Gasoline fired coffee can foundry I'd determined that it was time for me to build a miniature foundry for

indoor use (only

for making small castings from already clean ingots). This can be used on a workbench or... Hey! I can melt metal in my bedroom on nights when I can't sleep (definitely joking)! -June/20/2005

Here is the finished tin can furnace (a.k.a. coffee can furnace). I built a welded steel framework to hold the furnace and the burner for table top use.

The refractory was rammed into place just like any regular furnace. The can is 6" diameter and actually came with pineapple slices in it. o it!s not technically a coffee can furnace. "ut it!s the same si#e as the large coffee cans and "coffee can furnace" is easier to say than "pineapple slices can furnace." $ctually the lid is cut from a second can so this is really %&%'( cans. The lid is )" thick but for a furnace this small it seems out of proportion so maybe %&%') or %" would ha*e been better.

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This is the gasoline filled blowtorch I!m using to heat the furnace. I bought it on +bay for ,)- or something. It seems to be a modern *ersion of the anti.ue torches. They are still manufactured in /hina and other countries where propane is not commonly a*ailable. The pump pressuri#es the gasoline and also works as a safety pressure release *al*e. I use this torch for a *ariety of jobs (soldering copper pipe0 heating and bending steel0 etc.). It!s much cheaper to use than the disposable propane cylinders and puts out 12/H more heat. I e*en use it to heat rusty bolts when restoring my anti.ue metal lathes (but that!s a future webpage). The only drawback of these torches is that you ha*e to heat them up to initially *apori#e the gasoline in the burner head passages. I do this by pouring rubbing alcohol into the fuel tray and igniting it. $lcohol burns cleanly with no smoke nor soot. 3%4 works best but 5-4 rubbing alcholol works also but is harder to ignite and lea*es a little water in the tray. $s the amount of alcohol in the tray decreases it begins to boil and the flame really grows as shown in the photo.

Here is another blowtorch that I ha*e. This one is designed to burn kerosine. I had this burner brought in from $ustralia. This torch is possibly anti.ue0 and it was made in weaden. I don!t use it though because it doesn!t ha*e a pressure relief *al*e. "ut the fuel *apori#ing assembly in the torch head is interesting (a tubular ring that the flame passes through). I didn!t ha*e kerosine so this flame is actually from a mi6ture of home heating oil thinned with gasoline. The leather pump piston was shot when I recei*ed it so I had to replace it with a scrap of leather. It was probably fake leather "naugahide" or whate*er it!s called0 and howe*er you spell it. It!s still bad and I can barely pressuri#e the fuel tank with it.

The blowtorch flame does heat this unit but melting is still slow.

Page contents copyright 2005 by L. Oliver II www.BackyardMetalcasting.com

The lid raises up and back remaining hori#ontal for safety. 7anna see more mini furnace pictures8 /heck out 9ene:s page in the guest pages;