DiY Heat Treatment project

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Alpha1
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#11 Post by Alpha1 »

Dark Skies wrote:What do you envisage it costing?

Would one of these have sufficed?

http://www.metalclay.co.uk/prometheus-mini-kiln-pro-1/
These ovens are used for firing polymer clay. For pen blanks and rings. Another one of my projects is ring making as in wedding bands etc. They go for good money.
Maggot
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#12 Post by Maggot »

Hmm...Cornish....Snake and Pigmy, I can see the pounds piling on Dave :run:
strangesam
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#13 Post by strangesam »

Ovenpaa wrote:I have a spreadsheet in the workshop which details the exact costs so I can check in the morning, however from memory it is going to be around GBP375-400 as a finished item including PID, bricks, materials etc. Yes you can buy cheaper however a comparable build is going to be closer to GBP750-850 so this is a cost effective way of doing things plus I have the fun of designing and building it myself.
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I have this problem at work though, While often the cost (in cash) of building it yourself is cheaper, The cost in labour/employment costs is often prohibitive.

I can make it myself for £20 of materials, but it will take me a week, which also costs money.. (over £1000 if my employer is to be belived, I don't as I don't see nearly that much money). Or I can buy it for £300.

Most of the time I purchase from elsewhere, as I rarely get a week to concentrate on a single task anyway.
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Ovenpaa
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#14 Post by Ovenpaa »

Strangesam, I totally agree it is often 'cheaper' to just buy the item you need if you factor in time and even costs sometimes, however this is a project for lunch breaks, evenings and weekends. Something different to work on and learn about and it should give me a solid solution to my HT needs.

The real problem is actually finding the time regardless of how many weekends there are, I am working this coming Saturday, out Sunday and often not wrapping up work until gone 1930 most evenings at this time of year.... :(
/d

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Alpha1
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#15 Post by Alpha1 »

Question for you I would of posted on your blog but I'm not sure I know how to. Not a question for the shooting forum. Welding I notice you are what looks like TIG welding your oven sections. Are you self taught or have you had formal training Im assuming you are using TIG. What sort of equipment are you using. Im looking to add a TIG welder to my set up any recommendations.
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Ovenpaa
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#16 Post by Ovenpaa »

Alpha1, I have no formal welding training however I did work in engineering for many years so had plenty of chances to use Mig and MMA systems at work and under some excellent instruction. I recognised a need for a Tig welder a while ago so we invested in an AC/DC system which means it can weld aluminium, stainless, titanium, carbon steels and more and that is what it gets used for. I run a Thermal Arc Arcmaster which takes me to 200 Amps which is ample for the workshop. I have a couple of torches, one with local controls for heavier stuff which being quite honest I seldom use, plus a lightweight one for fine work which I use with a foot pedal for start/stop and arc control. I also invested in a dedicated bench and a handful or different types of clamps, some good and some not so good.

Typical jobs are repairs such as joining two parts and build up of parts for re-machining. Tig welding is creating an arc that is hot enough to melt things, you then add a filler material and fuse whatever needs joining, all done under an inert gas to prevent oxidisation. A skilled Tig welder can weld soft drink cans together which is way beyond me however I have tacked Stanley knife blades together in the past and often have to build up parts of an eighth inch diameter or less. It just needs some concentration, confidence and scrupulously cleaned parts and in return you get very precisely welded parts.

My system has probably cost the thick end of a couple of thousand or more and I doubt it has made the money back however it is incredibly useful and in near weekly use. If you go for one yourself I would say avoid the AC option unless you really need to weld aluminium as it adds a lot of cost, also mine is digital so lots of buttons and menus and I so wish I just had a few knobs to twist however that is just me.

If you were closer I would say come and have a go.
/d

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Alpha1
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Re: DiY Heat Treatment project

#17 Post by Alpha1 »

Thanks.
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