[TheForge] forge/foundry

[Stephen McGehee]

Chris
People have been using a coal fire to heat crucibles for a long time, =
but I think that your heats would be so much quicker and cleaner if you =
build a small crucible furnace.  I have built them, out of soft =
firebrick(7) that get the brass ready to pour in about 17 minutes from a =
cold start.  You also put less thermal stress on the delicate crucibles. =
 I personally like to have a dedicated area of the shop for my casting =
so I can do it over a sand covered floor and have my moulds right there. =
 I am tall, so is my forge, and raising a glowing crucible from out of =
my fire and pouring on the forge would be somewhat awkward(for me)  I =
believe that the famous BAM "pacifiers" were cast with the heat of a =
coal forge.  So yes, you can, but my setup lets me err toward safety.  =
10 pounds of molten bronze is a totally different experience than a =
chunk of steel the same temp.


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