Home Built Equipment

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,072
1,155
Detector(s) used
Whites, Fisher, Garrett, and Falcon.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I'm specifically looking for an oil burner made by Beckett.

View attachment 2014084
I think these Beckett burners where used in small homes and mobile homes like in the 1960's - 1970's. I have seen them.

I have a very old steam cleaner and I think it has a different brand of oil burner however I will go take a look.

I think I will start looking at Craig's listings for pottery kilns etc.

Propane burners can be made out of like two gas dryer burners. That's what I'm going to do to start with. I still need a pile of fire bricks for material to make a fire chamber. I got very lucky at a garage sale for a commercial tile size saw in the near past.
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,072
1,155
Detector(s) used
Whites, Fisher, Garrett, and Falcon.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Making a fire chamber makes sense to check out pyrites other minerals etc. if that is in the ore rocks.

Maybe fire some black sands as well for tests to see what mite be there.
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
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The weather has warmed up enough to put the copper parting cell back to work. Copper plates over to a sheet of stainless steel sheet while the silver drops to the bottom of the cell as sludge.

Third image down, burning off the oils and the remainder of foam insulation.

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silver.png

cell1.png

cell2.png
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
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Flotation of ore, one of the ingredients used in the chemistry is pine oil. With this home made still I'm able to recover oils from all of the local conifers.

Any ethanol made from other source material is used to make glycerin soap, one of my neighbors makes tinctures.

oil still.jpg
 

crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I love me some homemade tools and equipment,show,s the old spirit is still alive.Can,t find it or can,t afford store bought?Make it yourself out of stuff others throw away then laugh while you use it to make something useful.Way to go alloy and everyone else too.KUDOS!
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
629
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I love me some homemade tools and equipment,show,s the old spirit is still alive.Can,t find it or can,t afford store bought?Make it yourself out of stuff others throw away then laugh while you use it to make something useful.Way to go alloy and everyone else too.KUDOS!
The large column is filled with broken glass, once the first vapors coming off completely pre-heat the glass then only those vapors will pass through.

As the temperature on the thermometer begins to rise you'll know the first vapors have been exhausted.

As soon as the snow is gone I'll be out in the woods harvesting black spruce branches to distill for the essential oils.

I've been making home made soap from waste restaurant cooking oil, I end up giving most of it away to neighbors. This year I'm going to add some black spruce oil into the soap.

To make the glycerin soap you need ethanol, some folks would consider it waste of good liquor.
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
629
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No oil burner, so I'm stuck using propane. These small 20 pound bottles freeze up, to alleviate the problem I built this manifold yesterday to draw gas from two bottles.

The 20 pounders are dump finds, using up the gas before removing the brass.

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desertgolddigger

Bronze Member
May 31, 2015
1,018
1,870
Twentynine Palms, California
Detector(s) used
Bounty Hunter Time Ranger
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I usually never read any part of a thread like this because I haven't a clue about any of it. But just from scanning things I've learned just how creative, skilled, and also how inquisitive some people are. Just amazed at how what looks like junk, can be put to useful purposes. Have fun in these endeavours, and be safe.
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
629
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Starting a new hobby, that will give more value to my scrap copper - electrotyping aka electroforming..

How these techniques fit in with metal detecting, well should you find a rare coin you could make an exact replica.

Using RTV silicon with a mold release to make an impression paint the inside of the mold with electrically conductive material such as graphite or a paint which contains silver or copper.

This short Youtube video shows the process.

 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,072
1,155
Detector(s) used
Whites, Fisher, Garrett, and Falcon.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
While I was on vacation, acquired two oil burners, one sits on its own stand.
Love to see your project in steps. Sounds interesting.
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
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Tumbler made from landfill treadmill and an old propane tank. One dry run with a couple wet ones now a bag of garnet to use for abrasive.

We're going to abrade silver from plated tableware.

mill.jpg
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
629
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Acquired two 250 gallon propane tanks, gave one to my neighbor, mine is going to be made into a larger essential oil still.

I've already opened up the top to a much larger opening, over the winter months the tank is airing out. In the spring it will get a caustic soda rinse to remove any stink left over.

250.png
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
629
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The cooler came fro,m the local pizza shop, owner also wanted to get rid of a non working Berkel meat slicer. Gave this to one of my neighbors, he discovered it just needs a new belt which has been ordered off of fleabay.

As for the cooler I'm thinking maybe a controlled environment to grow shrooms.

cooler.jpg
 

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alloy_II

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
629
1,028
Starting a new hobby, that will give more value to my scrap copper - electrotyping aka electroforming..

How these techniques fit in with metal detecting, well should you find a rare coin you could make an exact replica.

Using RTV silicon with a mold release to make an impression paint the inside of the mold with electrically conductive material such as graphite or a paint which contains silver or copper.

This short Youtube video shows the process.


Electrolytic conductive paints are expensive, considering there's only 12 grams of metal per pint. I'll be making my own.

copper.jpg
 

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N-Lionberger

Bronze Member
Dec 1, 2013
1,359
1,950
Arcata, California
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1212-x
Fisher Gold Bug 2
Whites 4900/SP3
Dowsing rods
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Making some supplies for the Cold months , The Heads are great for starting the BBQ & use as starting fluid for the chain saw , The rest warms the body when it's cold . :laughing7:
View attachment 2069663
That’s a great classic looking still thumper and all.
 

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