How To Remove Slag From Crucible? The 127 Detailed Answer

The crucible is built to withstand high heat to ensure you can melt your desired substance in a reliable container. Crucibles used to be made of clay or ceramics – and often still are. However, they can be made from any material that can withstand extreme temperatures.

Clay is ideal because it lacks metallic properties that prevent the material from conflicting with the alloy of the metal you are melting. The secret to the longevity of your crucible is to properly heat treat it when it is new. Knowing how to properly heat a crucible the first time and every time thereafter will ensure its success longer.

HEAT TREATMENT CONSIDERATIONS

If you receive a brand new crucible, it needs to be heat treated before first use. Heat treating – or “hardening” – a crucible sets it so that it will not crack or collapse in later use, exposing you to the extremely dangerous temperatures of molten metals or other substances.

CLEANING

If you purchase a used crucible, it must be cleaned before use. So wash your crucible with water and dry it with a paper towel. It is important to ensure that any residue from other projects has been removed. However, this will add moisture to your container that needs to be removed. If possible, start from scratch. Cast Master Elite offers clay graphite crucibles for sale to ensure quality and to help you have a complete history of the item you are working with.

HUMIDITY

If there is moisture on your pan when you try to heat it — even if it’s not visible to the naked eye — it will cook at lightning speed. This will cause the item to rupture or explode, which is very dangerous. You don’t know what humidity the crucible was exposed to, so you need to temper it to remove any moisture.

HEAT CURING

Follow these steps to heat harden your crucible.

You can start by putting the container in the oven at 300 degrees for an hour.

Next, temper the crucible by placing it in the oven. Your flame should be orange and yellow.

Slowly heat the container, starting on low power, until it’s a blistering 1110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Allow your crucible to cool once it is fully heated.

HEAT REGULARLY

As you use your crucible regularly, you will get a feel for how to move it and how best to care for it. Some like to use borax during the tempering process as they believe it helps prevent cracking and breaking. Any time you are heating your crucible from a refrigerated state for an extended period of time, slowly raise the temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit before heating it the rest of the way.

Crucibles are made to take a beating. To get the most out of yours, follow best practices for properly heating a crucible. It’s not ideal to have to stop in the middle of a project because yours breaks. The better you follow this process, the more successful you will be in your endeavors.

A kind of slag, iron, lead mixture three are separate cutting tool and cutting method of it

Technical Field The present invention relates to a kind of skimming tool for application in the field of refractories, more particularly, it relates to a three-separation skimming tool and separating method therefor of a kind of slag-iron-lead mixture.

Background technology Southwest China area, especially Yunnan, containing a certain amount of galena (PbS) or cerussite (PbCO3) in iron ore, in iron-making processes, molten iron flows out of the blast furnace after lead is reduced -Constant iron compatibility, alloy can not be formed, so exists in the free state in molten iron. Slag-iron-lead mixture flows to front groove through tap hole, presentation layer current mode, because slag density is lower than molten iron density, Therefore, slag appears over molten iron, flashboard equipment extremely at front groove when slag in of a certain thickness accumulates, together with the front groove, the liquid level constantly rises, and the slag flows through the overflowing slag notch into the slag disposal system. roughing tool. Plumbous standard density is 11.35g/cm3, the standard density of iron is 7.8g/cm3, because slag can only be separated with molten iron through the skimming tool of household cu rrent use, can’t into plumbus of the mixed ones molten liquid are separated, so that when molten iron flows through the passage of the iron-lead mixed melt of the skimming tool, plumbous liquid constantly stays in the passage of the plumbus mixed melt of iron, causing molten iron to pass through, and the liquid level in the front groove will be raised quickly, bring inconvenience to the slag process, molten iron can even be made to flow into the roughing channel, into the granulated slag groove, causing a severe explosion, bringing many unsafe factors to production .

Summary of the invention The aim of this invention is to provide a kind of simple structure, slag can be separated, iron, plumbus three is separate scoop tool and a separation method thereof, solve the prior art and technical problems can not be separated plumbus into slag , iron , lead mix. In order to solve the problems of the technologies described above, the technical scheme of the present invention is: a kind of slag, iron, lead mixture three is a separate skimming tool, includes a front groove, an overflow slag notch, a flashboard, the thick mixed molten liquid passage of iron, The Small Well, residual iron hole and main iron faucet channel, excessive slag notch is located at the top of the front groove, faucet drain is divided into front groove and The Small Well two parts by flashboard, main faucet channel is positioned After The Small Well, is the thick molten iron liquid passage between the bottom of the flashboard and the bottom of the trench of the front groove, the bottom of the excess slag notch leads higher than The Small Well at the bottom of the residual hole iron hole, and the bottom in the lead passage for mixed molten iron liquid is of the same level, it is characterized by that Equal that it also includes a heavy lead hole, lead passage, uncovered line d discharge ditch, described heavy lead hole is at the bottom of the small well, lead passage end connected to heavy leaded soil of the scam, the other end is to the ground of the uncovered lead discharge ditch, the bottom of the ditch. It is described that a 24-50 mm thick polyethylene pipe or a thin-walled steel pipe has to be formed and obtained in order to carry a tubular passage. The bottom of the excessive slag notch described is 30-60 mm higher than the small well, and the depth of the heavy lead hole is 500 mm. Slag, iron, lead mixture three are separated by three separation methods of the skimming tool, and the principle, which differs according to the proportion of three into slag, iron, lead mixture, carries out a three-way separation, which mainly includes the following steps: Step one: the separation of slag: less than the thick mixed molten iron according to the proportion of slag, slag floats above the thick mixed molten iron, overflows into the roughing channel, enters the slag disposal system, together with the liquid level in the front chute, constantly caused by excessive slag notch increases ; Step 2: iron lead separation: set up heavy lead hole in the small well bottom, heavy lead is pushed to the bottom, leading lead channel connection, lead passage to be connected with exposed lead drainage ditch, iron lead separation is made according to the proportion of iron is less than lead, lead liquid sinks into a lead hole, when there is no lead liquid or lead liquid tightness degree less than the standard density in a heavy lead hole, increasing layer of damming or moving firebrick layer leads to flushing The bottom of the trench of the main iron tap channel at the bottom of Digging the uncovered lead discharge trench, making the Small Well, a heavy lead hole, the liquefaction pressure of lead in the lead passage satisfies the formula: H ρ pb = h 1 ρ fe + h 2 ρ pb ; Where h 1 is the height of the ferrous liquid in The Small Well, h 2 is the height of the Plumbus liquid in the heavy lead hole, H is the height of the leading Plumbus liquid in the Plumbus Passage; In a heavy lead hole, when the plumbus liquid reaches the height h 2, the damming layer of the exposed lead outlet trench bottom of the trench or the movable firebrick layer is removed, causing plumbus liquid to enter the uncovered lead outlet trench from the leading plumbus passage, iron liquid enters the main iron tap channel from The Small Well outlet. Positive Beneficial Effect: The present invention is on the principle that in the lead mixture, the proportion of three is different, slag, iron, plumbous separation by padding or reducing the trench floor height of the exposed lead discharge trench, control the quality of plumbous liquid, plumbous liquid becomes induced to enter the uncovered lead drainage ditch from the leading plumbous passage, and when molten iron mixed with molten liquid passage by the iron of the skimming tool plumbous, plumbous liquid in mixed molten liquid cannot settle in the plumbous mixture The molten liquid passage of iron allows molten iron to pass, can prevent molten iron from flowing into the slag channel, cause a heavy explosion in the granulated slag channel, reduce the potential safety risk in the production process, and win umpteen amount of precious metal can be recycled mixed molten liquid.

Accompanying drawing Explanation Fig. 1 for structural representation of the present invention Figure fig. 2for edge Fig. 1 Analyzing and observing the middle AA line figure in the figure label is: 1 is the front groove, and 2 is the slag notch overflowing, and 3 is the flashboard, 4 is the thick mixed iron molten liquid passage, and 5 is The Small Well, and 6 is a heavy Plumbus hole, 7 is a main iron tap channel, and 8 is a leading Plumbus passage, and 9 is an uncovered lead outlet ditch, 10 is a slag-iron-lead mixture, 11 is the Plumbus mixed melt of iron and 12 is a plumbus liquid, and 13 is iron liquid, 14 is a residual iron hole, and 15 is a dam layer or a movable firebrick layer.

Rendering of electroslag remelting apparatus and cross sections

Electroslag remelting (ESR), also known as electroflux remelting, is a process for remelting and refining steel and other alloys for mission-critical applications in aircraft, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, military engineering, and others.[1]

Electroslag remelting (ESR) is used to remelt and refine steels and various super alloys, resulting in high quality ingots. This process can be started by vacuum induction melting. The ESR process uses the as-cast alloy as the consumable electrode. Electric current (generally alternating current) is passed between the electrode and the new billet, which is formed in the bottom of a water-cooled copper mold. The new ingot is covered with technical slag, which is overheated by electric current. The tip of the electrode is slowly melted by contact with the slag. These metal droplets migrate through the slag to the bottom of the water-cooled mold and slowly freeze as the ingot solidifies in an upward direction from the bottom of the mold. The slag pool floats above the refined alloy and continuously floats upward as the alloy solidifies. The molten metal is cleaned of impurities that chemically react with the slag or otherwise float to the surface of the molten pool as the molten droplets pass through the slag.[2]

Electroslag remelting uses highly reactive slags (calcium fluoride, lime, alumina or other oxides are usually the main ingredients) to reduce the amount of Type A sulfide in biometallic alloys. This is a common practice in European industry. ESR also reduces other types of inclusions and is considered an alternative to the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process that is prevalent in US industry.

An example of the use of Electroslag Refined (ESR) steel technology is the L30 tank gun.

CrNi60WTi is a stainless steel best formed by either electroslag remelting or vacuum arc remelting. This alloy can be used to build nuclear power plants.[3]

See also[edit]

What would normally have been done with a chisel hammer or with the help of an angle grinder is now done with the Hammerhead. The Hammerhead is available on two deburring machines: the 22 and 42 RB series. To ensure less downtime, the carriage can be reversed with pins or the complete carriage can be changed easily and quickly.

The pins hit the slag of the parts counter-clockwise at a speed of up to 22 m p/sec/min to ensure optimal slag removal. The Hammerhead is a quick and effective solution to heavy slag removal. Of all power tools, the Hammerhead is capable of removing even the toughest burrs. Do you need slag grinding machines? Request a quote using the link below.

When experimenting with chemicals and alloys, crucibles are often used to melt materials to change their properties. Anyone who has used a crucible knows that not only is it an invaluable piece of your laboratory equipment, but it is also expensive. When you are done conducting your experiments, you need to know how to effectively clean your crucibles without damaging the crucible surface so that they can be used again. Cleaning chemicals from porcelain crucibles or alloy residue from platinum crucibles is relatively easy. You only need a few basic chemicals and supplies.

Heating a crucible to constant weight

by Oliver Soul

This website and accompanying photographs are in the public domain and may be copied without restriction.

Your first exercise will give you some knowledge of the proper use of the laboratory burner (called the Tirill burner in this case), flame adjustment, and proper placement of a crucible to be heated to constant weight.

You should make sure from the outset that the crucibles you use have indelible markings. Sometimes when making a crucible, indentations are left that allow you to tell them apart. More likely, a former student wrote a letter or number on the page, like the one shown at left. Note the “A” scratched into the glossy finish. This can be done with the diamond stylus available from the lab, as shown on the right.

The hottest part of the flame is at the top of the bright oxidation cone. The zone below the apex of the cone is filled with an ascending mixture of cool gases that are not yet in the process of combustion. Although the rim around this zone is quite hot, the gases inside are essentially room temperature. See this placement on the left. Such placement is not recommended. Note the correct placement of the crucible in the photo on the right.

The crucible can be placed right side up as in the left photo or on its side as in the right photo. Side heating is preferred because the overall stress on the ceramic material is somewhat less at the high temperatures used.

The crucible should be heated to glow for 5-10 minutes (left). At the end of this time, remove the flame and allow the crucible to cool on the iron triangle for a few minutes (right)

When transferring a crucible into the desiccator, tongs must be used. If the crucible has been allowed to cool, you can use bare tongs (left), but if you need to transfer a hot crucible, make sure you cover the ends of the tongs with aluminum foil (right), as will the paint on the tongs do could melt onto the crucible and change its weight. Be sure to hold the rim of the crucible as shown. Do not attempt to pick up a crucible by squeezing the tongs on the outer edge, as the crucible’s smooth walls may slip out of your grip. There is also the possibility of breaking a hot crucible in this way.

Place the cool crucible in one of the holes in the plate of your desiccator and cover until it reaches room temperature. At this point you can remove it for weighing.

If a pan is not at the temperature of the balance compartment, it will likely read a different weight than if it were at the same temperature. When it’s hotter the weight will be slightly less, when colder it will be slightly more due to the creation of convection currents affecting apparent mass. Here are some photos to prove the point. (Please note that for this photo sequence, two separate analytical balances had to be used so as not to interfere with student use. The final agreement is within that routinely met for two separate balances.) A dry, cold crucible will result weighed nearest 0.0001 g.

The crucible is then heated to smoldering for five minutes as shown at left. The fire is extinguished and the crucible is allowed to cool for five minutes.

Its apparent weight is more than four milligrams less.

It is left to cool for another five minutes.

Its weight on display is still 0.0003 g lighter than the cold crucible above.

Finally, after another five minutes of cooling, the crucible weighs slightly more than the cold crucible above. The agreement here is within what is routinely maintained for two separate scales. This cooling sequence took place outside the desiccator. The time it takes to reach thermal equilibrium with the environment will likely be slightly longer if you allow the crucible to cool in the desiccator.

In blacksmithing there are a variety of practices and methods used and needed to produce good quality forged metals. One particular practice that has many wondering is the use of borax in forge welding and forging.

Blacksmiths use borax as a flux, an agent that cleans and purifies the metal being joined in forge welding. This allows for a high quality weld.

The following information in this article explains what a forge welding flux is, why it is needed in welding, and why borax is so highly regarded as the ideal flux for this practice.

There is also a video at the end of this article that shows you how to use it and how to “cook” it properly.

here * This article may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure

What is forge welding flux?

Flux is a chemical cleaning and cleaning agent. In welding, it is used to prevent oxidation of the base and working materials.

The basic role of the flux is to dissolve the oxides present on the metal surface and act as a barrier to oxygen by coating the hot surface, preventing oxidation.

So how does the borax affect this process? To understand this, we need to look at the materials in borax and how they affect oxidation.

How does borax work as a flux?

When borax is used as a flux, it is mixed with ammonium chloride, an inorganic compound that is very soluble in water. The sal ammoniac acts specifically as a cleaning agent, for example to clean the tip of a soldering iron (Amazon link).

Borax flux promotes deep penetration into the joint filler metal, resulting in high strength joint.

One benefit of using borax is that it removes oxides without creating bubbles, leaving less room for dust, grit, and other contaminants to collect in the kerf of your weld.

Anhydrous borax in particular (Amazon link) is the best kind for this process as it stays where it is placed on the steel.

Using anhydrous borax also makes the process much quicker as it liquifies sooner than regular borax.

This allows you to skip the vapor phase of forge welding typically required when using regular borax.

By using an anhydrous option you will end up with less scale in your welded part and you won’t have to use as much borax as you normally would.

Of course, it’s reasonable to ask if borax is the be-all and end-all of the forge welding process. To answer this we need to look at the other resources for a flux as well as the need to use flux in general.

Do blacksmiths have to use borax as a flux?

It is clear that borax is an ideal choice for a flux in welding. However, it is not necessarily the only option for a flux.

There are a few alternative methods that have been found useful in the blacksmithing community and make sense before settling on borax as your main flux.

Borax substitute for forge welding

Borax is not the only choice of flux. Here are a few alternatives to consider:

Kerosene as a flux

Unlike borax, kerosene is used when the metal is still cold. Dipping the metal in the kerosene first eliminates the need to use it later. During forging, the kerosene burns, leaving an oily residue that turns into carbon.

This prevents oxidation of the metal and can slightly increase the carbon content of the steel. However, kerosene is highly flammable and can catch fire. Therefore, unlike borax, you cannot dip red-hot steel in kerosene.

Flux for brake cleaner

This substance is used just like kerosene. However, it’s not necessarily an improvement over kerosene or borax. This is because brake cleaner contains additives that can become toxic, so care must be taken when using it.

Of course, it’s not necessary to just use borax as a flux, as there are other options that prove equally useful. However, it is clear that borax is the safest option for working with heat and has proven to be a very useful substance in most cases.

Many blacksmiths have stopped using borax altogether, going so far as not to use any flux at all. This is called fluxless welding, which I’ll discuss in more detail below.

Can you forge weld without flux?

In many cases it is absolutely necessary to use flux when welding. However, there are situations when this is not necessary and can potentially cause difficulties when working with hot metal.

For example, when borax heats up, it forms a glass-like substance that settles on the bottom of your forge. Depending on what type of forge you have, this could pose a problem. If you’re working with a coke or charcoal forge, this shouldn’t pose much of a problem.

However, if your forge is running on propane, it could cause the base of your forge to erode.

For this reason, fluxless forging has become increasingly popular over the years. TIG welding or tungsten inert gas welding allows you to make precise welds without the use of third party stabilizers such as borax.

These types of forges have become more accessible in recent years and are considered to be just as good as forges that require the use of flux.

However, although this forging method may prove convenient, it is not difficult to protect a regular forging base from the corrosion of borax.

Any of the following options are suitable for this additional layer of protection:

Use oven shelves. This is useful for a smaller forge as the shelves are pretty flimsy. It is affordable and ultimately protects the surface from corrosion.

. This is useful for a smaller forge as the shelves are pretty flimsy. It is affordable and ultimately protects the surface from corrosion. Place the metal on a thermal insulation board. These are typically used in chimneys and are therefore a viable option to avoid corrosive materials.

These are typically used in chimneys and are therefore a viable option to avoid corrosive materials. Place a scrap steel plate under your work station. Although this is the lesser of the three options, it will still keep your space safe.

The bottom line is that while fluxless welding is a viable option, it is not necessarily a better choice over traditional flux welding. Although you may need to take some extra precautions in preparation before you start welding, overall using borax flux is a safe and proven material for forge welding.

Additionally, welds made with TIG or similar forges still run the risk of being welded with poor quality, and some forges still recommend using borax to ensure a proper weld.

Conclusion

Borax is used as a flux in forge welding to prevent oxidation of your surface and weld.

The best type of borax is generally anhydrous borax (Amazon affiliate link) as it speeds up the process due to its early liquefaction and leaves little room for contaminants to get into the kerf of your weld.

Although there are some alternative materials that can be used as flux (e.g. kerosene), borax is the safest and easiest material to use as flux. A blacksmith does not necessarily need to use a flux when welding, especially depending on what type of forge he owns.

However, using borax offers a higher guarantee of a quality weld, while forging without flux presents a greater risk. Therefore, using borax in forge welding is a safe and viable tool to get the best results from your welding projects.

Watch the video below if you want to learn how to use borax and how to boil it so it sticks to the metal.

I hope this article was informative enough! Thanks for reading and good luck with your future projects!

Cheers, tool owners!

Before officially becoming United States Marines, all recruits must pass The Crucible.

This event lasts 54 hours and physically and psychologically tests recruits for limited sleep.

Recruits trek for miles with 50 pounds of gear, engage in melee combat, and more.

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A transcript of the video follows.

Recruit: Ahhhh! My leg! Aha!

Narrator: This Marine Corps recruit isn’t actually injured.

Recruit: My leg! uhhh!

Narrator: He plays the role of a wounded Marine during a simulated casualty evacuation.

Drill Instructor: You all crawl faster now!

Recruits: Aye, sir.

Narrator: And his fellow recruits have to get him to safety bit by bit.

James Cimino: It’s not comfortable carrying someone on your back and dragging them through the mud. You sweat more in training, so you bleed less in combat.

Narrator: It’s part of their final test at boot camp, known as the Crucible, a 54-hour event that all recruits must complete.

Drill Instructor: Fox, you’re breaking down.

Recruit: Aye, sir!

Narrator: Insider spent four days at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina to chronicle a company rising to the challenge – the final step before officially becoming Marines.

Drill Instructor: Company! Attention!

Narrator: The Crucible takes place during week 11 of the 13-week Marine Corps boot camp.

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Narrator: The day before, recruits from the gender-integrated hotel industry gather in front of their barracks for a briefing. Although female recruits have been trained at Parris Island since 1949, gender-integrated companies did not emerge until 2019. As of January 2021, this group of recruits was the most gender-diverse company in Marine Corps history. And among those at Hotel Company are a brother and sister from Georgia — 21-year-old Lazaro Cisneros and his 19-year-old sister Mayra.

Lazaro: My sister and I make the melting pot together here. We are in the same company. We don’t usually see each other often, but we always get something of a fleeting glimpse of each other.

Mayra: It’s actually motivating just to see him there. I know there is someone here who knows me. He’s going through this with me. He knows the pain I’m going through.

Narrator: At 0200 or 2am the lights are on in the Hotel Company’s crew bays.

Drill Instructor: Hit it, boys!

Recruit: Aye, sir! Light, light, light!

Drill Instructor: Go online now!

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Recruit: One!

Recruit: Two!

Recruit: Three!

Recruit: 55!

Recruit: 56!

Lazaro: We had to hurry. Very stressful thinking about how the day would go.

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Narrator: Recruits don their desert service uniforms known as desert cammies.

Trainer: Now fold the first sheet with you and your partner.

Recruits: Aye, sir! Narrator: They clear their racks and prepare their gear, which weighs about 50 pounds. While some recruits may smile now…

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Narrator: You won’t be long. After a final trip to the head, the recruits form up outside to officially begin the Crucible.

Drill Instructor: We all understand what that means, right?

Recruits: Yes sir!

Trainer: You should probably shout a lot louder.

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Narrator: Your first task: a long hike in the cold darkness.

Recruits: Yes sir!

Cimino: It’s about 6 miles long, so not too strenuous to start with, but just enough for them to understand how, hey, you’re on your own. We’re not taking you out of there by bus. You will go out there just as you will go back.

Recruit: Good morning sir.

Recruit: Five, five, four. So everyone gets a count for their own team.

Narrator: When the sun rises, the events of the first day begin.

Recruit: Cpl. Dunham immediately alerted his naval colleagues to the threat.

Narrator: Each Crucible event is inspired by an actual event in Marine Corps history.

Recruit: Cpl. Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body. Narrator: And before the event begins, the squad leader enlightens the group on its historical significance.

Recruit: He saved the lives of at least two other Marines.

Recruit: All equipment should be on. You look ahead. Align it! Two columns! pick it up

Narrator: This group begins with an expanded obstacle course.

Drill Instructor: I don’t know why you smile when struggling with a simple obstacle.

Recruit: Yes sir. Drill Instructor: Get on the pole!

Cimino: Well, the obstacle courses out there. You’ve seen it all before. Right now we’re adding a few more factors to make it harder.

Narrator: Now they also have to safely transport 35-pound ammo cans across the course. If recruits cannot overcome the obstacle…

Trainer: 15 burpees! Let’s go!

Narrator: Their drill instructor orders them to do burpees. And they will be punished as a group. Although this recruit was able to overcome the obstacle, her fellow recruits were not.

Drill Instructor: Everyone down. It’s 15 burpees.

Recruits: Yes, ma’am.

Narrator: So she had to pay with them.

Recruits: Two!

Recruit: I have no grip!

Drill Instructor: Go! Grab the damn pole. Hold on! Wow. Look, it’s not that hard, right?

Recruit: Yes sir.

Recruit: I’ll just think about all the good stuff now. fruit punch. Pepsi. Miami. Sunny.

Recruit: Yes, we have some sun but no heat.

Recruit: That’s crazy.

Narrator: It’s not until six hours into the Crucible that tensions begin to flare.

Drill Instructor: Yes, you’re still doing the same thing. wanna roll your eyes now

Recruit: No, sir.

Teacher: are you sure? ‘Cause I literally just saw you do it.

Recruit: No, sir.

Cimino: So you might get frustrated a lot because you’re cold, you’re uncomfortable.

Drill Instructor: Are you trying to embarrass me, Miller?

Recruit: No, sir.

Drill Instructor: Do you have an attitude problem?

Recruit: No, sir.

Drill Instructor: Complete the Dadgum Training.

Recruit: Yes sir.

Cimino: That’s a very common thing that we see. However, the recruits often correct themselves. Because at this point in time they already know what is right and what is wrong.

Narrator: Luckily, they’ll soon have a chance to blow off steam… when they enter a structure known as the Octagon.

Instructor: I want to see some viciousness and some intensity, you know?

Recruits: Aye, sir!

Recruit: Ahhh!

Narrator: First, the recruits fight each other with fist sticks.

Cimino: They’re tired, they’re hungry, and now we’re going to pit them against each other. Eventually you will come face to face with someone in all of these conditions, and you will still need to be aggressive enough to win.

Trainer: penalty box. Go out.

Recruit: Yes sir.

Narrator: The winner of the fight runs through a hatch under a sign that says “Devil Dogs”.

Drill Instructor: Winner! Loser! Go out!

Recruit: Aye ma’am!

Narrator: The loser reports in the penalty box…

Drill Instructor: Embarrassing. Awkward.

Narrator: Where they perform a series of planks and other exercises designed to motivate them not to go back there.

Drill Instructor: Stand up. Go away.

Narrator: And they’ll soon get a chance to redeem themselves. All recruits again compete in one-on-one body sparring.

Drill Instructor: Break ribs! Just break it in half!

Qiokata: I think it’s a way of just keeping them on their toes and keeping them up to date on their actions or the other person’s actions.

Narrator: Recruits may only hit the body, no hits over the neck are allowed. But sometimes stray punches land.

Narrator: And there may be injuries.

Instructor: Now I have to throw away all this gear.

Drill Instructor: Alright, what company is this?

Recruits: hotel company, sir.

Trainer: Hotel company?

Recruits: Yes sir.

Narrator: There’s a saying in the Corps that every Marine is first and foremost a gunner. Recruits spend two weeks practicing marksmanship during boot camp.

Teacher: Good to go?

Recruits: Yes sir.

Narrator: During the Crucible, recruits combine the skills they learned at the firing range with movement in a simulated squad attack.

Teacher: All right. So, first there will be cover and movement. Good? And then you automatically move under fire, right? When you’re shot at, you automatically lie on your stomach, don’t you? You’re not going to give yourself such an easy goal, are you?

Recruits: Yes sir.

Narrator: The squads move together through a wooded area before reaching the entrance to the shooting range.

Teacher: Go ahead and send them in.

Instructor: So you stay close to that tree line. You’ll run to that black shirt. Walk.

Recruits: Yes sir.

Teacher: Go, go, go, go. Get over here right away.

Recruit: Move!

Narrator: Recruits will fire blank rounds during the event, simulating covering their fellow recruits as they advance.

Instructor: You become that berm in combat glide. Stay aligned.

Recruits: Undress. Move!

Narrator: By now those recruits have worked up an appetite.

Recruit: What’s that?

Recruit: It’s supposed to be Santa Fe rice and beans, but I literally can’t taste the rice.

Cimino: They’re used to going to the feed shed and getting three decent meals a day. Now they will essentially be given field rations, right? Our ready-to-eat meals, MREs.

Recruit: They’re sharp.

Recruit: It’s jalapeño.

Recruit: I know it’s jalapeños.

Narrator: Normally, a single MRE counts as a meal. The Crucible requires recruits to ration five MREs over the course of the event.

Recruit: Dude, if you put a lot of water in it and mix it up just right, it’s like pudding. It’s the best pudding you will ever taste in your life. That pudding right there!

Narrator: There are no naps during Crucible. During meal breaks, recruits are tasked with posting security. During the 54-hour event, recruits only sleep three to four hours a night.

Recruits: Yes sir. Narrator: And this is where it happens, in structures known as SEA huts.

Drill Instructor: Let’s go! Hurry up.

Producer: How tired are you right now?

Lazaro: At the moment I still have good energy to end the day. I’ve tried to ration my food and keep a calm mind. Three more days before he becomes a Navy.

Narrator: For Lazaro, his day ends with one of the most intense events of the Crucible.

Drill Instructor: Come on, you have to save his life!

Recruit: Aye, sir!

Drill Instructor: He bleeds out and dies!

Narrator: A simulated evacuation of casualties in a combat scenario.

Drill Instructor: It only takes 40 seconds to bleed out! listen, listen to him You’re freaking out! You are not making the right decisions!

Recruit: Yes sir.

Drill Instructor: No choice is still a choice. You just stand there and look at me confused! He’s already bleeding! You just helped him stop the bleeding.

Recruit: Yes sir. Drill Instructor: You’re too slow. you don’t communicate where are you going anyway They came from this direction.

Recruit: Yes sir.

Drill Instructor: Fox, you’re breaking down.

Recruit: Yes sir.

Drill Instructor: Now I know if you ever need to help someone, you can’t even help! there is nothing you can do!

Recruit: Yes sir.

Drill Instructor: Because he’s not well because he just had half his leg blown off! And he’s wearing a tourniquet! And he’s scared! And he doesn’t know what’s happening! Your life is in your hands, Fox!

Recruit: Everything will be fine, buddy. we have you Let’s go. Cisneros, let’s go.

Lazaro: I’ve learned a lot lately. Combat training, combat care. This recruit realized he still had a lot to learn.

Narrator: Meanwhile, Mayra tries to negotiate one of the most intimidating obstacles on Parris Island, the 30 foot high Stairway to Heaven.

Recruits: Ready, step. step, together.

Narrator: What all recruits without safety gear must attempt. Recruits: Ready, step. step, together.

Mayra: I joined the Marine Corps with my older brother for financial reasons. I went to college. i needed the money And the career I want to do is be a pediatrician, so of course I have to go to medical school for that. And of course I thought, well, I need the money. And so I went to the recruiting station and on the phone call I said to them, “I have a brother. Do you remember him?” And they asked me to bring him over. So we both went together. You simply convinced us. And we participated.

Narrator: Turns out, having a sibling in training at Parris Island isn’t all that uncommon. We met another brother and sister at Hotel Company.

Oscar: The relationship got stronger because we just broke up at home. We were just playing Xbox together from across the room.

Michael: We knew each other until we came here, but we didn’t really talk every day like we have for the last three months.

Oscar: It’s a pretty great feeling because if you feel like you can’t turn to anyone, you can just turn to your real blood brother.

Drill Instructor: They’re in the back on the right?

Recruit: Yes, ma’am.

Lazaro: Tonight I’m basically going to pray a little bit for strength.

Narrator: As the sun sets on the first day of the Crucible, these recruits have a long night ahead – and an even longer day ahead.

[birds chirp] [battle sounds] [recruits scream]

Narrator: Simulated casualties play a large role in one of Crucible’s most challenging events, the Battle of Hue City, named after one of Vietnam’s bloodiest battles that left an estimated 10,000 dead, including more than 100 Marines. Speakers play shots and explosions to create a more realistic combat environment, [Explosion] along with simulated mortar explosions that occur when a spark plug ignites a combination of propane and oxygen triggered by pressing this button. [Explosion] The goal of the event is for each firefighting team to maneuver through the area with all casualties and equipment intact.

Trainer: Hey, Squad Leader!

Recruit: Aye, sir!

Drill Instructor: Yes, you just got shot in the right shoulder for not turning around.

Narrator: Drill instructors call recruits victims if they don’t hide during their approach. The recruits who are still healthy are responsible for transporting the wounded. Recruits have to climb over walls, crawl through sand…

Drill Instructor: Now into the rope!

Narrator: And barbed wire.

Trainer: Get X’s victim. He’s bleeding!

Narrator: While the victims are slowly moved.

Recruit: I need help. Help!

Marcus Gada: “Embrace the suck” couldn’t have been more accurate here. Once you embrace the sucking and look left and right and see the guys actually do it, you just want to push harder. And some of them will bring out a smile, and then you’ll bring out a smile, and it just keeps you going, sir.

Drill Instructor: He’s bleeding out!

Recruit: Aye, sir!

Narrator: Recruits who stay healthy and don’t have to worry about casualties are free to negotiate course as long as they don’t do anything that draws their instructor’s attention.

Drill Instructor: You’re dead! grab you!

Narrator: The event gets even more grueling in the rain where we found Mayra and her squad. What started out as dirt quickly turned to mud thanks to a passing storm.

Mayra: My hip is starting to hurt and I was having trouble keeping the gun off the sand. So it was really tough this morning.

Narrator: The recruits go into the forest.

Recruits: Ready!

Mayra: Jump!

Recruits: Jump away!

Narrator: Overcome a series of obstacles as a team.

Recruit: Aye, sir!

Narrator: Which made things more difficult for Lazaro and his team in the rain.

Lazaro: It was very exciting to make it from the beginning of the boot camp to the end. And happy to be here with my sister and having a once in a lifetime moment.

Recruit: I’ve seen a lot of improvements in myself. I tried to work on myself – more than just physically.

Narrator: Recruits are invited to share their personal stories in sessions titled Core Values.

Recruit: I’ve pushed as far as I can wherever I can. And while I was smart for college, I never had the motivation. But somehow the marines were the only thing that always motivated me.

Recruit: You know that one thing everyone says that helps them get by? This is my mother and this is my father. He died two years ago and it was hard for her. So it kind of got home, and I’m here, so I can’t wait to call her and be like, “Yo, Mom. I finally made it.”

Recruit: I feel like I’ve found a part of myself that I didn’t have before. And I don’t really fit anywhere else.

Narrator: As the second day draws to a close, these recruits are only a 14.5 km trek back to the parade deck from official status as Marines.

[recruits sing]

Narrator: The melting pot has ended for the Hotel Company. But one final step remains: each recruit receives their Eagle Globe and Anchor emblem, symbolizing that they have officially become United States Marines.

Cimino: For the recruits, that’s what they’ve been fighting for the past 12 weeks. And often it is what they have wanted since childhood. It is absolutely amazing to see these men and women who have fought so hard for what they want and to see them finally achieve it.

Mayra: We started it together. We wanted to end this together.

Lazaro: Yes.

Producer: How did it feel when you picked this up?

Mayra: It felt like hope. A new future for our family.

Producer: Are you proud of her?

Lazaro: Yes, she did it, maybe surpassed me. I’m her older brother so I can see that she has grown into a very strong woman and Marine.

Producer: Are you hungry?

Lazaro & Mayra: Yes, sir.

Producer: How excited are you for this breakfast?

Mayra: Oh, very, sir. Very excited.

[Lazaro grunts]

Narrator: While the Eagle Globe and Anchor Ceremony is the most anticipated moment of boot camp, the Warrior’s Breakfast might be a close second.

Cimino: They are so lucky to be inside at this point. And they get steak and eggs. For them, it’s probably the closest thing to a home cooked meal while they’re here. You are incredibly lucky.

Rendering of electroslag remelting apparatus and cross sections

Electroslag remelting (ESR), also known as electroflux remelting, is a process for remelting and refining steel and other alloys for mission-critical applications in aircraft, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, military engineering, and others.[1]

Electroslag remelting (ESR) is used to remelt and refine steels and various super alloys, resulting in high quality ingots. This process can be started by vacuum induction melting. The ESR process uses the as-cast alloy as the consumable electrode. Electric current (generally alternating current) is passed between the electrode and the new billet, which is formed in the bottom of a water-cooled copper mold. The new ingot is covered with technical slag, which is overheated by electric current. The tip of the electrode is slowly melted by contact with the slag. These metal droplets migrate through the slag to the bottom of the water-cooled mold and slowly freeze as the ingot solidifies in an upward direction from the bottom of the mold. The slag pool floats above the refined alloy and continuously floats upward as the alloy solidifies. The molten metal is cleaned of impurities that chemically react with the slag or otherwise float to the surface of the molten pool as the molten droplets pass through the slag.[2]

Electroslag remelting uses highly reactive slags (calcium fluoride, lime, alumina or other oxides are usually the main ingredients) to reduce the amount of Type A sulfide in biometallic alloys. This is a common practice in European industry. ESR also reduces other types of inclusions and is considered an alternative to the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process that is prevalent in US industry.

An example of the use of Electroslag Refined (ESR) steel technology is the L30 tank gun.

CrNi60WTi is a stainless steel best formed by either electroslag remelting or vacuum arc remelting. This alloy can be used to build nuclear power plants.[3]

See also[edit]

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The dross is mostly aluminum oxide which is already present on the surface of the metal before it even gets into the furnace, as the aluminum melts the oxides separate and float to the top.

Recycled aluminum is typically relatively thin material with a high surface area to volume ratio and therefore a relatively high level of surface oxide compared to ingot, especially if the material has been anodized.

For example, if the oxide layer is 4 microns thick, this is a negligible amount for a 5kg ingot, but if you melt a 0.1mm thick foil, the oxide layer on both sides will be 10% of the total thickness.

So a lot of the dross is simply slicing out what’s already there in the source material, which you can do very little about.

You can minimize any additional oxide formation during smelting by controlling the atmosphere in the furnace to reduce oxygen availability, although practicality depends on the facility operated.

Separating the material by thickness and adding the thinner material to already melted metal would also help a bit.

First of all congratulations. You melted steel. That’s great.

Second, you fired your foundry to 1400oC. Aluminum melts at 660 oC. The aluminum ingots you cast will look a bit dull, which may indicate you overheated the metal (if the internet is to be trusted). Maybe turn the air down or something to reduce the heat output of your fire.

I wonder why your steel crucible failed. Others have had multiple casts successfully with similar setups. Do you heat the crucible with no scrap in it? The aluminum evens out the heat as it begins to melt. For example, when I melted down some 3xx aluminum the other day, the cast iron pan first started to glow, but then the aluminum melted and the pan went black again. Well, in the sunshine it looked black. When I did another session in the evening with much less light, the pan glowed a bit as the aluminum melted. The point is that aluminum spreads the heat around the pan.

The correct method, of course, is to use a pyrometer to measure the temperature of the molten aluminum. I don’t have one, so I use a trick I read about on the internet, which is watching for the last piece of scrap to melt, then counting that many seconds, and then pulling out the crucible. For my setup with a gas forge it’s about 30 seconds. Another method is to go by color. If you look at the diagram you can see that a dull red corresponds to about 650 oC.

Third, I used a cast iron skillet, about $10 at Wally World. I had previously gotten a 2″ x 5 pipe nipple and cap and the price was about the same. The problem is that you have to break the aluminum into tiny pieces to get it into a 2″ pipe. The pan was much easier. I added 2′ angles with some 1/4-20 hardware. (See http://mikegigi.com/meltmetl.htm for more hints. This guy is hardcore.)

Forth, make some green sand. So easy. Just get some sand (must be dry) and some clay. Add some water and mix, mix, mix. I used fireclay, but you can use other stuff like ground cat litter or bentonite. Then you can make any shape you want. I used a small paint can to make nicely shaped ingots. It’s so easy and I wish I’d learned it a decade ago.

Fifth, figure out how to make your setup convenient and reliable. It’s easy to work on a project when you’re inspired and curious, but what if you need to cast something out of aluminum to solve a real-world problem? I know it’s a hobby and you do it for fun, but why not capture the knowledge you’ve gained so you can review it in a jiffy? Just a thought, Mr Fox.