Industrial Challenge-Kentucky Electric Steel Melt Shop

[nkalanaga]

The "trash yard" is effectively abandoned.  The local residents never liked having a landfill there, and really hated the idea of importing trash, so filed enough legal and regulatory challenges that they had to quit taking out-of-state trash.  It would be a great intermodal transfer site, or an industrial site, but now it sits there, unused, with a bunch of container cranes and trucks sitting around.  The landfill is an old strip mine site, but again, I don't remember any complaints about the mining.  Many of the people of this area complain about the lack of jobs, but then complain just as loudly if a new industry tries to come in.  They want the old ones back!  It's not a progressive area by any means.

Oddly, the old feed mill, now a dog food factory, marked as Hyland on the map, can stink just as bad, but I've never heard a complaint about it.

We have an aluminum mill planned for the area, which might ship or receive by rail, but it won't be near a rail line.  I could see them transferring stuff at the "trash yard", but with KES closing, that would be a better transfer site.  This isn't an aluminum smelter, but a plant that will take raw ingots and turn them into sheets, bars, and shapes, at least partly for the auto industry.

[Kentuckian]

I hope the aluminum mill actually happens. I guess in the near future car bodies will be made totally out aluminum and plastic.

Anyway, though the steel mill modelers yahoo group I have received quite an education recently. I am re-designing how the electric furnace will be built and positioned in the building. Jack Klein generously shared a clinic on modeling an arc furnace that he presented at the 2014 steel mill modelers meet. If you are interested, you may want to join that group.

I have completed building the four walls; but they still need to have panel lines scribed and paint applied.
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A new project is an excuse to buy new tools, yes?
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This cuts the structural shapes faster, cleaner, and straighter than I can with a razor saw/miter box. I have to work my way up to a mini table saw. Another Harbor Freight deal.

[Kentuckian]

Building the Furnace. I am going to try to stay with this sub-assembly until completed. The nice thing about a large structure is that there is always something different to work on. Giving the lid some lip:
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I ordered a bag of cheap plastic gears that came with two racks. I need the teeth to make the Furnace titling mechanism.
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There are several more details to add to the Furnace shell. The bottom of the Furnace, or the hearth, will be the gum ball machine container lid. The lip on the Furnace lid is completed.
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[narrowminded]

A new project is an excuse to buy new tools, yes?
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This cuts the structural shapes faster, cleaner, and straighter than I can with a razor saw/miter box. I have to work my way up to a mini table saw. Another Harbor Freight deal.

Handy saw.    You can get abrasive cutoff wheels for that saw, good for cutting steel.  The brand I got is Falcon, made in USA, 2" diameter with 3/8" arbor.  I believe it was on Amazon.   

Watch the arbor bolt.  It has a shallow hex and can easily strip out.  At least mine did.  And it was discovered trying to remove it.   There was room under the guard for a standard socket head bolt.

Nice build.  Good luck.

[Kentuckian]

Handy saw.  

Watch the arbor bolt.  It has a shallow hex and can easily strip out.  At least mine did.  And it was discovered trying to remove it.   There was room under the guard for a standard socket head bolt.

Nice build.  Good luck.

Thanks. Yes, I have read that the arbor bolt is aluminum, not steel.

[Kentuckian]

I really like the precision cuts the chop saw makes. This is the bottom of the Furnace. It’s not exactly according to Hoyle, but close. This is all Evergreen 1/4” I beam.

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However, I was kind of scared to use the saw because the power switch was a rocker. A “real” chop saw has a normally open push button or trigger switch; the saw is not on unless you are pushing on the switch. This saw runs when the rocker is in the on position.

I searched the internet  for mods, and found instructions here http://madnessinminiatures.blogspot.com/2015/11/harbor-freight-chopmiter-saw.htmlto modify the saw with a push button. Now the original switch is an “arming” switch, and the push button is power. I think it is much safer.

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[narrowminded]

I like the momentary contact switch.  Hadn't thought of it but it would be pretty useful and would actually improve on the safety of the factory push button travel release while making some setups a little easier. 

Since you've started and are after the accuracy you might consider a wave washer (or two as needed) on the pivot shaft to take the end play out of that, keeping the frame loaded in one direction.  Pull the pin out and insert the spring washer between the frames keeping it loaded one direction.  Or just be aware of that play and keep it manually loaded in one direction when setting up and then with each cut.  With a decent stop and all end play under control you should be able to repeat cut lengths, promised within .003" and probably better.   

[Kentuckian]

I did put an extra washer in the saw, thanks for the advice. A stop and support bed may be in the future when I have a permanent bench to put it on. I have a place picked out in the unfinished part of the basement, but for now I am trying to concentrate on the challenge project itself.

I had minor outpatient  surgery on Friday. Everything went really well; in and out in four hours, praise the Lord. I’m off this week to recover, so I hope to get a lot done. Being away from the project has allowed me to consider some things.

I’m not satisfied with the roof. I was using Mr. Jack Klein’s excellent PowerPoint about his build of an HO scale blast Furnace. Walthers did not proportionally shrink the Furnace to N scale, but the fault is mine, the N scale roof is apparently the same thickness as the HO one! Anyway, I removed the previously installed 1/8” channel, cut off .060” from the bottom of the roof, and did some sanding. This has already been accomplished; the photo is a re-creation.

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My final roof thickness should be 3/16”. Now I just need to get some 3/16” channel to re-wrap the roof. I think it is more proportional to the Furnace shell. Yes, there is more cleanup to do to the shell, and a few more details to add.

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[Kentuckian]

Got to the LHS today, got the 3/16” channel, and fixed the Furnace roof. This is the slag door side of the Furnace, and there is still some cleanup to do.

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Still pondering about the Furnace supports, so I started on the transformer vault. The dark pieces are from the kit. Walthers only provides two walls. I split the longer wall to get most of one end wall; I scratchbuild the fourth section. The back wall of the vault won’t be very visible once the Furnace is in the building, and especially when the building is on the layout. So the back wall is just sidewalk sheet; this gives at least a similar pattern as the rest of the vault.

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[Kentuckian]

Ok, I don’t know what I was thinking last night; I must have been upset when UK lost to UT. Anyway, after some measuring and looking at photos, the transformer vault is just three sections wide, not four. If I didn’t have to do everything twice, I’d be done by now. Didn’t someone just post that it’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from it?

The chop saw makes fabricating these vents from rectangular tubing pretty easy.
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You’ve got to love large industrial structure modeling! I used my 18 volt Makita to drill these 5/32” holes. The cables from the transformer to the electrode bus bars will come through these holes.
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[Kentuckian]

Started work on the Furnace tilt/support. Nothing to show yet. Also did some more glueing, and some first paint coats.

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Yes, the Furnace vent is a 1/4” copper elbow that was cut and filed. The electrode mast and safety railings will be added after some more painting.

[Calumet]

Hey Kentuckian,

I was reading the thread and saw you comment that you are bad at cutting window openings. I am also bad at window openings. Have you tried using a nibbling tool? HVAC guys use them to make square holes in sheet metal. Works great for window openings. I have attached a picture of mine. I bought it on amazon for about $12.

-Jack

[Kentuckian]

Hey Kentuckian,

I was reading the thread and saw you comment that you are bad at cutting window openings. I am also bad at window openings. Have you tried using a nibbling tool? HVAC guys use them to make square holes in sheet metal. Works great for window openings. I have attached a picture of mine. I bought it on amazon for about $12.

-Jack

No, I haven’t tried this tool. Thanks for the suggestion. My local hobby shop carries these; after the Challenge is over I will try one. One reason I choose a steel mill is because there are not any windows!

[Kentuckian]

Supports for the Furnace tilting mechanism. I’m planning on cleaning off the spray adhesive when it dries.

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[Kentuckian]

I haven’t been able to get much done lately. Life has gotten in the way, as other Challengers have noted. However, tomorrow is supposed to be a dry day so maybe some more spray bombing will get done.

This is probably overkill for the brick paper, but a wise man one said “Overkill is underrated.”

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Testing the support/tilt mechanism:

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I have been waiting on some parts for the electrode mast to come in and now they are here, so I hope no more procrastination.