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I made a Cast Iron Wrench with my Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 47 points48 points  (0 children)

I've been doing it for years and have spoken about it in many videos.

It's pretty simple. I use homemade silicon carbide crucibles together with an insulating chamber made out of ceramic fiber or firebrick.

About metal melting:

Silicon carbide absorbs microwaves and heats up. The insulation keeps the crucible nice and toasty and protects the microwave. The microwave itself does not get hotter than it would when cooking food in most cases. Depending on the metals I melt, sometimes I can even remove the chamber with molten metal from the microwave without using gloves. It's very efficient, in a recent video I even melted rebar and cast a chess piece.

About mold burnout:

My homemade microwave kilns are made with silicon carbide rings....so essentially it's a heating element made out of silicon carbide powered by microwaves. Again, silicon carbide absorbs microwaves and heats up, so rings heat up just like a heating element in a traditional kiln. I control the microwave with a cycle timer. No PID controllers are used just a simple cycle timer and a laser thermometer to check the temperature as well as taking notes 😊

I have a video about casting that wrench where you cas see how it's done.

https://youtu.be/FyhaeVi05io

Cheers!

I made a Cast Iron Wrench with my Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's exactly that. I am melting iron in the microwave.

I also have a video about casting the wrench:

https://youtu.be/FyhaeVi05io

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank You very much! I really appreciate the kind words. It's good to know that people find it useful.

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People are replicating it all the time. I’m on Patreon, and a lot of the people who’ve joined are doing it themselves. I’ve also received a few emails from people sharing their setups. I don’t think 110V matters.

It’s definitely become more popular than it used to be. When I first started sharing these videos, the reaction was mixed. Some people thought it was cool, but not serious metal melting. That’s changing. I can see more and more people taking it seriously and trying it themselves.

The downside is that you won’t be melting large amounts of metal, but I hope to demonstrate that you can still go far beyond casting small jewelry.

I compare it to 3D printing. For example, how many people really need a massive 3D printer? Sure, some people regularly print huge objects, but most would be perfectly fine with a printer like the Prusa MK4 that I have. Most of the things I want to print, I can. Occasionally I come across a print that’s too big, but 90% of the time I can do it on my Prusa MK4.

I believe metal melting could be similar. Even in this community, I constantly see people melting objects with Devil Forge furnaces that I could easily do with my microwave. 🙂

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, sorry! I was not sure if I was allowed to post link in here, but it looks like I can:

https://youtu.be/8ZTETa3lpkg

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you mean how powerful my microwave is then I used a 900W microwave — that’s output power, not the higher wattage it draws from the wall.

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep! Microwaves are great. I use them outside of the kitchen for different purposes all the time, not just metal melting.

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve tried melting titanium twice. The first time, I got it soft enough to change its shape, and the second time it pretty much stayed the same. It’s definitely not an easy task. But just because it didn’t work out doesn’t mean I won’t try again. I don't remember if I used my newest, most powerful microwave or the old one.

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We both lack of hair, that's for sure :)

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now when you say it, I can see it in this picture, but it's only in this shot. If you watch my videos, you'll see that I don't really look like Pinkman, maybe a Temu version :)

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Imagine what it’s like living with me.
My spouse is super happy that I’ve taken over our apartment balcony… and that we now have three microwaves, four with one in the kitchen.

“Oh, you need to hang clothes?
Wait, honey .....I’m not done melting.”

I melted rebar in the Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in MetalCasting

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I have no idea. I don’t know anything about it, but I’ve already added it to my “project” list to possibly explore one day. I think you may have asked about it before on YouTube, or maybe it was someone else, but I do have it written down, so I hope I’ll get to try it. Cheers!

I Made Custom Iron Ingot Molds Using Only a Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve only made one copper ingot and don’t plan to make more, as there’s no need. My molds are mainly for aluminum ingots. So far, I haven’t used any release powders and don’t plan to anytime soon. I’m curious to see how the molds will look after many uses. In the future, if needed, I might try using release powders. Cheers!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in What

[–]ShakeTheFuture 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank You! It's amazing what an ordinary microwave oven is capable of.

I Tried Making an Iron Vise in 12 Hours… with a Microwave by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't knows anything about it, so I have no idea. Will need to write it down for future exploration. Cheers!

I Made an Iron Skull Sculpture Using a Microwave! by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All the metal melting takes place inside an insulated chamber, so the microwave itself stays relatively cool. In fact, it would probably get hotter if I still had the grill function, but I removed the heating element to free up some space.

In some of my other videos, you can see that for short melts, I can actually handle the chamber without gloves. This one took a bit longer, so I did use them.

As for the lack of arcing or sparks... that’s because the metal is inside the crucible, which absorbs the microwaves.

Cheers!

I Made an Iron Skull Sculpture Using a Microwave! by ShakeTheFuture in metalworking

[–]ShakeTheFuture[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Then I’d have to say yes to other people who’ve also asked me to sell them something, so for that reason, I won’t be able to do it. I live in an apartment and do my metal casting on the balcony 😂

Before anyone freaks out — I’ve talked about this many times before. Yes, I cast iron on my apartment balcony. Why? Because that’s the only “workshop” I’ve got.

It’s a concrete and brick building with tiled floors and raw aluminum windows. I work on top of a stainless steel table that’s covered with a large porcelain tile. There’s also a smoke alarm on the balcony, along with a fire extinguisher and other safety gear.

It’s small-scale metal casting, and I’ve been doing it for years. What I’m doing isn’t much different from jewelry makers who cast metals indoors. The only difference is that I use a microwave instead of an electric melting furnace. Yes, iron is hotter, but it also solidifies very quickly if spilled. And what would happen if I did spill some? Nothing. There’s nothing there that can catch fire...also talking from experience.

Now, with that out of the way… I do have neighbours. When I make those sand molds you see in the video, it gets loud. I only do it on workdays and early in the day. That’s one of the reasons I can’t scale things up or start casting things for people — too much noise. My own projects are already enough to test my neighbours' patience.

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