to be fun to package. Regards, Mark

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

@@Preso58 I am awe of those who manage to “cram” electronics neatly into a small case. I always end up having an oversized case 🥴

[@mashedtomatoes8516]

That is such a cool trick with the piece of cloth! I was not aware of it...I definitely will be using that in the future. Thanks for sharing!

[@lloydprunier4415]

Really want to try this so I will be watching for the maiden burn!

[@KravchenkoAudioPerth]

This is a great series Mark. I will be building some similar for sure! Thanks for the patient delivery of how to make this well! Mark

[@Preso58]

Thanks. It sure is frustrating having to do everything (many times over) for the camera. I really want to just get on and finish it so I can fire it up in anger. Maybe on the weekend? Regards, Mark

[@LGITS]

Mark, if I may suggest , you can attach the handle on the opposite side of the door in a L-shape pointing down. This way you will be able to handle it bare handed.

[@Preso58]

I did eventually get the handle arrangement sorted out. It is now quite easy and safe to use. Regards, Mark

[@howder1951]

Ki got one word Preso.......bulet-proof! Excellent design and execution and would't it be boring to just buy one? Enjoyed very much, cheers mate!

[@Preso58]

It's certainly heavy duty. I have a good supply of that heavy wall tube. My son did his apprenticeship at a hydraulic cylinder manufacturer. Regards, Mark

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

Ha, nothing to see here, sounds like the politicians in Canberra. Hi Mark, the burner is looking really professional and I think it will work well. I was using a very old forklift lpg cylinder and my wife hates it so she is loving your series too. Cheers and thanks, Stuart.

[@Preso58]

Thanks Stuart. I am due to run the furnace for the first time with the burner and the control console fully finished tomorrow. Current tests show that the nozzle used 8 litres per hour of diesel but I am hoping that I can dial that back as the furnace refractory heats up. Regards, Mark

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

@@Preso58 That’s awesome to hear my friend, I actually feel excited for you and I’ll have my fingers crossed. To be honest though, the way you do things I would be very surprised if there were any problems. Even at 8ltrs/hour that’s only around $20 but things will be heating up much more quickly so swings and roundabouts😂. Cheers, Stuart.

[@Radiotexas]

Simply awesome! I do wish you would have Joe Pie do a whiteboard on calculating the exact amount of air going thru those vanes! Allowing for differences in the angle. Please show your work! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Cheers! Love the candy apple red!

[@Preso58]

Sounds like a job for some Computational Fluid Dynamics software. Autodesk do a good one but you need to have a much bigger brain than I have to make any sense of the data it spits out. Regards, Mark

[@RB-yq7qv]

Hi Mark. The burner is a work of art maybe enter it in the Archibald contest one never knows it could walk away with 50,000 dollars. It will require a name flaming diesel inflation support nozzle. Nice work as always. Ha know wildlife shots and the birds where sing in the back ground. The wildlife expects a staring role in all videos union rules.

[@Preso58]

I will be making an announcement soon regarding my channel and a local charity that looks after sick and injured wildlife. It seems like a good fit. Regards, Mark

[@jessdigs]

Fantastic work sir

[@gerardopercivale6331]

Thank you for your project, I had already experimented with Ventui burners, but I was interested in one that delivered more temperature. But when I see the evolution of the construction of this project, I see the knowledge and ingenuity, for example, although it may seem unimportant, the perforation of the stainless steel sheet, putting the piece of cloth for a clean perforation, and I have watched thousands of videos, it is The first time I saw this method. I was looking at oil burners, too, I've seen them in rotary kilns, for gray steel casting, which is what I was interested in. Thanks for showing the construction of this burner. Greetings.

[@Preso58]

I am glad you enjoyed the process. I must say that this was one of those projects that just came together with all the associated systems and variables in an almost perfect sweet spot. I chose the size and capacity of the blower, the fuel pump, the nozzle and the burner tube dimensions purely on gut feeling and it just worked out. It almost never happens that way for me. I have a little more air than I would use for normal burning and a little over capacity with fuel so I can tune the flame easily. It is a joy to use and the more I use it the easier it gets to light up and tune the flame. Regards, Mark

[@jaredwilliams5252]

Weld a socket to the top of the pivot and use a breaker bar as your handle. It’ll be removable and can switch sides.

[@lloydprunier4415]

How about a short piece of tubing and a rod to slide through like a vise handle?

[@Preso58]

I think what I have now will work and I have had another viewer who has a similar furnace give me a good idea for a lid limit stop to make closing it more positive. Regards, Mark

[@trollforge]

It has been a few years since I built my last gas forge. It has a closeable rear door for longer pieces. I glued an offcut onto the firebrick door with JB. It lasted 5 or 6 years. At the time the JB website said it was good for 700F...

[@Preso58]

I am constantly surprised at how well JB Weld works. It is not commonly available here though. Araldite is the go to epoxy in most hardware stores. I had to buy my JB Weld from an electronics supplier. Regards, Mark

[@SeanHorning-m8y]

I would think using 10:40 a washer of proportionate size might be less work, but I’ve been known to be kind of simple

[@Preso58]

Yes, that would work. I was not sure at that point about how much heat would be radiated back inside the open end of the burner. I thought that stainless steel would be more heat resistant and less likely to rust. Regards, Mark

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

G'Day Mark, Really a nice design and build... Can't wait to see it roar to life. ATB.....Cheers

[@Preso58]

Thanks Dean. Next video will be the big burn! Regards, Mark

[@robertwalker7457]

Nice work, if a round file is giving you grief try cutting it short and putting it in a drill and use it a bit like a slot drill.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Great work Mark. I like that Candy Apple Red powder coating, it has come out really nice. I think your idea for the new position for the lid handle is ok. I welded tabs on the furnace body of mine so that I could close the lid easily by moving the lid to the tab as a hard stop (you could actually close the lid with your eyes closed, but not recommended). As a side effect the lid only opens in one direction. I have not had any issues with that limitation though, so I think your idea will work ok.

[@Preso58]

Thanks Jon. Now that I won't be swinging the lid in both directions I think the tab limit idea is a good one. Regards, Mark

[@joerogi8401]

Woo hoo, first. Course I haven't watched it to the end yet. John 🇨🇦

[@IBWatchinUrVids]

DANGIT

[@jackdawg4579]

Really enjoying this one Mark, toying with the idea of an oil burner for my forge.

[@hillonwheels8838]

Very nice. Some may call this over engineered but I just think it makes it look so nice. The kit you talked about probably doesn't look anywhere near as nice as this and what's the fun of buying when you can make yourself. I had another idea that may work with you engineer aesthetic for opening the lid. The idea was to bend another piece of square tube to match the push handle and have them parallel each other. You would then be able to open the lid either way and stay far away from all the heat at the same time.

[@michelgrenier1878]

Very nice and on the right track , This reminds me of the experimental oil burner I built for a snow melter 9,000,000 per hour 3 nozzles ; That was a fun project .

[@tobhomott]

Looks great! You should be able to cure those large flames coming up outside your furnace's lid's vent hole through burner tuning. Try adding more air, or perhaps less fuel. You'd also be exposing your aluminum melts to less free hydrogen that way.

[@jagboy69]

You wanna be the one to explain the difference between a foundry and a furnace?? I just don't have it in me anymore.

[@Preso58]

Thanks. I took some advice from Martin (Olfoundryman) who said that you should just melt the aluminium as quickly as possible to reduce hydrogen in the melt. It was hard to do with propane but with more control over the amount of fuel and the blower I should be able to get something like a reducing atmosphere inside the furnace. Regards, Mark

[@Preso58]

Well, my understanding was the the foundry is where you keep your furnace and the furnace is where you melt your metal. The foundry is also where you should drink your beer after a hard days foundry work. Regards, Mark

[@jagboy69]

@@Preso58 You got it Mark! Good job!

[@tobhomott]

@@Preso58 definitely agree that the less time metal is held molten, the better. I aim for very close to neutral, erring on the side of barely oxidizing for aluminum and barely reducing for coppers. But always close to neutral in order to get the melt done as fast as possible. One time I was melting bronze with the flames coming up 4-5 inches out the vent hole. That day I learned that the castings to set the length of the turnbuckles supporting my furnace lid were made of zinc, when they melted off. 😂

[@DavidKutzler]

I can't for the life of me figure out why Mark only has 34K subscribers.

[@paularbon1093]

Some lovely bling there Mark with the candy red paint. This is a great build, it should last you a long while. I am looking forward to seeing some flames.

[@Preso58]

Next video I hope! Regards, Mark

[@blfstk1]

Good Show Mate: As per normal. I contemplated doing something like this 40+ years ago when I was full of vinegar. Other projects got in the way. So I'm vicariously enjoying your burner project. I don't think mine would have worked as good as yours.

[@Preso58]

Ah, well we haven't really tried it out yet but the early results look promising. Regards, Mark

[@mrgreenswelding2853]

Nice work mark!

[@markfryer9880]

Prezzo, with timing of your fuel flow, your options are; 10 minutes and then multiply by 6. 6 minutes and multiply by 10. 5 minutes and multiply by 12. 6 min. x 10 is probably the easiest to calculate fuel consumption. Good to see that you put the rear support to the fuel line. Looking very sharp! Mark from Melbourne Australia

[@Preso58]

I was a bit worried about the flex in the fuel line breaking the bond on the JB Weld but now it's quite solid. I should be doing the fuel flow test later in the week. Regards, Mark

[@lumotroph]

What a beautiful machine :) brilliant work Mark

[@gregfeneis609]

Really nice. I imagine US JPL approved

[@iTeerRex]

Looks very nice and sturdy. Btw, I used something similar to that high temp paint on a bbq grill, and it has gotten to 700-800° F without any problems. It’s very scratch resistant as well, but in this case, the sliding part will of course rub off over time.

[@Preso58]

I did paint the lid of my furnace with that same paint but I couldn't bake it as it stipulated on the can. It has pretty much burnt off now and I still get the feeling it will rub or scratch off but for now it looks nice. Regards, Mark

[@joell439]

Nice job as always Mark. Regarding your spring lid handle..... Would it be possible to create a square socket into the top of the square post that raises the lid? And then you could add a square peg at the end of your spring handle and plug that into the post socket. You could align the peg at 45 degrees so that you could insert it and swing either left or right. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@LeonardRoberts]

That and place the handle facing down to keep away from the flame

[@Preso58]

I have a foot pedal that raises the lid so it's just a case of swinging the entire lid to one side. Regards, Mark

[@slypig24]

It will be interesting to see what temperature you can get the furnace to run to.. To help keep your handle out of the heat when opening. Could you bend handle near mounting/weld position, but bend handle with clearance around vertical transport handle, so handle starts off at back of furnace.

[@Preso58]

That would work but I got lazy and just tried to find another place to weld what I already had made. Regards, Mark

[@TheDistur]

Looking good!

[@eulerizeit]

Any particular reason for the number of fins or was it a number that just seemed reasonable looking at it?

[@Preso58]

I think it just looked about right. I am glad I didn't use more fins. Cutting that stainless with aviation snips, especially right near the tips is a bit of a chore for my arthritic old hands. Regards, Mark

[@thefixerofbrokenstuff]

So should we use green snips in the northern hemisphere to cut the vanes?

[@Preso58]

But the world is flat.... No such thing as hemispheres, at least that's what I read on Facebook so it must be true! 🙄😁

[@thefixerofbrokenstuff]

@@Preso58 one of my favorite Winston Churchill quotes is: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet"

[@Preso58]

@@thefixerofbrokenstuff Ha ha. I have to remember that one.

[@mce1919A4]

Nice. Thank you.

[@jonnafry]

Very elegant Preso ... looks like an expensive off the shelf part.

[@mathewmolk2089]

Question. .... Do you thin k a trip to your local HVAC contractor and picking up a discarded Becket oil furnace burner might have been a better choice? ,,,, No external blower and ducting or fule pump and power supply. Plus fully automatic electric ignition and sophisticated safety controls. You also have the ability to control with a $20 PDF to maintain a specific temperature +/- a few degrees. All you need is a 120 V extension cord and oil libe from your oil supply. and you are melting cast iron. ,,,, And you can get different nozzles and Sid Harvey oil filters at the local hardware store and repair parts are available the next day from Amazon. - (I have been running one on our treat furnace for years.)

[@mathewmolk2089]

Make that a $30 PID (Dam automatic spell checker)

[@Preso58]

I have seen lots of off the shelf solutions which are fully or partly automated but running a foundry furnace means not leaving it to run on it's own. You really need to monitor it closely to check the melt and to scoop out the dross so you sort of get used to listening to the burner and making small adjustments as you go. With diesel fuel there is also a lot of adjustment required as the refractory heats up. I am going to have to use it a fair bit to get used to the procedure and to learn what settings work best but I think it is going to be an improvement on my old propane burner. Regards, Mark

[@swdweeb]

It is a thing og beauty. I'm almost embarrassed to go out and light mine now :-D

[@Preso58]

Thanks Perry. Buy yours was the inspiration so that counts. Regards, Mark

[@tomcren59]

What about just making the handle longer so it pivots above the dolly handle?

[@77eks]

You could have your spring handle thing not attached permanently, maybe like keyed into a receiver on the lid.. Perhaps it could serve a dual purpose as a slag spoon too.

[@highlandermachineworks5795]

At 15:47 you begin turning. Where on earth did you get that tool holder from? Was it a diy? I have a shaping head for my mill. I'd love to make one of those tool holders. If I can not buy one.

[@Preso58]

Check out eccentricengineering.com.au/shop They are called the Diamond Tool Holder. I have three of them and they are great. Check out the video on Gary's website which shows all the different ways it can be used. Regards, Mark

[@highlandermachineworks5795]

@@Preso58 Will do thank you

[@loweredexpectations4927]

I had left a comment on another video about the benefits of monetizing your videos, and left otu the biggest bonus (for you). That is that, once you monetize your videos, you can either leave them as is (allow YT to select the number and placement of ads) OR you can choose to remove a bunch of the ads and choose not to have them at the start, end etc.

[@Preso58]

I have not allowed "Mid Roll Ad's" on any of my videos. I find them to be intrusive and annoying. The pre-roll ads were going to happen anyway and once you get to the wind up for a particular video you can just switch it off. The upshot is that I can donate the revenue to a charity (for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation) and last year they received over $4000. I feel better about donating the money and it means that I am not directly dependant on the income which tends to make it a job instead of a hobby. Thanks for understanding though. Regards, Mark

[@loweredexpectations4927]

@@Preso58 Well done.

[@philmenzies2477]

Very nice Mark, Did you consider the effect of the air rotation inside the furnace. I wonder if you made another vane, but mirrored, if it would change the burn/swirl characteristics?

[@Preso58]

I didn't actually but it's a simple matter to just flip the swirl vane over to reverse the flow. Regards, Mark

[@Preso58]

Doh! just realised that flipping the vane disc over makes no difference.

[@steveskouson9620]

@@Preso58, Mark, I was going to mentioned that. Learned, when we were playing around with Cox control line model airplanes, if you flip the prop over, it doesn't push backwards. (Doesn't push forward all that well, since the airfoil is messed up.) steve

[@ytnjw]

How about a semi-circular crank on the spring handle, centred on the upright, with the handle sticking straight out at the back?

[@Preso58]

That'd work. More than one way to skin a cat I guess. Regards, Mark

[@ytnjw]

@@Preso58 Just realised that it should be centred on the lid's pivot point, not the main upright.

[@jasonneedham6734]

'Onya mate.😊

[@simongroot7147]

Would it be possible to machine the outside of the flow straightener while still on the press tool, given how tight the fit is on the tool?

[@Preso58]

Probably not. If you catch a sharp corner it will just hang up and spin. It takes a surprising amount of pressure to overcome the torque required to take even a moderate cut. Regards, Mark

[@Gin-toki]

Can you not still light the propane burner from the outside? Just hold the propane burner tube outside the furnace, light it up and put it in the mounting hole? Also when it comes to drilling large holes in thin sheet stock, I tend to prefer a step drill, they don't grab the material or leave ugly tribular shaped holes.

[@Preso58]

My propane burner doesn't like to burn in open air. It seems to require some back pressure to hold a stable flame. I have a set of step drills and they work great. However I only have a metric set and sometimes you may need to make a hole in sheet metal with an odd size bit. I was really just showing the technique because it's not widely known. Regards, Mark

[@Iraqi1995-3]

Hello how is a wonderful teacher can I ask a question about the spray oscillator how did you make it and thank you

[@Preso58]

If you mean the spray nozzle, I didn't make that part. I bought it from a vendor on Ebay. They are commonly sold as fuel spray nozzles for home heating installations. I think they will work with most liquid fuels like diesel, kerosene, and other clean, light fuel oils. Regards, Mark

[@gangleweed]

When it comes to melting metals or merely heating something a furnace is the way to go......how it's constructed and what its' made with determines what you can actually melt.......I am going to go the easy way as I have a Multiplaz 3500 plasma welder capable of 8,000 deg C and it's like a propane torch on steroids.......the furnace will be made from ceramic wool inside a 25 litre drum etc......I'm not a great fan of diesel furnaces due to the need to have a compressor or some form of blower and a diesel burner etc.......my next endeavor will be an electric furnace using a stove element to melt aluminium......anything that can get to red heat in an enclosed insulated space is a candidate.

[@Preso58]

Plasma sounds like fun, scary too! I am surprised that no one has come up with a carbon arc furnace for home use. Regards, Mark

[@gangleweed]

@@Preso58 A carbon arc, using 2 rods of carbon and a hobby 160 amp welder, would be extremely powerful but maintaining the arc is a problem.......for most nonferrous metals the propane or diesel type are OK.

[@millzee60]

Hot stuff :)

[@camojoe2]

You're such a tease Presso........ Regards, Duck

[@markedevold1261]

👍

[@jjbode1]

Are your black shoes Red Wings?

[@Preso58]

No, they are Colorado's. I call them my "lazy shoes". No laces! Regards, Mark

[@nigellee1856]

I may be embarrassingly wrong, but the black mark under your left index finger finger looks very much like an under nail melanoma (not sun induced) and not a blood blister. Someone may have already mentioned it or you already know what it is.

[@Preso58]

Not a melanoma. I clouted that finger with a mallet when I was laying some garden edging. I was hot and tired and just wanted to get the job done so I was not taking enough care. About 10 minutes later I pinched the side of my little finger with the same hammer and split the skin open. It hurt way more but it healed up faster. Regards, Mark

[@nigellee1856]

@@Preso58 Good to know. As someone who has hit many fingers with a hammer I feel you pain. Keep the vis coming they are very interesting. Regards Nigel

[@zvonibab]

There is no chance to buy something like that on bay. Unless it's made by Mark!

[@jimurrata6785]

Ah, yes. I always wanted to make my own gold plated Lego bricks

[@andrewharwood7033]

Why diesel and not waste oil? Wouldn't it be cheaper.

[@Preso58]

Waste oil can have contaminants that may block the very small diameter jet in the nozzle. It would probably need filtering and it can have higher viscosity meaning that you may need to heat it to get it to flow readily. Waste oil works well if you are using compressed air to atomise the fuel though. Regards, Mark

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

Nice work, like it a lot. I'm actually tempted to give a rocket stove a go for aluminium melting, not sure if I can get hot enough but if it works I have a load of twigs to feed it. Otherwise, yeah, diesel seems like a good solution. On an odd note, part 3 of this popped up in my feed, so I thought "Oh, must have missed the notifications", went back and watched the whole lot. I then realised that, for some reason, I was no longer subscribed to your channel. Wierd.

[@Preso58]

I have a book by Terry Aspin that details the use of coke as a fuel for melting iron. It's pretty old school but back in the industrial revolution that's pretty much all they had. I am guessing that any fuel with the correct amount of air and insulation would be sufficient for melting aluminium. Regards, Mark

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

@@Preso58 I was under the impression coke was used in blast furnaces due to the way it burns - it produces massive amounts of carbon monoxide that then reacts with the iron oxide to produce carbon dioxide and iron. I'm not sure it it isn't still used, actually. Anyroadup, seems that rocket stoves are viable for melting aluminium and maybe even brass. Just need to get on with it !

[@jdmccorful]

Lookin good! Enjoyed.