The new Tilt Furnace will be used exclusively for pouring Cast Iron. It will utilize a #30 Clay Graphite crucible capable of holding up to 38Kg (85 lb) of Iron. Due to its capacity, it would be impossible for one man to handle without specialist lifting gear if it had to be removed from a standard type furnace to pour. I believe even two men would experience difficulty if it had to be poured by hand. The tilt furnace, although more difficult to manufacture will make this a simple one man show.
Basic arrangement for my proposed cast iron tilt furnace
Front view of the new tilt furnace. Everything has just been tacked onto the furnace drum and mounted to the support frame to see how the whole thing looks. Sitting on the frame is the brake winch I'll use to tilt the furnace. The winch support post hasn't been attached just yet. I've designed this furnace to mount #25, #40 and a number #50 size crucibles. The furnace has been primarily designed to melt cast iron but as the crucible can be easily removed bronze can also be dealt with. The castable thickness will be around 100mm (4") with a 30mm layer of kao-wool against the barrel. I've redesigned the furnace and rolled a new barrel to give a combustion space in the bottom, this makes the whole show quite a bit longer from that shown in the drawing above.
Side view showing the quadrant plate to keep the torque arm constant for the winch lift.
Other side showing the burner inlet around 200mm diameter (8"). Note its just sitting on the support frame, not in its actual location. The hole in the side of the furnace is still to be cut, a job for tomorrow. The burner I've decided on will be a waste oil type with my own twist! The design is now complete and I'm very happy with the concept, I'll post details if it works as well as I think it will, fingers crossed.