To make a homemade hearth you will need an old (possibly broken) infrared heater, or rather a quartz tube from it, as well as additional ceramic elements. The result is a compact hearth for a home workshop in which lead and aluminum can be melted.
First of all, it is necessary to cut off two pieces of the same length from the quartz tube of the infrared heater. For this purpose, a diamond crown is perfect, which is designed for the chuck of a power drill or screwdriver. You can also use a drill.
The ends along the edges of the tube in the place of the cut are aligned with a diamond crown. As a basis for a homemade hearth, you can use a piece of ordinary ceramic tile. Still need a nichrome heating coil. If possible, it is better to use a cantal wire, from which it is easy to wind a spiral on its own.
The main stages of work
From a ceramic tile we cut a small piece in size of the future thermocouple. To do this, you first need to scratch the surface with a metal scriber, and then with a black or blue marker.
Then we drill holes using a ceramic drill to install ceramic elements. At the next stage, we assemble the heating element, after which we proceed to the manufacture of a homemade furnace body.
For this we will use aerated concrete block. It will take two pieces of 30x20 cm, 10 cm high. We make a recess for the heating element and drill a couple of holes for the wires.
For a detailed process of making a homemade mini hearth from an old heater, see the video on the website.
