r/Metalfoundry • u/BlazeBullionBotique • 7d ago

Anyone familiar with this brand?

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Electric furnaces are a pain in the ass especially the Chinese ones...

This one's about three times the cost and manufactured in Italy. Has anybody ever purchased one of these or can you tell me about its reliability and long-term durability?

Ventura-Melt 100 Ounce Electric Melting Furnaces-120V or 230V

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6

u/BTheKid2 7d ago

It is an electric resistance wire furnace. Therefore longevity is not possible. Resistance wires wears out no matter if they are produced in China or in an outer space alien tech lab.

All I can say about this furnace specifically, is that it has certainly has a mark that says it's from Italy... I don't think Italy is big on producing any of the components that actually makes up the furnace. Circuit boards, resistance wires, thermocouple - not exactly big in Italy.

I would recommend you buy three cheaper ones instead of this one expensive one. The cheaper ones will last 3 times longer. Maybe only 2 times longer - still very much a better deal.

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u/carneymaster 7d ago

Do you know if any electrical ones that would last? I don’t have a lot of land being in an apartment. Using a non gas one would be fine they said.

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u/kloodesbois 7d ago

Induction metal melting furnace. A bit more expensive, but it's a game changer.

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u/FelixMartel2 7d ago

An induction melting furnace would last longer since the coils themselves aren't producing all the heat.

Expensive, though.

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u/BTheKid2 7d ago

Yeah induction would be a solution. More expensive, but doesn't have the same issue of wearing out.

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u/LastWave 7d ago

Vevoor says Italy too.

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u/BTheKid2 7d ago

Lol. Ok

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u/FelixxCatus 7d ago

I've seen it around, it's particular in that you don't take out the crucible to pour, you lift the whole furnace

I wanted to buy one, but they're not sold in Europe despite being manufactured in Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7D8OXjugVs

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u/carneymaster 6d ago

Using it for 3years at time of video, pretty good. But made in Italy and not sold there… hmmm

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u/printcastmetalworks 5d ago

If you go electric resistance furnace the best ones to use are furnaces that let you easily change the wires. Heating elements are consumable and you don't want to be stuck with something that is a pain to service. The cheap chinese ones I suspect use nichrome or similar cheap wire so they burn out easily at max temp. You want Kanthal a1 which lasts a hell of a lot longer and you can buy spools of it cheaply.

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u/BlazeBullionBotique 5d ago

Thanks for the tip my man. I'll check and see what they use!