re: #447 Unshaken Defiance

Good point
Camping-Boiling would be what 90C at 6000 feet? 101 in death valley, below sea level…

I work in molten metals. Customers cast them in very sophisicated machines. One guy pulled vacuum in the melting chamber, routine for some alloys but a very bad idea with brass. The zinc boiled so hard certain parts inside were ruined. He switched to pressure on the brass, vacuum in the casting chamber problem solved.

Ouch. Out of curiosity though, why is that routine? just to lower the melting point? (can’t imagine that’s going to make much of a difference with most metals and it’d seem easier to just fill the chamber with something inert if oxidation is the issue)