Online Catalogue last updated 17th of September 2023
Dave says beginners should "cut their teeth" melting and casting aluminium before trying "hot stuff". An excellent simple, low cost furnace for this is the charcoal furnace described in one of Dave's earlier books.
Once experienced, you'll want to pour larger quantities of aluminium than the charcoal foundry can provide, alloys with higher melting points such as brass, and eventually cast iron. You'll also want to use a more convenient and lower-cost fuel. The gas fired crucible furnace is exactly what you need.
Here you can melt up to 20 pounds of cast iron in a crucible. When the melt is ready to pour, both the top and body of the furnace raise up so that you can grasp the white hot crucible from the sides making the crucible easier and safer to control than if you had to use tongs to lift the crucible straight up as is done with other furnaces.
Although charcoal is widely available, it is messy and somewhat expensive. Gas is low-cost and clean, but requires a more complicated burner. Dave will show you all the tricks, including how to build the centrifugal blower, so that you get a hot efficient and quiet gas burner.
You get wall-to-wall how to, the detailed information that Dave is famous for. Six chapters cover basic design, building the furnace body, building the frame, building the burner, crucible and tongs, and operating the furnace. You get photographs, drawings and proven techniques.
You get the standard Gingery quality. You can pour your own cast iron castings, quickly and safely adding a whole new dimension to your machine shop.
Code No. 004879, ISBN 9781878087447