casting 316 stainless

It's my opinion that you'll have no success at all. Melting stainless requires that you protect the material from oxidation, a tall order with any kind of open flame. Such materials are commonly melted with induction furnaces, often in either a vacuum or an inert atmosphere. Melting and casting any of the iron alloys with a torch is likely to be very difficult, at best.

Harold

Well, certainly porosity. Like Harold said. But I don't think it's impossible. I've got this weird idea to take a hollowed-out piece of local limestone/dolomite/magnesia, calcine it, so you get this crucible of highly refractory highly basic material...(basic is good 'cuz it cleans the metal of brittle stuff like sulfur), then put the metal in it with a little sand (for cover, it'll combine with the dross and crucible to make a glass) and use an arc torch to melt it.

Eh, worth a shot. Besides, nobody ever made progress by NOT doing anything...

Tim

-- "I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!" - Homer Simpson Website @

I wonder if a slow flow of argon over the work help at all.

Well, kinda useless if you've got a torch heat source. Maybe with the carbon arc torch idea.

They melt SS industrially with carbon arc furnaces, probably sitting the metal in a basic hearth (magnesia). I'd be willing to bet that last part is the big help, besides any master alloy (ferrosilicon, etc.) used to clean it up.

Tim

-- "I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!" - Homer Simpson Website @

With Tim's idea (electric arc furnace) I can't help but think it would help. Melting with an arc is likely the only other way (than induction heating) one could expect reasonable results. I can't imagine pouring on enough argon if melting with a torch to make a difference. Melting by other methods tends to burn out the alloys such that you end up with something, but it isn't the same thing you started with. That's the beauty of induction melting. Not only does it not alter the heat, it also stirs it perfectly, so it's a nice, homogeneous blend. Arc would likely provide a reasonable stirring action, and would be far less destructive of the alloy, especially with an inert atmosphere.

Harold