Well, since I have 2/3rds of a barrel left over from starting the Mulling Machine … I might as well start making my new furnace.
I cut the barrel with an angle grinder and then smoothed down the sharp edges with a coarse round file. The edge was then folded over using a shifting spanner to bend the metal 90 degrees and then a panel beaters hammer to increase the angle to about 120 degrees (that’s a guess … I didn’t have a protractor). Next I rolled the barrel over onto the pallet and belted the crap out of it with a ball peen hammer to complete the roll. The only real reason to roll over the edge is to completely remove any sharp edges. I don’t like being cut. Apart from that, the rolled edge makes the overall edge more even.
When the furnace is lined with refractory the rolled edge should be under the refractory anyway, so it isn’t like the edge is going to be all that dangerous anyway. Certainly not more dangerous than what’s going to be going on inside the furnace.
Because the mulling machine has more of a need for a complete surface, and because the base of the furnace is going to be lined with refractory, I opted to use the end with holes for the furnace. The screw caps are sitting in my workshop, and I’ll put them back in before I start to line the furnace … although … the large port may be useful to keep for allowing spills to escape from the furnace (I haven’t had a spill in my furnaces yet, but they can be a pain to clear.
So … that’s where we are at so far. This furnace will be much bigger than my current flowerpot furnace and I should be able to get more into it. I may need to get a bigger crucible.
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