Gadgetmans Induction Annealer

I've been gathering together bits to make a couple of annealing and with the weather improving it was time to start work.

I gave up looking for a source of plastic for the trapdoor so went the DIY route. I made up a mould from some old used angle iron I had kicking around, didn't have anything big and flat enough for the base so I split some more angle and welded them flat before grinding flattish. Bung it in an oven at 180C and slowly add 90g (two chopped up 2l milk bottles) and periodically squash it flat. Net result a 100x46x23mm block of HDPE to work with.

Attachment 98168

Attachment 98166

[Attachment 98167

Squared it up with the old Stanley plane then bunged it in the cheap arse milling vice on the drill press with the stop nuts used to lock it up. With a $14 aliexpress T-slot cutter and a bit of monkeying around I have slots cut in the two blocks and a hole for the brass. Chopped up some HDPE board for the trapdoor. Very slick operation.

Attachment 98171

I decided to use some remote control servos that I had bought a bulk load of. The advantages of using these are that they are cheap and the sweep can be well controlled. I've been working on the control system on and off for a bit so hooked it all up or a quick function test. Just an Arduino that controls the 40A solid state relay, servo and screen. With the switch in the off position you can change the anneal time using a couple of buttons, then flick the switch to run mode. The servo needs to be reversed, but that'll only take a couple of minutes in the program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO2eG6ilEHQ

Next step will be throwing it all together in a case along with the actual annealing bits, power supplies, coil, liquid cooling, ... the easy bits. Will mount the trapdoor block on some curtain rail so it can slide up and down to suit the size of brass.

So cool, I wish i had more spare time and less unfinished jobs......

Awesome when you get these working how much will they be :ORLY:

looking good

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Originally Posted by sometimes1

Awesome when you get these working how much will they be :ORLY:

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Two! Since I'm making a pair. All up for parts about $120 since I'm using up old bits of all sorts of essentially rubbish.

I like that method of making the plastic block, did it come out reasonably uniform? The old oven narrowly missed out on going to the tip yesterday because it had plenty of flat steel... it may now end up wired up in the garage

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Originally Posted by Chilli_Dog

I like that method of making the plastic block, did it come out reasonably uniform? The old oven narrowly missed out on going to the tip yesterday because it had plenty of flat steel... it may now end up wired up in the garage

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Came out very well indeed. I'll be doing that more often as it is an easy and cheap way to get a lump to machine. Bloody expensive to buy when you can find it.

Please build me one :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

Came out very well indeed. I'll be doing that more often as it is an easy and cheap way to get a lump to machine. Bloody expensive to buy when you can find it.

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I have a few blocks of UHMWPE that I got from the offcuts bin at Ludoici or Mulford engineering or ELP or whoever they are now, relatively cheap but really depends on what is there when you go in