Suppliers for foundry accessories

This is a photo of an American made high pressure regulator and hose assembly. The typical regulators used for propane bbq grills will not work for the burner included with the Hobbymelter furnace kit.

A suitable regulator should be adjustable from 0-30 psi. Most burner run at about 10-20 psi. If you live at a high altitude the burner may be able to be run with the regulator at a mere 6 psi. While I recommend a proper propane regulator, some people have even used acetylene regulators successfully. Acetylene hoses however can be dissolved by propane gas which is corrosive to some rubbers, so use proper propane hose.

Sources for high pressure regulators and hoses are listed below;

• Cajun Shoppe (Item code W, request to upgrade hose to 10' hose)

• Propane regulators

Refractory is the heat resistant material which lines the inside of the furnace. It looks like concrete but contain special compounds that allow it to resist the effects of heat.

Refractory can be homemade from selected materials or it can be purchased. An example of a homemade refractory formula can be seen at the following page; homemade refractory. It is composed of powdered clay, sand, portland cement and a volcanic material called perlite. Unfortunetly the homemade variety is lower quality that the purchased type so I recommend purchasing it.

Sources for purchasing refractory are as follows;

• Budget casting supply This link takes you to the page for 2600° F. resistant refractory.
• Harbison Walker distributor Here is the website for the Kast-o-lite refractory manufacturer. I was able to find a somewhat local distribution center to buy it directly from the manufacturer.
• Krueger Pottery This place sell various types of clay in several sizes. If you can't find clay locally this place may be what you need.

Molding sand (a.k.a. greensand) is the material used to make the sand molds. It is a mixture of fine sand and clay. A webpage detailing mixing some at home is as follows; mixing your own molding sand.

An ultra fine (the finer the sand the smoother and more detilaed the castings) oil bonded sand called "Petro-bond" can be purchased from the following webpage;

• Petro bond from BCS.

Crucibles are the containers that hold the molten metal. Many hobbyists use steel crucibles made by welding a disk to the bottom of a section of steel pipe. Examples of this can be seen at the following pages; building steel crucibles. These work well. But for brass and bronze it is recommended that you use a refractory crucible. These are made of either a clay/graphite mixture or silicone/carbide. Crucibles come in a variety of sizes. The hobbymelter furnace can hold up to a #8 ceramic crucible. Refractory crucibles can be purchased from the company below;

• Budget casting supply.