shaggist
04-12-2010, 06:11 PM
How many of you use the old time Plumber's Lead Furnace. Many of these were made, primarily by Clayton and Lambert, for use by plumbers to join cast iron waste pipe. These furnaces used 'white gas', but will work with today's Regular Unleaded or Coleman fuel (if you have a lot of money to spend). They will melt 40 lbs of WWs for cleaning, fluxing, and pouring ingots in about 5 minutes. They are dangerous, make alot of noise, and work better than anything on the market today. The Perfect Caster's Toy!
HOW TO LIGHT A PLUMBER'S LEAD FURNACE
NEVER LIGHT THE FURNACE INDOORS
ALWAYS USE IT ON A LEVEL SURFACE
ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER AT HAND
IF A FIRE STARTS, TURN OFF BIG GAS VALVE ASAP
DON'T DRINK AND MELT
1. Clean out the tank of any old gas.
2. Check the leather washer in the air pump to make sure it is soft and flexible. Lubricate with some vaseline to get a good seal. Don't fold it when re-inserting.
3. Pump the empty tank to pressurize to check that the gas feed lines aren't stopped up with old gas. Open the primary valve(large handle) with the gas feed valve(small handle) closed and apply soapy water to each pipe joint to check for leaks(the soap mix will bubble). If any leaks are found, tighten joints to stop them, as they will cause a disaster if you try to run the furnace with a leak anywhere.
4. With no leaks, fill about 3/4 full of unleaded regular gas or Colemen fuel, and, with both valves closed, pressurize the tank to a medium level(judge by how hard it is to pump the air handle).
5. Open the big valve and CHECK FOR LEAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. If none, either pour some denatured alcohol in the warmer cup under the heater coil inside the windshield, or open the little valve slightly to dribble some gas into the warmer cup. Close the little valve and light the fuel in the warmer cup.
7. When the flame has almost died out, open the little valve slightly and the burner should light. It will pulse and roar. If your underdrawers are still clean, proceed. When the roar has settled down, adjust the flame so that it is not above the burner top, so that it won't blow itself out. When the flame is steady, put the crucible on the burner and start adding lead.
NEVER OPERATE THIS MACHINE WITHOUT ALL THE PRECAUTIONS THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
IT CAN BLOW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOW TO LIGHT A PLUMBER'S LEAD FURNACE
NEVER LIGHT THE FURNACE INDOORS
ALWAYS USE IT ON A LEVEL SURFACE
ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER AT HAND
IF A FIRE STARTS, TURN OFF BIG GAS VALVE ASAP
DON'T DRINK AND MELT
1. Clean out the tank of any old gas.
2. Check the leather washer in the air pump to make sure it is soft and flexible. Lubricate with some vaseline to get a good seal. Don't fold it when re-inserting.
3. Pump the empty tank to pressurize to check that the gas feed lines aren't stopped up with old gas. Open the primary valve(large handle) with the gas feed valve(small handle) closed and apply soapy water to each pipe joint to check for leaks(the soap mix will bubble). If any leaks are found, tighten joints to stop them, as they will cause a disaster if you try to run the furnace with a leak anywhere.
4. With no leaks, fill about 3/4 full of unleaded regular gas or Colemen fuel, and, with both valves closed, pressurize the tank to a medium level(judge by how hard it is to pump the air handle).
5. Open the big valve and CHECK FOR LEAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. If none, either pour some denatured alcohol in the warmer cup under the heater coil inside the windshield, or open the little valve slightly to dribble some gas into the warmer cup. Close the little valve and light the fuel in the warmer cup.
7. When the flame has almost died out, open the little valve slightly and the burner should light. It will pulse and roar. If your underdrawers are still clean, proceed. When the roar has settled down, adjust the flame so that it is not above the burner top, so that it won't blow itself out. When the flame is steady, put the crucible on the burner and start adding lead.
NEVER OPERATE THIS MACHINE WITHOUT ALL THE PRECAUTIONS THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
IT CAN BLOW UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!