How I store waste oil for my burner.

[100model]

I made a video showing how my waste oil is stored and how I use a compressor to force the waste oil to my burner. The advantage with this idea is the compressor is not running all the time. Most times I use 100kpa to 200kpa pressure.

 

[GreenTwin]

That is a nice fuel tank arrangement.

I run about 10 psi on my diesel tank, in order to get a consistent fuel flow at all times.

That is an excellent point about not using oxygen.
There is always that one person who is looking to build a better mouse trap, and they will do something like use oxygen.
I felt very fortunate about every warning I recieved from anyone, when I was learning how to cast metal.
Some folks can save your ass in a single sentence.

At one time, I did not have a pressure relief valve on my tank, since I use a pressure regulator dedicated for the fuel system.
The on guy on a casting forum had his pressure regulator fail, which put full pressure on his tank, and caused a fuel line failure, with lots of fuel spilled on the ground.
Seems like he also had a small inferno going there for a while, but diesel is very slow to burn on the ground.

I added a pressure relief valve on my tank, and it relieves at 30 psi.
I normally run the tank at 10 psi.

Our buddy "Chirpy" added a 2" ball valve, and a PVC funnel on the top of his tank, and when I get time, I am going to add that to mine too.
Trying to juggle a funnel and fill the tank can be difficult.
I will look for a picture of his tank with funnel.

.

 

[100model]

That is an excellent point about not using oxygen.
There is always that one person who is looking to build a better mouse trap, and they will do something like use oxygen.
I felt very fortunate about every warning I recieved from anyone, when I was learning how to cast metal.
Some folks can save your ass in a single sentence.

A long time ago another metal caster told me how he used pure oxygen instead of air in a propane fired crucible furnace. When he turned on the oxygen he said he heard the loudest bang he has ever heard so the only damage done was loss of some hearing, he was very lucky. Do not ever use oxygen with a burner that was never designed to use oxygen. Burning propane with air is a chemical reaction so if you swap air for oxygen it speeds up that reaction in a unpredictable way. I have spent a lifetime using torches with oxygen and have seen what happens when they are misused.

So I would recommend anyone thinking of using oxygen to spend a lot of time researching the pitfalls when using oxygen. I used oxygen with my cupola and never had any dramas using it. Before I used oxygen a lot of time was spent developing safety procedures so it was 100% safe to use. Do not take oxygen lightly.

 

[creast]

Hi LuckyGen
I have been following your Youtube channel for quite a while now and thoroughly enjoy your videos.
One question, when you remove the dross before pouring, is the tool you use regular steel or stainless?
Will it melt quickly when doing it?
Cheers
Rich

 

[100model]

One question, when you remove the dross before pouring, is the tool you use regular steel or stainless?
Will it melt quickly when doing it?

I use stainless steel and to prevent it from melting I dip it into a bucket of water after removing the dross because if I don't it gets very hot quickly. When I first started to melt iron it would get so hot a large piece would break off and fall into the crucible full of molten iron.

 

[GreenTwin]

I use a 3/8" thick round mild steel disk with holes in it as a skimmer.

It does not heat up fast enough to melt when skimming.

You can slam it onto something hard to break off the slag, or use a ball peen hammer.

The side handle is not necessary; I am not sure why I thought I needed that.

There is a solid steel rod at the end of the square tube.
The square tube itself would melt off if it were welded to the skimmer plate.

.

You can stir molten gray iron that is at pour temperature with a 1/2" steel rod, and if you stir for more than about 15 seconds, the end of the rod begins to melt off.
If you put that same 1/2" steel rod into the crucible by itself and try and melt it under the same conditions, it will not melt.
I think there is some chemical reaction taking place between the steel rod and the iron which causes it to melt.

Gray iron is generally poured in the 2,300 to 2,600 F range, per the Navy Foundry Manual.

Iron pyrometers are very expensive, and the tips don't last very long either.
Gray iron will start to give off sparkles flying into the air out the furnace lid opening, when you are at pour temperature.

You can also determine pour temperature of iron by how fluid it looks in the crucible, and by comparing the time it generally takes to bring iron to pour temperature in previous melts.

.

 

[creast]

I use stainless steel and to prevent it from melting I dip it into a bucket of water after removing the dross because if I don't it gets very hot quickly. When I first started to melt iron it would get so hot a large piece would break off and fall into the crucible full of molten iron.

Thanks for that information. I did wonder as I read somewhere that checking the pouring temperature can be done by dipping a steel rod and if it comes out with a pointed end from melting it's ready. Not sure if it's true and surely it's possibly changing the iron properties?

 

[100model]

checking the pouring temperature can be done by dipping a steel rod and if it comes out with a pointed end from melting it's ready. Not sure if it's true and surely it's possibly changing the iron properties?

The reason why it becomes pointed is because cast iron has a lot of free graphite and when a steel rod is plunged into the molten iron it will absorb that graphite and lower the melting point to cast iron level and become part of the cast iron melt. If you think the steel rod melted try this experiment, put the steel rod about 30mm-50mm above the crucible and wait for it to melt, it will take a long time to melt. When ferrosilicon has been added more graphite will come out and dissolve the steel rod a lot quicker. If you poke a steel rod in a cold melt it will stick to the steel rod and is not hot enough to pour. As for the small amount of steel changing the iron properties it is my experience that it does not change anything.

 

[creast]

The reason why it becomes pointed is because cast iron has a lot of free graphite and when a steel rod is plunged into the molten iron it will absorb that graphite and lower the melting point to cast iron level and become part of the cast iron melt. If you think the steel rod melted try this experiment, put the steel rod about 30mm-50mm above the crucible and wait for it to melt, it will take a long time to melt. When ferrosilicon has been added more graphite will come out and dissolve the steel rod a lot quicker. If you poke a steel rod in a cold melt it will stick to the steel rod and is not hot enough to pour. As for the small amount of steel changing the iron properties it is my experience that it does not change anything.

Thanks for that excellent explanation
Rich

 

[timo_gross]

The reason why it becomes pointed is because cast iron has a lot of free graphite and when a steel rod is plunged into the molten iron it will absorb that graphite and lower the melting point to cast iron level and become part of the cast iron melt. If you think the steel rod melted try this experiment, put the steel rod about 30mm-50mm above the crucible and wait for it to melt, it will take a long time to melt. When ferrosilicon has been added more graphite will come out and dissolve the steel rod a lot quicker. If you poke a steel rod in a cold melt it will stick to the steel rod and is not hot enough to pour. As for the small amount of steel changing the iron properties it is my experience that it does not change anything.

A colleague always said scrap dissolves in the iron melt. Similar to sugar in water. Melting point of water 0°C melting point of sugar 180ish °C. Dip sugar into water, see what happens.
A lot of metals dissolve in other metals, their single melting points are higher than the melting point of the mix.
Tin melting point 231.9°C, Lead 327.5°C and Solder 60/40 188°C

 

[abby]

Same problem with non-ferrous casting , steel tools will dissolve , even in aluminium.
A fireclay wash applied to the tools will prevent this.
I often wonder how many of the guys using tin cans or welded steel pipe as crucibles get by without a mishap.
Dan.

 

[GreenTwin]

Steel works pretty well as a crucible for aluminum, if it is thick enough.

I have used schedule 80 steel pipe for aluminum crucibles, and it does last a long time.
I stopped using it since many said the steel will contaminate the aluminum melt chemistry.

I never noticed problems with aluminum 356 melts in a steel crucible, but I use clay graphite crucibles exclusively now.

You have to pay attention to any non-metalic crucible though, with any metal, because eventually they either get too thin, or they may crack.

A sales guy once recommended a particular type of crucible that was very long lasting for use with aluminum, which is the carbon-bonded silicon carbide Morgan "HiMelt". The HiMelt is a very thick and robust crucible for aluminum.

I have seen people use silicon carbide crucibles to melt iron, but Morgan lists their clay graphite "Salamander-Super" (not to be confused with Morgan's other crucibles that may contain the name Salamander) as "ferrous-metal-rated", and rated for 2,900 F.
Morgan's silicon carbide crucibles are rated for non-ferrous metal only, and do not have the 2,900 F temperature rating.

.

 

[timo_gross]

The cruicible material should be choosen carefully. Wrong glas composition in a Platinum cruicible, after few seconds the bottom was gone. As I remember the cruicible cost 6000€, my class mate got into a little trouble and the colleagues were making fun of him long after that.
Luckily the cruicible maker did recycle the leftover, so no total loss.

 

[100model]

You can slam it onto something hard to break off the slag, or use a ball peen hammer.

That is exactly how I do it.