Quirky Turn Mill Build

[Robin Hewitt]

You can cast iron? Gasp! How do I get you on my buddy list?

[Jonathan]

Er, isn't that just aluminium - 'the metal looks dirty' probably explains why it looks less like aluminium and more like iron?
Looking forward to seeing the rest of this machine in any case.

[vtcnc]

Er, isn't that just aluminium - 'the metal looks dirty' probably explains why it looks less like aluminium and more like iron?
Looking forward to seeing the rest of this machine in any case.

Sorry, yes, just aluminum so far, though I have gathered everything needed to cast iron, if I build a new furnace, and would very much like to.

Once I was testing some clay refractory samples I'd made up, and also some real charcoal I'd made (as opposed to barbecue briquets), and just for the heck of it, I stuck a foot long piece of 1/2" rebar (concrete reinforcing rod) into the top of my aluminum melting furnace through the vent. I was running pretty good heat , because after about 10 minutes the bar started to rapidly sink down into the furnace! I stopped the blower, and pulled the bar out because I didn't really want a pool of molten steel in the bottom!

Later when I opened it up there was a nice big iron nodule. So I'm sure it can be done with wood charcoal, as it was historically.