1/15/04 - I've been using my partially completed 2 bucks furnace for the past couple of melts. I think I quit using the flowerpot furnace right around the new year's holiday. It works great; heats up fast and stays hot for a long time. I have finally found some more castable refractory cement and will make it a 2 bucks furnace this weekend.
OLD STUFF:
Mid-November 2003 - At this point I can't say that I have a "current furnace" because I'm still using my mostly-dead flowerpot furnace but switching over to my two-bucks furnace which isn't done yet. If that isn't confusing to you, you're probably a lot dumber than you look!
The flowerpot in my original furnace looks like a hand grenade went off inside it. However it is still holding it's shape and doing fine during melts. I'd like to quit using it so I can place my flowerpot furnace into the "Sutton Museum of Metalcasting" but right now it's still serving a purpose so there are no discharge papers yet.
I can use my "one buck" furnace the way it is but I want to make sure it's completely cured now. The other day when I started the process it hissed steam like a boiler so I got scared and shut everything down. I may try again this week to drive out all the water, but hopefully this is already done.
So you can see I have no real "current furnace". When my one-buck unit expands to a two-bucks one and I have a larger home made steel crucible, then I'll have my current furnace!
My first furnace
New 11/10/03
Stay tuned, I'll have a lot more up during the week.
