[TheForge] reclaiming copper and burn-out oven

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

this relates to my reclaiming copper. i have several large electric motors
that i need to disassemble and heat the motor core to 755 degs fahrenheit
and hold there for 12 hours.

basically, i need to build a temporary burn-out furnace.
i have found various primative plans on the internet.

using resources in have on hand my plans are as follows:

using the white porcelain frame from an sears kenmore propane dryer
for the outer shell i seal the inside with cold roofing tar.
the vapour barrier will be roofing felt paper.
use several battens of 23 inches wide ceiling fibreglass
insulation, to form a layer of 5 to 6 inches.
add a 1 to 2 inch layer of 8 lb density kaowool.
apply a coat of itc-100 to the kaowool to provide some stiffness.

the inner steel shell will be the original dryer drum held stationary.

the goal is create a near airtight shell for the burn out oven.

the oven burner will be a small reil type propane burner. just want to heat
the oven not forge or melt anything.

the afterburner i was looking at using a monster burner made from an
asymetrical pipe reducer and a short mig tip. the input to monster burner
would be the oven exhaust mixed with additional air to allow for near
complete combustion of hydrocarbons. the temperature in the afterburner
would need to be held close to 1500 degrees fahrenheit.

the purpose of the burn-out oven is to turn the varnish and insulating
materials in the motors to ash and anneal the copper windings to allow
for easy removal.

what i could use help with is controlling the temperature.
while i would prefer a non-electrical solution i am open
to electrical solutions.

forgive any errors in the above. today, 8 sept 2006, i had the 18 remaining
teeth removed. i am taking more pain killers at the moment. so i am official
toothless.

thank you

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>