Rusty furnace....Use as is?

[rbertalotto]

A very generous fellow on this forum sent me a used furnace for price of shipping.......THANKS!

But it is quite rusty inside. Should this rust be removed, or just use it as is. Is the rust good, bad or indifferent to the casting mix?

[gray wolf]

If the rust is loose and flakes off then use some sort of wire brush. I use the small wire brush that is for a wood stove door, the one that is for the small channel that the gasket goes in. It is about 7/8 in diameter and 1 1/2 inches long on a nice little handle. It works well and gets the job done. turn the pot over and shake out the loose stuff.
Boiling water run through the pot ( pot not plug in ) while working he valve.
Dry the pot and spray with WD 40 or similar. Any remaining rust should let go and float with the dross as you use the pot. Flux with saw dust and your pot will stay nice and clean.
When done casting leave about 1 or 2 inches of lead in the pot, cool the pot and lightly spray lube the inside if you are in a damp climate.
Many ways to do this, now you know one of them.
Hope it helps.

Sam

[Le Loup Solitaire]

It won't actually hurt anything, If it is flaking off and gets into the melt it can just be skimmed off when you flux and clean off the dross. You can, when the pot is empty and cool, wire brush the rust out so things look (and are) cleaner. Eventually after a few rounds of the above, the problem will no longer be an issue. As for the outside of the unit, the same wire brushing followed by a coat or two of Rustoleum BBQ/stove black-high heat 1200 degree..available at Walmart or any hardware outlet, will make things look really good. LLS

[rbertalotto]

Thanks!

Now I just need to find a source for the power cord so I can see if it works........

[man.electric]

Thanks!

Now I just need to find a source for the power cord so I can see if it works........

Look around your house and find a broken gizmo to steal a donor cord from. Every appliance we toss out has the cord removed beforehand because I use them for test cords or use them to repair projects like this.

[rbertalotto]

I'm with you on that. All cord, wire, connectors are always removed and put into the "might Need" box........

But this furnace uses a plug in type cord that I'd like to replace

[scrapcan]

Go to the goodwill or flea markets and look at old cofee pots or kitchen applianes. The two prong plug in is a pretty common thing during the 50's and 60's. You might get lucky.

But also remember that just because the original cord had a disconnect typ cord does not mean the new cord has to be.

If you have an appliance repair shop in your area you might stop there also, they all have junk boxes too.

[rbertalotto]

All I had was the pot.........no valve, no stand, no cord, no nothing!

I disassembled the heat control rheostat and sandblasted the interior of the pot. Came out looking brand new!

I made up a cord by soldering a couple of spade lugs backwards on an AC cord and wrapping them in heat shrink tubing.........

Upon plugging the furnace in, IT WORKED!

Next I built a stand out of two pieces of aluminum rod with holes drilled and threaded the ends for 1/4-20 bolts.

http://images51.fotki.com/v424/photos/2/36012/9755963/P1020608-vi.jpg

A piece of aluminum and two pieces of aluminum angle iron formed the base....

http://images110.fotki.com/v606/photos/2/36012/9755963/P1020612-vi.jpg

The valve was made from scrap. First a piece of steel rod was turned on the lathe and a point turned on the end. A mechanism for opening and closing was fabricated and a piece of wood dowel was used for the handle.

http://images47.fotki.com/v1455/photos/2/36012/9755963/P1020609-vi.jpg

The whole project turned out great! It works perfectly.......

[williamwaco]

There are several rust removal products you can buy at a hardware store, paint store, Lowes, or Home Depot.

The one I use is called CLR ( the same one you have seen advertised on late night TV.) It is inexpensive, easy to use, and YES, it works just as well as the commercials say it does.

I removed a heavy coat of rust from an old Lyman Ingot mold just this afternoon with about 20 sprays and an old tooth brush. Took less than ten minutes. It was clean, black and almost shiny. NOTE. This stuff leaves the iron clean, de-greased, AND WET. Dry it immediately and spray it with something to prevent it from rusting or it will re-rust immediately. ( I use WD-40. )

I am NOT saying you must clean it but it seems to be bothering you. If I had it, I would clean it. In fact, I clean mine about twice a year.

[wv109323]

Looks great. Since you seem to be quite handy you may need to make some type of mold guide that centers the mould directly below the pour spout and takes the weight of the mold. Lyman makes such for that very furnace and I like mine..
The problem with Lyman's is that it allows only one width of molds to fit "in the channel". I would make it for my widest mould ( in my case a H&G) and have inserts that could be inserted in the channel for narrower moulds.

[varmintpopper]

It would help the pouring process if you could build and install an adjustable stop for the pour handle
to keep it from lifting to high. it only needs to be lifted a small amount to get a good flow thru the pour spout.

Good Shooting

Lindy

[rbertalotto]

some type of mold guide

Yup, I'm working on that today.........


adjustable stop for the pour handle
Ditto!