Various pictures of the furnace
no. 8 crucible and shank
The base mounted on the cart. The catch pan is removed.
I welded a barrel lid holder around the top of the base to add strength
For convenience I wired an electrical cord into the blower. I have found that it is often cheapest to purchase an extension cord and cut the end off of opposed to purchasing wire and a plug. The cord is wired into and electrical box then a switch controls another box, which the motor is plugged into. Not really necessary but it might come in handy.
The blower
motor is taken from an old washing machine.
It has exposed windings and contacts so I covered the motor with a sheet
metal sleeve. I left some air gap for
cooling. The motor and cart is grounded
through the cord.
These were the
cheapest and strongest rollers I could come up with at the time. They are washers pressed on a piece of ½”
round tubing. The outer washers act as
guides while the inner ones carry the load.
For the axle I did use a high strength grade 8 bolt. When purchasing
washers, bolts, and nuts I have found that farm supply stores are much cheaper
than hardware and home improvement stores.
Farm supply stores typically sell them by the pound, not the item.
The cable is attached to the carriage by a washer, which is
welded in place. The hook came with the
winch. While welding I accidentally
touched the electrode to the cable and melted a few strands. They broke further and I had to replace the
cable. Try not to do the same.
In the picture
you can see an all thread cross brace that attaches to a turnbuckle. This is here to correct and adjust the
slightly racked rails.
Here is the attachment of the carriage to the furnace. The lid is bolted since it is always
lifted. The body has removable pins to
engage or disengage it as needed. The
horizontal lateral brace is attached from the lid to the carriage. This prevents the furnace from swinging and
knocking over the crucible.
Here is the
catch pan for crucible failure. It is
the first attempt at a base. I welded
the ears on which rotate and lock into the cart below the furnace.
Filled with
sand. It will easily hold the entire
contents of the crucible. The radiant
heat from the furnace keeps the sand dry and hard.
The
rectangular blower outlet is converted to the 3” round pipe like so. The pipe can slide for adjustment.
The regulator
I made these
with my waffle maker. They were very
good.
