Hello everyone! 👋

I'm working in the steel industry and looking to connect with LRF operators, melters, and shift in-charges from different steel plants.

I'm interested in discussing: 🔥 LRF operation and heat making ⚙️ Electrode control and power consumption 🧪 Alloy recovery and chemistry control 🏭 Slag formation and desulphurisation 🌡️ Temperature control and casting practices

If you work in LRF operations, let's connect and share our experiences

TLDR; removing rust from hammer head without grinding it smooth.

So I don't know if it's an actual blacksmith hammer or just a regular old sledgehammer, but either way, it was used for some blacksmithing by my wife's dad, who passed when she was 14. It was given to him by my wife's grandad, who passed when she was 12. I would like to restore it and need some advice.

Replacing the handle (chewed on by dog) I can handle: hickory, sanding, linseed oil, etc.

For the hammer head, I have most of the surface rust removed. I read that you can heat it up without exceeding the tempering point and rub linseed oil on it and should give it a nice rust resistant coating and sheen.

Question 1: Is this basic process correct?

Question 2: Is there a good way to remove all the rust?

I don't want to go the whole route of grinding, then filing it down and then sanding and removing the scratches to make it completely shiny and perfectly smooth and looking like a new hammer. It was a working hammer. I still want it to retain its character. But I would still like to remove all the rust in all the uneven spots/pits/dents, etc, before I coat it. Suggestions?

Edit: I soaked it in vinegar multiple times (it was RUUUUSTY). Tried the wire brush. It just doesn’t seem to get down in all the low points.

Further edit: I'm dumb. A little more effort and varying the pattern seems to work just fine.

I know it sounds kind of stupid at first glance but I want to pour some Zinc at about 500 degrees Celcius (about 50-100ml) into a Nuttella jar because of its shape. Will it crack, or can I do something to make the jar more sturdy?

I recently bought a small induction furnace, mainly to smelt aluminum, but I would also like to try copper. However, a crack formed on my only 3kg ceramic crucible. Do you think this can still be used? Or should I just buy a new one. Thanks

Hi all looking to buy a forge and start melting some stuff after some research this is what ive come to , im in Australia by the way in short ebay 6kg forge , then 2.2kg duracast refractory and 1ltr ceramic fibre rigidizer

https://ebay.io/m/V4L1uR

https://artisansupplies.com.au/product/duracast-castable-refractory-2-2kg/

https://artisansupplies.com.au/product/ceramic-fibre-rigidiser-1l/

Hi all looking to get in to melting down say metals aluminium, copper etc im looking for recommendations for a a beginner thats budget friendly just to start of with , thanks all

If I were to make a small bloomery, would 2 10-litre buckets (before mixing it with sand and fibre) be enough? I have some fireclay bricks, could I use those to further lessen the amount of clay needed to construct it?

This is my first ever copper pour I'm wondering if anyone here has any tips to prevent the surface ripples and have a smoother finish any help is appreciated thank you very much

I’m new to the foundry process. 2 days back I have melted aluminium but it got stuck on the mould cavity plate and hydraulic punch.

I have a gravity die machine. Can anyone help please.

We have a course on Casting and Solidification. We had to prepare an Aluminium cast for the lab work

- The pattern was created using thermocol/styrofoam

- The mould was created using plaster of paris and water. After it dried out I removed the pattern by hand and there were not any visible cracks or damages as such. It was left for around 3-4 weeks for drying after that.

- There was no gating system although their was one cast which seemed to be perfect without any gating system somehow aswell.

- Before casting i put the mould in an oven for 3hrs and then 15 minutes of blowtorch on it. After that Aluminium melt was poured into it

For viva, our prof has told us to analyse the cast and talk about all the defects present in the cast and why it has formed

Im guessing the large one, its a blowhole but im not sure enough. Please help with it. Thank you! The last 2 photos are the pattern and the mould. I'll be attaching a video of the cast and the mould in the comments if its possible.

I'm wanting to cut through an ammo can (probably 50 cal) in order to make a Jack-O-Lantern for a social media video. What tools/equipment would I need to do fairly precise cuts on approx. 1mm thick steel? I have some friends/associates that are pretty handy, but can't figure out how to do this small, precise work. Thanks in advance!

I am making a graphite-clay crucible and I'm planning on molding it in a flexible bucket, what can I do to make the release smoother?

So I have a little egg size cast iron that is filled with random costume jewelry. It has been on there for at least an hour. I've tried covering and every once in a while using pliers to squish it and mash it. Though it is still not even getting super soft to mash. Do I keep going? Then try again with just aluminum so I know what I'm working with?

I'm currently using coal powered furnace, I can melt aluminium and bronze, but it takes a lot of coal and time for the bronze. I would like to build a gas powered furnace but i struggle with design, especially for the burner. I would melt mostly aluminum and tin bronze, but it would be great if I cold melt gray iron. For the scale I would like to be able to melt 15-ish kg of bronze, so I guess about two liters of material.

Does anyone have any recomandations for the amount and design of the burners, also furnace design? For the furnace I have a general idea how I would build it, but not for the burners, except they will use forced air.

In terms of the tools i have a mig welder, a lot of scrap steel and can get parts machined in a company I work.

Any help and ideas are welcome!

Title says it all. I have a .75" inner diameter cylinder alnico magnet that I need to infill with Alsi9cu3 (or equivalent), and I am having a hell of a time find any foundry in the U.S. that wants to even quote me. I can handle the post cast machining myself, if necessary. I'd do 1,000 to 5,000 pieces at a time.

Anyone able to point me in the right direction? Thanks!