the delicate nature of moly's

[Fredi Vilina]

Do moly elements EVER get less fragile than when they are shipped? ( Yes I found out the hard way how fragile they are) Are they stronger when hot? do they go back to their fragile state when cold? or does multiple heating cooling cycles do something magical? Just kind of curious I have to move my furnace ( on casters with levelors) a few feet but don't want to barely breath on those elements let alone cause any vibration in the furnace to upset them.

[Rollin Karg]

I have moved my while hot,with the elements in the furnace and I would do it again. Just be as gentle as you can. I have also done it cold without breaking them but I don't consider this a good practice. Steve is the expert on this stuff and he will hopefully will have some sound advice.

[Steve Stadelman]

I have lots of customers who have moved their furnaces. If you need to move it, you need to move it.

[Eben Horton]

is it that hard to remove the elements? just slide them out and transport them separately?

[Barb Sanderson]

Yeah it sounds easy but I swear once those puppys have been fired you can breath on them the wrong way and they break. I broke one reinserting it into the furnace after the last pot change. It's that awful cha ching sound that hits you so hard in the pocket book. ouch!

Barb

[Pete VanderLaan]

is it that hard to remove the elements? just slide them out and transport them separately?

***************

Sod's Law ( one of my personal favorites)

"If you disturb it, it will break".

This really applies to old MG parts.

[Brent Hickenbotham]

Yeah it sounds easy but I swear once those puppys have been fired you can breath on them the wrong way and they break. I broke one reinserting it into the furnace after the last pot change. It's that awful cha ching sound that hits you so hard in the pocket book. ouch!

Barb


its not as bad as silicon carbide. thats just when the cash register burns up.

[Barb Sanderson]

How much do they cost? Just curious.....

Barb

[Steve Stadelman]

You know, I have around 150 furnaces out there and most of them have never broken a heater.

[Sky Campbell]

its not as bad as silicon carbide. thats just when the cash register burns up.

I think you have that backwards. Moly elements cost about twice as much as silicon carbide and I was comparing chinese Moly elements to kanthal silicon carbide. (not that kanthal would make a superior product) You also can run less elements overall using silicon carbide. Silicon carbide elements have a set life span and build resistance over time so in the long run moly could be cheaper but there hasn't been enough time to make that debate.

I'm not advocating silicon carbide over moly and I love Steve's designs. I just happen to build in between that evolutionary step.

[Barb Sanderson]

You know, I have around 150 furnaces out there and most of them have never broken a heater.

Are you saying that they aren't fragile? Or perhaps that I'm clutsy?

[Steve Stadelman]

They are fragile enough, but they are certainly not impossible to deal with.

[Jordan Kube]

I just replaced a pot in a 600# furnace today. 9 elements. We didn't break one. I've only broken two elements ever (that I know of). You just have to treat them with care. It sounds stupid but have things planned out. Have a clear space to put them. Have someone to hand them down to. Make sure there is a clear path where you need to walk. It will at least cut down your chances of breaking one.

[Chris McCarthy]

Mine went through an earthquake in April while I was in Texas and all was fine when I got home.

[Fredi Vilina]

mine broke because I didn't realize how fragile they are and I slipped one back out of the passage brick and the end slightly sprang open a little as it came out and it was like a tuning fork vibrating and then it just went pop and was in two pieces in my hand. Probably a good lesson learned and hopefully will keep me from breaking any more let alone doing something stupid and taking a few out at a time like when charging.

[Dan Buchacher]

Mine went through an earthquake in April while I was in Texas and all was fine when I got home.

Are you saying that they aren't fragile? Or perhaps that I'm clutsy?

If I was a smart-aleck, I would say there is a smart-aleck comment implied here somewhere, but I have chosen wisely to remain silent.....

[Chris McCarthy]

HA ha,

actually, i didn't see Barb's post, I was just posting my experience with the moly's in my furnace. Sorry to say no smart-aleck was even considered on this one. I'll try harder in the future.