Resurrection of a CFEI 100 KVA Induction Furnace

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mattinker:
The way things are, I can't see crossing the Channel before Christmas! Looking forward to seeing this in the flesh!

Cheers, Matthew.

modeng200023:
I was just thinking Andrew, with all the monitoring you have fitted to the project you won't have time to watch the crucible :doh:

awemawson:
Well it got used this afternoon - cottage guests had left and Penny was away so an opportunity to fire it up without any complaints of generator noise :ddb:

At first I had a bit of a panic. I'd been doing my testing on local mains when fitting the pressure gauge and all was fine. Swapped over to the heavy cable connection, started the generator up (OK it IS a bit noisy, but a good sound!) but nothing was happening what so ever at the furnace driver - panic . . is wasn't until a few minutes of poking and prodding had elapsed that I realised that when I was fitting the earth bonding in the generator, I'd flipped off it's internal isolator.

A flick of it's lever and all was well with the world!

The very first unsuccessful melt of some copper pipe where the pipes ended up with slits in that I'd done when everything was put back together a few weeks back was tossed on top of a lump of brass as a 'starter pool' resulting in a lump of maybe 4 kgs of very coppery brass after not much more than 5 minutes heating.

It was just another trial dumped into an inverted spare crucible. In the picture the coppery one is the one I did today (brass plus copper scrap) and the brassy one is the other half of the same brass ingot but without added copper.

Now I need to start up the mould making side of things. I'm going to have a try at 'lost PLA' casting using forms 3D printed

I did manage to stick on the Danger notice on the safety guard, and order up some replacement foundry boots from Zoro Tools. Proper ones with steel toe caps and insoles and heavy leather spats to keep molten splashes from spoiling my socks! What I thought was a modest price at £42 including postage - not many places stock boots that fit my size 13 hooves! The ones I used to use are long lost long ago !

Pete W.:
Hi there, Andrew,

I quote: 'Proper ones with steel toe caps and insoles and heavy leather spats to keep molten splashes from spoiling my socks!'

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the spats are more to cover the lace-holes of your boots - they're more splash-retaining than your socks and the boots are slow to remove! What material is used for the RN's flash-resistant clothing? Is it cotton? If so, maybe cotton socks should be the order of the day.

awemawson:
Pete, they've not arrived yet but I think that these ones have quick release fixings for both the boot and it's spat.

As I'm sure you realise reference to my socks was tongue in cheek !

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