Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[oldironfarmer]

Andy keep the foundry going. If you get back this way I will take you to see a friend of mine who runs a small foundry if he is still in operation. You can pick his brain.

That would be great fun! Thanks!!

Andy: still trying to catch up after the WEDDING. looks like you've been pretty busy staring down the bull, playing with the calves and opening up OIF'S foundry.

The wedding was a rather major event. Even on GJ

i had to laugh about the broken rubber boot on your gear shift letting the air in. Sub's fix actually helped me too cause i've got a Stairmaster Kyak machine that has a broken rubber boot over a very greasy joint that i'll just wrap a rag around now if i end up using it or selling it. or is there a supply house for big rubber boots cause i think the Stairmaster one is maybe 3 inch diameter and UNOBTANIUM now?

I guess I'm glad you have found humor in my misfortune.! I guess you could get in quite s row over the broken boot...

yes keep the foundry talk coming in case you didn't know there are others that would like to know more about this and good to know the safety tips you know like putting sand on melted metal instead of water and things like that.

Well, I'm a novice, but I'm sure going to try

have a great day working out in the SAND PIT at the FOUNDRY while i head to the SALT MINES on my SATUR day.

cheers

Go ahead, rub it in that you're earning money while I'm spending it. Maybe we should get together, I can spend some of your money.

I like how Bob thinks. Making a female mold for silicone or urethane boots is actually quite easy. Urethane is a little harder as it tends to be a little watery so the mold needs to be moved to keep the coating even whereas silicone can be ‘painted’ on. However knowing Andy I would up the stakes to a rubber vulcanising setup. Un-cracking some long chains eh?

There's a thought. I have made lots of silicone molds, I suppose I could make a silicone bellows That would be fun...

Though boots that size can be pilfered off almost anything these days. But I have to warn you that it is a very slippery slope Andy! Once you have a new boot you find a problem with the firewall. Fix the firewall then you want to tidy up the instrument panel. Then find the front columns are draining water into the vehicle and that is why the floor pans are rusting out… where will it end?

Well, there is no firewall, there is no instrument panel, there are no front columns You raised the bar so high I can't see it.

Maybe you can just knit a little sock for it?

Well that wouldn't keep the air out, now would it?

+1 on keeping up documenting the foundry work. I like the idea of the burner tile incorporating the nozzle flare. Do you plan to build the bracketing holding the burner into the enclosure?

I'm thinking the burner will just be propped up outside, but it may need a foot. Gravity should hold it into the burner tile.

Since you are creating a bit of structure it may pay to think about a small casting crane to help manage the crucible by yourself. Will let you comfortably do bigger castings so you can focus on controlling the pour without trying to keep your mind of you hernia as well. Even 5lbs of metal + crucible get quite heavy on the end of pouring tongs when you are trying to tip it out slowly. Otherwise I’m all for resistance training.

Yes, at some point a casting crane needs to be in the works. Primarily for safety with the hot metal, even if I were to have a cramp at the wrong time I could get burned, or a heart attack, phone call, etc. I keep waffling on what to build. It would be nice to avoid a conventional hoisting device as that is usually slow and time is of the essence when you are getting the hot metal to the mold. Once I get the roof up I should be able to hang it from there. I like some kind of an idea where I can use a lever to lift the crucible and set it in a cradle that is pre-positioned for the proper pour spot. The larger the crucible the more time you have to position it.

 

[oldironfarmer]

We are having greenup already, about a month early.

The cows are already starting to chase green grass. It tastes good, I guess, but does not have much feed value and often gives them the runs. So you still have to feed protein and keep hay out for them even though they seem to lose interest.

Spent all day on the road today. But I did manage to pick up a piece of stainless steel (SS) pipe for a new crucible. Then when I went to get ceramic fiber blanket they gave me a piece of SS plate for the bottom.

I bought blanket because I did some heat transfer calculations and realized I had to have more insulation than I was going to get from the refractory. Ceramic fiber blanket is an excellent insulator but after it is fried it can give off micro fibers when disturbed which are a respiratory hazard. Lots of guys use it in forges and spray an encapsulator on it but after it's damaged by stray materials over and over it is a potential hazard. It can also be the only insulation in a foundry furnace: same issues. I plan to put in two inches of refractory concrete, cast as a cylinder, with blanket outside of that, inside the steel case. I also bought some soft insulating fire brick (2,600F) to upgrade my brick furnace, and may just build a brick furnace with an angle iron framework.

The problem with a brick furnace is the arch (furnace speak for roof, original brick furnaces had an arch for a roof, but any roof is still referred to as an arch - I did work several years for in the furnace erection, repair, and refractory business but I'm no refractory expert, those guys worked for me and ,trust me, you don't absorb information just by being around it) which needs to be removed to lift out the crucible. Even with a brick furnace I need a concrete arch. The guy at the refractory place (large industrial company) didn't know me but was very helpful even though he knew his sales volume to me will never exceed $100,000 per month like a lot of customers.

Too many words, not enough pictures. I hope to spend a few hours in the shop tomorrow But I have to go close on a real estate sale

 

[oldironfarmer]

I read "boots" as *****.......shows where my mind is I guess. I wondered why someone would make a homebrew replacement like that but I guess that's irrelevant.

I was titillated by your comment! And silicone is a good material to use for home molded parts if you're keeping abreast with the technology.

 

[Terrick down Under]

Lmfao.......................

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, Andy, Andy...

 

[gilr]

I'm beginning to think Andy's mind is more fertile than the soil on his farm....

 

[oldironfarmer]

Lmfao.......................

Laughing at me and not with me, I see. Hmmm...

Andy, Andy, Andy...

I'm beginning to think Andy's mind is more fertile than the soil on his farm....

I have some very fertile soil on my farm, high production truck farm soil. Can you blame me for milking it for all it's worth? You know the baby calves find warm milk to be udderly delightful.

I've got to clean up, there was LOT's of traffic through here yesterday!

Thanks for the visits, guys!

It's SATURDAY!!!

 

[BBChevro]

...to see how hard it is to pour hot metal into a sand mold without washing a lot of sand into the hot metal...

Are you planning on having an empty void in the mold - to fill with metal (I'm not sure what that's called) or "lost wax casting" (where the wax is melted out as the metal comes in)?

Do you have pictures?

Sorry Andy, I don't have any pictures of my brother's casting set-up (it was back in the pre-digital days of film - when all photos cost money) - I'll try to remember to ask if he's still got it.
He did a very good job of making some unobtainable parts for a vintage car using the lost wax method.

...Maybe you can just knit a little sock for it? ...

Well that wouldn't keep the air out, now would it?

Ha, that's one of the funniest comments I've ever read.

.

 

[Guster]

Just thinking if you kick or drop something on the burner it might crack or chip out the hole in the tile. Guess it is based on my experience that many refractories are brittle when hot or become brittle over time as binders are fired out. The product you used is likely altogether different.

Can’t beat fibre blanket for its insulative properties. You can encase it… mostly. I would cast the refractory core for the furnace like an upside down tophat. You get some heat loss around the rim anyway so at least make that area a little stronger so you can bump the crucible without damaging stuff to much. You might be spilling/dripping slag there too so good if it can stand up to it rather than have it soak into things. But that is assuming you are making a barrel/cylinder style furnace with a cover that simply slides/pivots out of the way.

There are some pretty simple casting cranes. I like the ones that simply hang a chain from an overhead swing arm to a hook on a pouring shank with the hook mounted close to the crucible giving you a lot of control without carrying all the weight. Having an roof structure will double as something to hang stuff from. Another nice feature of it is that you are a good distance away from the pour in case of splashes etc. You can also make a crucible/flask lifter using the same setup which is handy if you plan to do larger heavier pours.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Are you planning on having an empty void in the mold - to fill with metal (I'm not sure what that's called) or "lost wax casting" (where the wax is melted out as the metal comes in)?

Yes, that's what sand casting is - you put a wooden pattern in a mold you can split. Pack the sand, then split the mold and take the pattern out, put the mold together and pour metal through a hole in the sand. Very abbreviated description, but the pattern can be used again.

Lost wax casting means making making a sacrificial pattern out of wax and casting it in something like plaster of paris. When that has dried you heat the plaster and melt the wax out, then you can pour hot metal in to the plaster, then break the plaster off. More detail than sand casting but slower. You can make a mold to create several patterns from hot wax for multiple pours or to be ganged together to pour multiple items simultaneously.

Sorry Andy, I don't have any pictures of my brother's casting set-up (it was back in the pre-digital days of film - when all photos cost money) - I'll try to remember to ask if he's still got it.
He did a very good job of making some unobtainable parts for a vintage car using the lost wax method.

Fantastic. Precisely the kind of things I want to be able to make. It's a very old craft. As I work along I wonder how the bronze age people ever learned to work metal hotter than even aluminum. With no history or tools to work out. It is so easy for me, but I'm still challenged.

Ha, that's one of the funniest comments I've ever read.

.

I was amused too. Smiling is such fun.

Thanks for the interesting comments!

Just thinking if you kick or drop something on the burner it might crack or chip out the hole in the tile. Guess it is based on my experience that many refractories are brittle when hot or become brittle over time as binders are fired out. The product you used is likely altogether different.

I guess all refractories get brittle when hot and with age. They also develop stress cracks through thermal cycling. This refractory is good for 3,500 F and is highly abrasion resistant. It exhibits good high temperature toughness. And I expect to melt 2,300 F metals at the hottest, which may very well be a 2,600 F firebox. A margin of safety.

Can’t beat fibre blanket for its insulative properties. You can encase it… mostly. I would cast the refractory core for the furnace like an upside down tophat. You get some heat loss around the rim anyway so at least make that area a little stronger so you can bump the crucible without damaging stuff to much. You might be spilling/dripping slag there too so good if it can stand up to it rather than have it soak into things. But that is assuming you are making a barrel/cylinder style furnace with a cover that simply slides/pivots out of the way.

Absolutely blanket is great. I may be overblowing the hazard of airborne fibers but don't want to learn with lung cancer. Of course I'm not going to be doing it every day. My primary shyness of the blanket is what I've seen in gas fired forges. They start out protected but as they get damaged the blacksmith keeps using them, sticking their work in and pulling it out in a hurry to get the job done.

My plan is precisely to cast a cylinder of refractory with a layer of blanket between that and the metal can. I'm thinking of casting it in quarters split vertically with tongue and groove joints. After installation the joints would avoid stress during heat up and cool down which initiate stress cracks. And the quarter shells might be easier to dry out and cure than a large cylinder. The square burner tile was done as a test pour and will be used in my crude and inefficient brick furnace which has helped satisfy my intense desire to melt metal NOW!!

Lots of furnaces you see on the internet are somewhat crudely made with low quality refractory and do not last too long. I hope to get a longer life using good materials and good design. We'll see!

I also am going to start with an LP barbecue bottle furnace for small pours (less heat up time) and to learn before I attempt a large furnace. Having two sizes should make for more efficient pours.

There are some pretty simple casting cranes. I like the ones that simply hang a chain from an overhead swing arm to a hook on a pouring shank with the hook mounted close to the crucible giving you a lot of control without carrying all the weight. Having an roof structure will double as something to hang stuff from. Another nice feature of it is that you are a good distance away from the pour in case of splashes etc. You can also make a crucible/flask lifter using the same setup which is handy if you plan to do larger heavier pours.

As far as a crane goes, I think anything is better than nothing. The criteria are

1 Safe handling, including interrupting the operation
2 Weight handled by the equipment
3 Suitable for fast operations
4 Accuracy of pour placement
5 Operator protected from the heat

I'm still looking at what others have done. And considering what large commercial operations do. A miniature of commercial design is enticing. Even an electric or air winch to position the elevation of the crucible out of the furnace and back down to pouring position. Or maybe I need to elevate the flask to pour at the lift out elevation. The downside is you need a backup generator to not get a crucible stranded in the furnace. Do failures ever happen at the worst possible time?

I greatly appreciate your thoughtful comments. This discussion may not be of much interest here but it is central to my current issues and is helping me collect my thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[oldironfarmer]

It was Saturday all right, but my Son in law called early and asked whether I had anything to do. Could I help on the wheelchair ramp. "No, I'm not busy "

So I drove the show truck across the street and started building a ramp. Two guys, two hours

It's designed to just set on the existing stairs so can be removed with no holes if she gets better.

Son in Law had graded the area and had foundation tiles set level with good water drainage around the new ramp. Gave us a head start!

Two guys, three and one half hours, total

All the deck boards are cut, top third are in place, final section of ramp ends buried to grade. The old boy is good with his backhoe. I had to go to town to close and look at a house to buy and have lunch with my wife and visit the lady with the stroke we're building the ramp for and didn't get back to it but the SIL got all the deck boards screwed down. Handrails tomorrow and he'll paint later. It went quickly and meets ADA requirements.

Went out to the shop late in the day and faced off both ends of my SS crucible barrel. Cut a locating groove in the bottom.

It had been sawn on a large bandsaw and was not square either end.

Finish the ramp and we've got another Saturday to burn tomorrow!!

 

[krcoomer]

Andy: Reading through your discussion and relying on my many years of knowing absolutely nothing on the topic, the questions that I have are what do you expect the loaded weight of the crucible to be (top number)? You mention a fear of a stuck crucible if you use electricity. Is there a way to build a gantry or trolley setup with an I-beam hoist to transport molten metal to mold? You would have to do all castings in line with the beam and keep it a smooth operation so you don't spill too much but I do not anticipate you would have so much going on at one time that you could not lay your work out.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Kenny:

Probably maximum crucible weight will be around 20 lbs. That's a lot of hot metal, maybe 15 lbs. As Guster mentioned the simple crane is just a swing arm with a chain hanging with a big ring on the end. You hook the crucible and lift it manually then hook the top of the lift bar to the ring. Then you swing into position to pour. Arm needs to lock so it doesn't swing when you don't want. Everything is located on the arc, just like locating it under a trolley. Rollers on a trolley are a bit hard to keep free so they roll smooth and vibration free. Any sticking and the crucible wants to swing. Not good.

I would like to make a lever arrangement where you don't lift the crucible directly - you hook both ends and then use some type of lever arrangement or hoist to lift it out.

I have no problem with keeping everything in a line or arc. The pour positions just have to be determined in advance on a dry run. A radius arm can be controlled with a bar mounted low and turned by hand away from the crucible.

Keep thinking and keep commenting. It's making me think!!

 

[dlcwent]

Catching up (without a comment this time). Just don't want you to think I'm not watching you.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Catching up (without a comment this time). Just don't want you to think I'm not watching you.

Thanks!

 

[dchance]

Andy, Keep the foundry pics and information coming. I enjoy and I even learn things.

If cleaning your shop caused you to add on where will starting out to add a roof end? There is no telling so I think I will continue to watch.

Dwight

 

[oldironfarmer]

I think I'm about done adding on. North of the shop there is a power line in the way. West the roof pitch is now down to eight feet. South the grade falls away fairly rapidly, and to the east there's a caboose and the broom loom and sock room green woodworking porch. And, after the last add-on I'm still getting a little lost trying to find my way around. Tools are always in another room. Need more tools. More tools.

That being said, I think I have room to add a shed roof to the north of the foundry room to cover my furnace location.

Thanks for the visit!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Got the ramp finished up today. It's solid, and the Son in Law will do final cleanup and grading. He's talking about pouring a concrete landing at the base but it will have a smooth transition as is.

Decided to use the wall section I removed to install the 12x12 door as a roof over the foundry furnace area. A sudden thunderstorm during a melt could be disastrous. The wall section is still laying out front waiting to be disassembled. I measured out and set stakes today. About 12" of fall so I'll just fill that to get a flat floor. And I'll have to move the old yellow baler.

The corner of the roof will miss the power line centerline by five feet. That's their requirement. The caboose misses, but the carport to the right of the rusty roof tool shed is right under the power line and has been since 1962. The power company doesn't like it but they have not asked me to move it either. The brick furnace is under the trash can.

I finally unpacked my new plasma cutter (had it for six months or more) to cut the bottom of my new stainless steel crucible from the piece of 1/4" 304 plate I got from the refractory company.

WOW! I heard they were good, but I made a great cut on the first try (scrap carbon steel). I should have made a guide to cut a smoother circle but it will work. The actual cut line is a little hard to see.

Yes, I have a cart to put it on when I get around to assembling it.

Also took the flare off the burner to test fit it into the burner tile. I was concerned I may have made the hole too small and was going to have to grind for hours to get it opened up. Especially if it had shrank during cure. However it fits great with a very small gap.

I tried to get a picture of the gap but it didn't show up. Now I'm a bit concerned the steel pipe may expand quicker that the refractory and split it. If so I'll make a new one.

I think I've got shop time tomorrow! But I've got some broom needles to make and a broom to make and ship. Progress suffers.

Thanks for looking in!

 

[Craptain]

]

I think I've got shop time tomorrow! But I've got some broom needles to make and a broom to make and ship. Progress suffers.

Thanks for looking in!

Think you have shop time?

That sounds exactly like shop time to me. Even though it is not on your latest projects.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, done well on the ramp They make life just that little easier, our neighbour had one installed some time back and it has been the best thing since sliced bread..

Great to see that you are making good use of your plasma..

Cheers

 

[dlcwent]

Andy, glad to hear you like your plasma cutter first time out. I'm starting to look for one and am still unsure of what to look for. Any advise?

 

[oldironfarmer]

Think you have shop time?

That sounds exactly like shop time to me. Even though it is not on your latest projects.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

Ummm.... I think you've got a point there

Andy, done well on the ramp They make life just that little easier, our neighbour had one installed some time back and it has been the best thing since sliced bread..

Great to see that you are making good use of your plasma..

Cheers

Ramps are easy to build, making them solid without digging holes in the ground, a little more thought. The surprising thing is how stupid long they get to meet the requirements. I built a concrete one at our house for Sharon's cousin so now she needs it. I built what looked good and it's not. It is too steep. She navigates it, but it really needs to be extended for ease of use.

Can't believe I had the plasma for so long and never opened it. Where does the time go?

Andy, glad to hear you like your plasma cutter first time out. I'm starting to look for one and am still unsure of what to look for. Any advise?

I'm no expert. I decided I wanted a bit better than HF and bought one from Eastwood on sale (their sales are like HF). Everything fit and went together. I was tired so I sat down and read the manual before starting. Kind of like reading the manual on a cracker box welder. "keep all combustibles 35 ft away". The manual was pretty good English, and I judge those things. Model was tough choice, I sometimes cut 3/4", usually 1/4" with a smattering of 1/2" so I went with the 7/8" capacity. That's probably a lie, it will cut more raggedly. I'm seeing my acetylene torch set sitting there eyeing the plasma and TIG units getting jealous. Thinking I'm going to zip tie the cutting torch hose to avoid late night antics.

Thanks for the visits guys!

 

[Bob Heine]

WOW! I heard they were good, but I made a great cut on the first try (scrap carbon steel).

Yes, I have a cart to put it on when I get around to assembling it.

I probably should stick to single comments but this post was full of good stuff. I see an air tank behind the plasma cutter. Is that your air source? Seems like a great idea for smaller projects and the tank could be mounted on the cart you are assembling. Even when you have the polished copper air delivery system hooked up that tank could work as an accumulator to deliver a steady air stream with pressure adjusted at the tank instead of the compressor or the wall.

I tried to get a picture of the gap but it didn't show up. Now I'm a bit concerned the steel pipe may expand quicker that the refractory and split it. If so I'll make a new one.

On the burner flare, is it possible to turn down the steel pipe enough to get a thin layer of thermal blanket wrapped around it? At least enough to compensate for the coefficient of expansion issue?

Andy, as a fiction and fake news writer, I don't really understand what I just wrote but it sounded pretty engineery to me.

I totally destroyed the pump on my last compressor but I couldn't bring myself to throw out the tank. With a couple of fittings I turned it into an accumulator that adds 25-gallons to the 60-gallon compressor tank and even helps as a final stage dryer for my portable sandblasting station.

 

[BUGTHUG]

You need to make shure the air is dry, almost like sand blasting. If any foreign substance gets into the tip it plays havoc on it, and the cuts are really splotchy!
If everything is working right, they are the best thing to have around.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, as a fiction and fake news writer, I don't really understand what I just wrote but it sounded pretty engineery to me.

I found your comments to be thoughtful and imaginative. I hate that. It makes me have to think. I looked at the picture and the air hose is absolutely not visible in that photograph. I plumbed it into my air system by putting a male adapter on the unit and then coupled my quick disconnect I use at the front of the shop to do most my air tool and tire work. I need to install a tee to leave the plasma hooked up full time. I think it uses way too much air for a portable tank. Including an after purge which lasts several seconds.

I could turn the burner pipe down, thanks for the idea. I need to just look up the numbers first to see for sure that the steel expands faster than the refractory.

I totally destroyed the pump on my last compressor but I couldn't bring myself to throw out the tank. With a couple of fittings I turned it into an accumulator that adds 25-gallons to the 60-gallon compressor tank and even helps as a final stage dryer for my portable sandblasting station.

I can't imagine throwing out a perfectly good tank. When I got into the Victorian gingerbread manufacturing and installation business I installed several pieces using an air nailer and a portable tank. The tank in the picture, in fact. I've had it for many years and the gauge has glazing and still works.

You need to make sure the air is dry, almost like sand blasting. If any foreign substance gets into the tip it plays havoc on it, and the cuts are really splotchy!
If everything is working right, they are the best thing to have around.

My air should be dry. There is about 100 ft of copper tubing between the compressor and this tap with three dropout legs on the way. And the tap has a filter regulator. I'm looking forward to using it again!

Thanks for stopping in, everyone!!

 

[BBChevro]

I'm still watching (it's still interesting - I'll let you know if it gets boring ).

 

[oldironfarmer]

Productive day today. First I rebuilt my brick furnace using an inner layer of the insulating firebrick. Goal was to get the burner tile close to 2,000F to finish dryout on it.

You can see the dark hole in the burner tile through the vent in the furnace. Burner tube is visible lower right.

Here it is after it was good-n-hot.

After a half hour it was getting hard to see the hole.

While the tile was cooking I decided to dig holes for the wall turned roof panel. Was afraid the rock would be shallow. But it wasn't, I easily got 24" deep holes in all but one. I chipped 10" into solid rock in that one and decided that was enough.

It's the near hole. Burner has been disconnected and the brick slid together to maximize cool down time. I salvaged the posts from a barn I had built on a lease farm, gave up the lease, high winds blew the barn down. Owner let me salvage the timbers. Used some for these posts, and for the posts on the ADA ramp.

Got all the posts in without incident or splinters. This is a picture from the same view posted earlier.

I seldom concrete any posts in. It encourages rot. And all the concrete does is increase the effective size of the post to make contact with virgin soil adjacent to the post. Pouring concrete in a hole does not compact the soil around the hole, so the support for the pole is dependent on how the soil next to it is compacted. I believe in putting the post in and tamping the fill in small lifts. I like to put all the soil back in. That makes for a steady post. Posts set.

Here's the southwest post. 24" deep, the excavated soil is in the pile.

And here it is with over half the soil back in the hole. If you start compacting deep and add only a little at a time you can get the soil very compacted. And, of course, it spreads out and compacts adjacent soil.

And here it is with all the soil put back in.

I like to double check plumb with the "sliver of light" method. It is very accurate for determining whether the new work is plumb.

Thanks for the time!!

 

[tjdux]

Thats how my Dad and I did pots on the farm my whole life. I remember Dad handing me the tamper (1/4 thick by 1 inch steel bar with about 1ft of 1x1 inch solid bar at thr bottom) ans asked if i could lift it... It wasn't too heavy but after about 30 mins of beating soilbit sure got heavy...


Check out my garage progress http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352703

 

[oldironfarmer]

I'm still watching (it's still interesting - I'll let you know if it gets boring ).

Thank you! I guess if I'd used an auger today it could have been classified as boring.

Thats how my Dad and I did posts on the farm my whole life. I remember Dad handing me the tamper (1/4 thick by 1 inch steel bar with about 1ft of 1x1 inch solid bar at thr bottom) ans asked if i could lift it... It wasn't too heavy but after about 30 mins of beating soilbit sure got heavy...


Check out my garage progress http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352703

Well, you didn't do posts that way your whole life, yet. Bar I was using today is 7/8" about five ft long. My favorite is 1-1/4" with point one end and blade the other. It tamps well. It's blacksmith made (not me) and has a U in the middle for a handle.

Thanks for looking in!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Sliver of light method of determining whether two things are parallel.

I ran to town mid afternoon and got some 2x6's so now the frame is ready for the roof. Son in Law stopped by late in the day and promised to bring his backhoe (portable crane) over tomorrow.

All in all I was pleased with progress today: burner tile is cured, furnace shelter is ready for the roof.

I plan to fill so the area under the roof is almost level. I should have done that before putting 2x6's on the posts but I was eager. Bob can just throw it in from the sides. I may walk the fill in with the show truck.

Thanks for stopping by, Cokes are still just a dime!!

 

[Rex_A_Lott]

The plasma really shines on thin metal, and of course, non-ferrous stuff. However, anything over about a 1/2" mild steel, your cutting torch will actually do a better job.Since you now have both, its just a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. More decisions.
Enjoying the posts on the forge, and the black smithing stuff. Learning something every day.
Happy Saturday!

 

[jimreed2160]

Andy, adding on again? Now Google Earth is out of date. Time for another flyover.

 

[dchance]

Andy glad you explained the sliver of light. Makes sense just had never thought about.

Dwight

 

[oldironfarmer]

The plasma really shines on thin metal, and of course, non-ferrous stuff. However, anything over about a 1/2" mild steel, your cutting torch will actually do a better job.Since you now have both, its just a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. More decisions.
Enjoying the posts on the forge, and the black smithing stuff. Learning something every day.
Happy Saturday!

Thanks for the advice on plasma. I'm hoping I can use it for demolition, as in cutting aluminum castings apart to put them in the furnace. A clean cut is not a criteria in demolition.

It sure cut the 1/4" SS like a charm. Then yesterday I had a call from a guy in my development who has decided to sell and move to Houston where he is working. He had some 20" pipe, 14", and 12" to make smokers out of. He wanted to sell them to me so I agreed if he delivered. He also had most of a sheet of 1/4" plate and some 4" schedule 40 SS pipe (he thinks is 316, a superior grade) he didn't mention. So I gave him a little extra for all he had. Now I've got pipe for four more crucibles.

I did have a really good Saturday! Hope you did too!!

Andy, adding on again? Now Google Earth is out of date. Time for another flyover.

Funny how much I like building. Even this little roof got me to going. And I repurposed a big piece of scrap I was needing to get rid of.

Andy glad you explained the sliver of light. Makes sense just had never thought about.

Dwight

I kind of made up that name. I'm sure lots of people have used the technique for many years. After you think about it you enjoy seeing how vertical (and not) big buildings are. And, even a building a quarter mile away, you can estimate the out of plumb accurately by comparing it with things like the windows in the building.

Thanks for the comments!

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy: not sure your wood in dirt theory would work up here in the PNW where I think we get a few more rainy days, but i like how you made that post solid. i also like your SLIVER OF LIGHT METHOD of truing things up especially once you have one PLUMB. nice looking carport or lien too or whatever you call it.

best of luck working on and designing all this foundry stuff and i'm very interested in it even if i don't fully understand everything you and others are saying.

cheers and hope you enjoyed your SATURDAY and maybe a Sunday rest day is in order now.

take care

 

[oldironfarmer]

Went out early and there was no wind. Often the wind dies down overnight. Supposed to be very windy today, so I texted my Son in Law and told him "no wind, set the roof?". He was over in a flash. The old wall section still has a 5x5 column attached but it is off center so I stuck my spreader bar under it to rig to.

I thought we'd have to carry it with the back bucket but he insisted on trying the front bucket (more control for traveling) and we had about an inch to spare.

Slow and easy

Got it set down and switched to the back bucket for pick and set. My woodcutter was working just across the fence and came over to help. I had not asked him. The wind started coming up so it was really good to have another ground hand.

Went on without a hitch. And it fit. It is 12 inches away from the building to let fumes escape and if there is a fire it will go up instead of in the building.

Feels really good to have s shelter. Still need to buy some outside corner to finish off the edges and not all the purlins are tied down.

Bob put on his four way bucket. The front of the bucket lifts so it dumps out the back so I can stick it under the roof and dump by only lifting the teeth a little.

Put the dirt in and had a visitor wanting to fix his valve body on a big Massey Ferguson tractor. Nice guy, so we spent two hours taking it apart, figuring out what was wrong, fixing it, and putting it back together. (the end of one valve spool had been broken and rewelded before he bought it, and he's had it many years, a little grinding on the weld provided clearance for the operating lever to not bind)

Smoothed the dirt fill and walked it down with the show truck. It's got the least height of anything I have.

And, the extreme visibility is a real plus in tight quarters!

And we have a floor! It's raked down and close to level so when the fill settles we'll have a little grade away from the building. It may take some additional fill but it is ready to use now! (and the wind has howled all day)

A really good Saturday!! I may have to melt a little aluminum tomorrow to get my fix and then finish the roof on Saturday.

Thanks for looking in!

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy: not sure your wood in dirt theory would work up here in the PNW where I think we get a few more rainy days, but i like how you made that post solid. i also like your SLIVER OF LIGHT METHOD of truing things up especially once you have one PLUMB. nice looking carport or lien too or whatever you call it.

best of luck working on and designing all this foundry stuff and i'm very interested in it even if i don't fully understand everything you and others are saying.

cheers and hope you enjoyed your SATURDAY and maybe a Sunday rest day is in order now.

take care

Thanks for stopping in Drives! Each post gets plumed. The sliver of light is just a double check.

Posts are 2 feet in the ground, and three feet after the fill for the outside posts. However the important thing is that all four posts are tied together. I still have more bracing to do to stead everything up but it feels solid now.

I hope to rest watching some aluminum melt tomorrow

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, you are really kicking goals..

Noting that you still have not fixed the starter peddle rubber boot on the Show Truck yet..

Regards

 

[ajohno]

Doing a great job Andy.

 

[Boosted1]

You can get inline filter / dryer for the plasma that attaches right to hose end before going in the machine itself.
I got one from CyberWeld.
Enjoying the updates.