Okay, all you electrical engineers... how 'bout a homebuilt induction smelter?

[Russel Nash]

Yeah, just look what you can do with an induction heater:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJnaLdFfqE

wrap some copper wire or some copper tubing (with water running through it) into a coil shape and then push electricity, I guess, through it at like 25,000 hertz.

The changing magnetic field causes something called eddy currents and steel (other magnetic, ferrous metals too) can begin to glow with heat.

[montana_charlie]

Are you wanting to make your alloy glow...so you can cast in the dark?
Is there something about the harvest moon that you don't like?
CM

[Ricochet]

Induction heating's based on electrical conduction, not magnetism, in the metal being heated. It works fine on nonferrous metals.

[Echo]

I would think the old Dutch Oven would light up nicely, too, so some sort of ceramic pot would be necessary, IMHO.

[woodsoup]

I think induction systems work best on ferrous metals, Lead might take a really large unit. And lots of $$$$$$$

[Bill*]

Why piddle with the small stuff? I've half finished my nuclear reactor core lead melter. Ohhh....almost forgot- please send me all your lead ingots everyone ( I'm gonna need a lot of shielding for this bad boy!!!) :mrgreen::mrgreen: ......Bill

[kodiak1]

Bill how far from 3 mile island are you?????????????????

LMAO Ken.

[Nazgul]

No, the question is "How far are we from Bill*?"

[Bill*]

Actually, as the crow flies, it is probably about 50 miles from here. BTW.... My oldest daughter was born March 28 1979--the day they had that "small problem":mrgreen:

[Russel Nash]

seriously guys...

I don't mean to have an induction dutch oven set on full power.

I guess there are ways of tuning them down so they don't heat up that much.

See even Sears sells induction cookers to be used on your counters:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyword=induction

[Echo]

My point about the dutch oven is that it, too, is metal, so the induction would heat the DO also. And maybe even shield the WW's inside. Therefore, need a ceramic pot.

[monadnock#5]

OK, try this on for size. When a high freq AC current passes through a coil, a magnetic field is generated. If something that will conduct electricity is placed within the coil, it will be heated in proportion to the square of the amperage times the electrical resistance of the conductor. Heat=Amperage squared X Resistance. The heat generated is concentrated at the surface. For deep heating, you have to play with the frequency of the current in the coil. 100 to 300 kHz works for surface hardening ferrous metals. For through heating, a range of 2 to 20 kHz should do the trick.

As I am a heat treater and not an electrician, I'll leave to someone else to make practical application of this information. :Fire:

[1hole]

It would take a very high power amplifer and a heavy power supply to feed it to induction melt lead at 10KZ or so. Meaning it would be quite expensive to make.

[pjh421]

How about wiring some second-hand stereo power amplifiers in series? Personally I'm just gonna stick to propane and the turkey fryer burner under my dutch oven.

Paul

[Dale53]

>>>Personally I'm just gonna stick to propane and the turkey fryer burner under my dutch oven.<<<


AMEN!!

I can do a couple of hundred pounds in an hour or so with my Dutch oven and Turkey Fryer. That is just dandy for me. It is inexpensive, efficient, and doesn't take an electrical engineer to run.

Good luck!

Dale53

[runfiverun]

this could be a feasible way to quickly heat treat your fininshed boolits though.
if you could just do the outer 64 th of an inch on a conveyer belt type of affair just put em in the left and catch them on the right and control knob for desired hardening.
heck even doing em to .001 over groove depth would have it's merits for an extremely maleable high vel rifle load.

[largecaliberman]

As Dale 53 said + For the amount of $$$$ you'll spend on the equipment just isn't worth it. Unless you happen to smelt tons of it on a weekly basis.