Pictures -- Inside an electric furnace, at 1800 degree F

Did you use the rigitizer on the ceramic fiber? It doesn't look like it. It makes it much firmer.

I did not use anything. I will sell this furnace. I thought, for a moment, that I could use it for blacksmithing. So I won it, at a sensible price, at a factory liquidation. Then I came across a propane forge last weekend (see thread on a gas cylinder), and then on Tuesday brought the furnace home and realized that it will not work for blacksmithing. It is kind of a spectacular thing and the kids were very excited by the orange hot metal in a little "demo" that I gave them, but does not fit my needs. So I will sell it in its present condition to someone who needs it.

Oh, I see. It's actually a very good furnace. The ceramic fiber insulation cuts the electric bill close to nothing compared to heating with a brick type. Thanks,

You might want to keep it for heat treating. I've got a project I'm working on that will require some basic heat treating, I think I can get by with the O/A torch this time (small part), but a proper furnace can be really handy.

I've got a heat treat oven very much like that one. Very pretty in a darkened garage at 1800 degrees. Also tends to eliminate the need to pluck your eyebrows very often.

-Frank

These electric ovens are not practical for blacksmithing, at least nothing trickier than bending rebar or something. Temps ramp up too slowly. Don't sell it with that description. It is also not good for smelting things like gold (ask me how I know). The sole purposes of this oven are normalizing, annealing, and hardening ferrous alloys.

-Frank

Frank, tell us why it is no good for smelting gold, I sense a good story!

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Not good. A guy commissioned a custom knife from me. Damascus blade, elephant ivory scales, the whole nine yards.

Then he sent me his gold dental bridge (from an auto accident years ago when he ate the steering wheel, since replaced with newer chicles), asked me to inlay the gold and use the rest for a thumb stud with opal inset.

I did as much research as I could. Even asked some questions on this group. Figured what the hell, it's metal, it has a melting point. Put it in a crucible and ramp the temperature up. Pour it out and machine to shape. My crucible (don't laugh) was a piece of fire brick bored out with a .250" bit. I put the brick and the gold in the oven.

2200 degrees later the gold melted all right, then soaked right into the porous cracks of the fire brick. I still have the brick, with the guy's teeth scattered throughout its molecules.

To finish the commission I had to go down to the local jeweler's and buy a brand new man's gold wedding band. Price astronomical. Then I got the right crucible and repeated the procedure - with better results this time.

I didn't make a lot of money on that knife, but the customer was happy :)

-Frank