My hotplate "oven" for molds

[rondog]

I've mentioned this a few times, finally took some photos. This is the "oven" I made for heating molds on my hot plate, works very well.

Buy a 4" junction box at Lowes or Home Depot. Get one like this that has two ends spot welded on. Make sure you get one that has both screws, seems some yahoos like to remove those things or they fall out in the store.







Remove one end, the welds are easy to defeat with pliers or a Dremel.



You need a cover plate for it too.



Assemble and put it on the hot plate with the cover plate as the bottom and git after it. It works great for heating molds and ingots, I can put two 2-cavity molds in it. I also put my dipping ladle in it to keep it hot when I'm melting more ingots or cleaning the melt in the pot.

[OS OK]

Nice work there, simple and about as good as it gets.
That's considered a deep box, bet you I have used 5,000 of them in the past 50 years!

Say, come to think of it...you can turn that other burner on too and warm those handles for a cold winter's casting! ...

[ArrowJ]

Doing this. Great idea, thanks!

[Walter Laich]

great way to use non-casting 'stuff'

I enjoy seeing what members can come up with

[bangerjim]

Simple & good idea.

I guess I do not cast in a wind tunnel and have never needed to cover my molds when they are setting on my 1500 watt lab hotplate. Lower wattages probably need some help in cold/windy climates. Not here in AZ.

banger

[Zthomps]

I'm gonna try this but instead I'm going to cut scrape off the old dryer frame I have that I took the motor out to make my wet tumbler then weld the pieces together thanks for the idea of an oven

[dead dog]

The box looks like it is galvanized if you get to hot green smoke will come of it. It is not good if you breath it.

[340six]

The box looks like it is galvanized if you get to hot green smoke will come of it. It is not good if you breath it.

Yes they are covered in zinc

[JeffG]

Nice idea

[minmax]

I like the warm handle idea, too bad my hot plate only has one burner.

[Bookworm]

Great idea. Stopped by the hardware store store yesterday, made one myself. I used it to preheat and preseason a new mold I'll be using this weekend.
I was thinking of a way to make a cover for my hotplate, considering cutting a food-can in two length-wise, but this was almost as cheap, and gives a heated top shelf also.

[mold maker]

They're also made in a deep configuration for use with molds with HP pins.

[mjwcaster]

I seem to collect kitchen utensils/pots/pans.

My warming oven is a small metal cake pan that I cut and bent one end open.

Put a small cookie sheet over the second burner of the Coleman, with this on top.
Enough room for 2 six cavity molds.

Makes a huge difference.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[solderboy]

that is a very good idea

[Greg S]

Thanks for the post. I'd like to get a three swith box like that.

[762sultan]

I have made one just like this and it works very well. I went to Home Depot and found a thermometer that was designed for a BBQ grill and installed it on the top of the junction box. This allows me to have a fairly good idea of the inside temp. When it gets to about 375-400 I am ready to cast. I also use a mould that has been drilled for a probe and can keep an eye on mould temp while in use.

[1988-4551]

Neat but also using a one hot plate set up. Keeping an eye out for my next one at the local garage sales and thrift stores.

[BigEyeBob]

I use one of those Danish butter biscuit (cookie for the US readers ) tins upside down ,fits the electric hotplate perfectly around the outside diameter , I just cut a hole in the side so I can poke the mould (mold for the US readers) ) in and sit it on the element. I was thinking of insulating it with that fibre/fiberglass lagging used to wrap exhaust pipe etc.

[daloper]

I saw your oven and made one for myself. Instead of using the cover, I scrounged a piece of copper plate that is 4" wide and 1/4" thick. Transfers the heat nicely and the zinc does not come in contact with the hot plate coil. Thanks for the idea. My brother saw it and wants one for himself.