If you're a nerd who likes to invent, design and manufacture things at home as much as possible it's been the standard for years that you needed quite specialized equipment to do things like smelting metals or pouring your own cast designs.. But given we've entered the age of additive manufacturing technology with it now being affordable/economically sane for the everyday civilian given enough will to proceed to do things like melt and pour metals using household microwave oven appliances instead of a kiln / forge / gas fired stove.
The youtube channel Shake The Future has released a number of quite interesting videos regaurding home metal casting, building your own crucibles at home and some other neat stuff. Go check out his channel if this sort of thing interests you. I've shared his channel and video here to show what is possible as well as "bookmark" it to return to later. Currently I don't have the time nor finances to dabble with such metal in the microwave insanity and coding is my primary focus... but once some free time and funding is available I'll be not only going through this process myself experimenting with the possibility of home metal smelting, but also making a complete walk through blog series on here about the endeavour.
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Awesome instructional. I am sad that I have so abused my self by handling rock wool, and even asbestos wool, without adequate PPE. I learned a lot about the various materials and how to use them from this video that I wish I had known when I was younger and working with such materials What I enjoyed most was learning about casting metals with a microwave, because it is so much faster, easier, and takes less space and equipment than making a traditional furnace.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear man.. 100% understand the sentiment and feeling, oh to be young and naive again... Walked off a job site once in the middle of winter 20 minutes out of town because dumbass boss had us pulling boards on an old army barracks that had asbestos insulation.. asked for PPE, got told I didn't need it, told him to fuck himself and that he's a fucking goomba for knowingly working with that shit unprotected.. Fucking asbestos man, lord our species is wreckless when hindsight starts to focus.
Worked a probably comical amount of different construction and manufacturing jobs over the younger years, working with dumbasses who handled roofing shingles, gyprock and fibreglass insulation for YEARS without realizing the damage not wearing PPE did, nor really warning me about any negative effects.. Of course now almost 2 decades on the amount of fucking glass shedding out of my hands is quite frankly a hell I would not wish upon many..
I'm excited to try this shit out.. getting passable at 3D modelling and design, have some really cool shit I'd like to put into production, but not quite there yet as far as timing and whatnot. Have learned (from the old man of all places) how to smelt lead wheel weights, purify the lead, pour it into ingots and process said ingots into various caliber bullets..! While I HIGHLY advise against handling and smelting / pouring of lead, with proper respiration and protective leathers on... contamination can be kept mostly to a manageable level.
The spaniards have a saying "plata o plomo" meaning silver or lead, personally I'd way rather know how to work lead than carry a bit of shiny silver if I had to pick one or the other..
(I'd recommend carrying small amounts of silver and gold on yourself (rings, chains etc), not "make yourself a target" amounts but enough for emergency barter, sale to a gold buyer or to post bail in a tough financial or life situations)
I remember being very pleased with how easy asbestos shingles were to machine, how tight and perfect the finish work was. They're really awesome siding. Never rot, impervious to weather, not brittle, inexpensive, take paint perfectly. Nothing's ever perfect though, is it?
I got a little worried there given the previous discussion when you started talking about smelting lead. Plata o plomo is not an aphorism typically thought to be about independent metallurgy, but you got it there. You have given thought to life situations, and provide sound counsel.
Asbestos before it was realized how god damn carcinogenic it was honestly was a wonder material.
heh, yeah I guess generally that term is used for like "take the bribe or the bullet" type inferrence.. Might have slightly warped the meaning mentally.
If only it were possible to once again go thought free without so much as a peep upstairs and be just as silent as observation allows.
Never smelt lead inside unless you have a hella good fume hood and filtering blowing outdoors...! That is if you want to keep your IQ and potential to procreate somewhat intact. XD