Al
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2012
- Messages
- 2,206
- Location
- usa
- Vessel Name
- 'SLO'~BELLE
- Vessel Make
- 1978 Marben-27' Flybridge Trawler(extended to 30 feet) Pilothouse Pocket Cruiser[
Greetings Forum,
Not being anything close to a good science student, darn lucky to muster out of high school, I have found asking those with knowledge saves my butt.
Don't quite know where in the mix this thread should reside. Our 27 foot Marben is a huge roomy boat for the size, with a 10 beam and a 25 foot waterline length. The boat sits quite high even with 1500# of lead installed during construction, in the keel. Just seems to beg for some lower ballast to offset the 'I think I am a little top heavy roll' feel particularly with a following aft or quarter aft wave action.
Bucking or forward quartering the boat reacts well although it is a 'Rocking Horse" as it hinges on the stern, again it seems to beg for some ballast forward of the engine. (just aft of center).
The construction of the boat has the interior floor and decks fairly high so all the above deck weight begins approximately 3'.5" feet above the keel surface. The draft is 3'.6" and has a full keel. In a 40 foot boat all of this would be normal, however this boat when placed next to a 26 foot Tolly sits a foot higher all around and reflect the difference as one or two people move about. The cabin topside has the normal fly bridge configuration/weight associated. We carry 74 gallons of fuel, 48 gallons of H2O in cross wise configuration. The holding tank is 30 gallon to the Port side. We keep this tank at a minimum as it affects the trim if heavy.
I say all of this to give a perspective of the coming discussion.
In the keel area of the boat there is a depression that runs the full length of the boat. If you would, think of a bread pan mold. In other words, you could lay bread pans with their angled sided shape end to end in this depression slot. ( I had one constructed to lay under the engine with absorbent pads to catch the odd drop or two.)
Now we come to the question and discussion. I have access to a large amount of used zinc from a tug boat operation. While zinc is lighter than lead, it is free. I propose to melt the used zinc and pore it into bread baking pans. (Yes, I have a cauldron and a rosebud touch available)
Thoughts on results? One could picture the pans disintegration with the hot zinc, or if lucky, only form in such a way that the pans would become a part of the finished 'brick'. I suppose as a resort, steel cauldrons could be constructed. I am to understand that the pour into a cast iron cauldron will release, will the zinc release from a steel container? Suggestions?
Of course I have no ideal how much weight each bread pan ingot would weigh, only that zinc is at a scale of 7 and lead is at a scale of 10/11 what ever the scale represents, it is apparent that zinc is lighter.
If the weight were to be worth the effort, (A test melt and weigh would tell.) I am looking for 200+ lbs as a goal.
It is intended to proceed with that and of course results would be reported, just thinking a ongoing discussion leading up to that would be interesting.
Should it prove feasible, then additional melting in say a rectangular pan of some size would provide a thick sheet of zinc that could be placed further out beyond the keel area and possibly covered with a plywood surface to lock them in place.
Will be interested in comments, understand, you can not embarrass me, I am too old to fret!!
A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan, Alaska
27 foot Marben- with a dinky little perkins
Not being anything close to a good science student, darn lucky to muster out of high school, I have found asking those with knowledge saves my butt.
Don't quite know where in the mix this thread should reside. Our 27 foot Marben is a huge roomy boat for the size, with a 10 beam and a 25 foot waterline length. The boat sits quite high even with 1500# of lead installed during construction, in the keel. Just seems to beg for some lower ballast to offset the 'I think I am a little top heavy roll' feel particularly with a following aft or quarter aft wave action.
Bucking or forward quartering the boat reacts well although it is a 'Rocking Horse" as it hinges on the stern, again it seems to beg for some ballast forward of the engine. (just aft of center).
The construction of the boat has the interior floor and decks fairly high so all the above deck weight begins approximately 3'.5" feet above the keel surface. The draft is 3'.6" and has a full keel. In a 40 foot boat all of this would be normal, however this boat when placed next to a 26 foot Tolly sits a foot higher all around and reflect the difference as one or two people move about. The cabin topside has the normal fly bridge configuration/weight associated. We carry 74 gallons of fuel, 48 gallons of H2O in cross wise configuration. The holding tank is 30 gallon to the Port side. We keep this tank at a minimum as it affects the trim if heavy.
I say all of this to give a perspective of the coming discussion.
In the keel area of the boat there is a depression that runs the full length of the boat. If you would, think of a bread pan mold. In other words, you could lay bread pans with their angled sided shape end to end in this depression slot. ( I had one constructed to lay under the engine with absorbent pads to catch the odd drop or two.)
Now we come to the question and discussion. I have access to a large amount of used zinc from a tug boat operation. While zinc is lighter than lead, it is free. I propose to melt the used zinc and pore it into bread baking pans. (Yes, I have a cauldron and a rosebud touch available)
Thoughts on results? One could picture the pans disintegration with the hot zinc, or if lucky, only form in such a way that the pans would become a part of the finished 'brick'. I suppose as a resort, steel cauldrons could be constructed. I am to understand that the pour into a cast iron cauldron will release, will the zinc release from a steel container? Suggestions?
Of course I have no ideal how much weight each bread pan ingot would weigh, only that zinc is at a scale of 7 and lead is at a scale of 10/11 what ever the scale represents, it is apparent that zinc is lighter.
If the weight were to be worth the effort, (A test melt and weigh would tell.) I am looking for 200+ lbs as a goal.
It is intended to proceed with that and of course results would be reported, just thinking a ongoing discussion leading up to that would be interesting.
Should it prove feasible, then additional melting in say a rectangular pan of some size would provide a thick sheet of zinc that could be placed further out beyond the keel area and possibly covered with a plywood surface to lock them in place.
Will be interested in comments, understand, you can not embarrass me, I am too old to fret!!
A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan, Alaska
27 foot Marben- with a dinky little perkins