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The defrost cycle is similar to what you want, I doubt the actual cycle would match up.
The idea is if you had something like pen blanks that are always the same size you could work out the pattern to dry them effectively. You heat the wood until it’s warm to drive out a bit of water, let it cool down and go round and round heaps of times. Bonus points for having temperature & weight sensors to fully automate it.
It is a novel technique; you can do things like turn a bowl from green (wet) wood, microwave it and bend it into a square-ish shape or something ‘impossible’. Similar to steam bending.
You can just it to heat metal parts, eg to get a bearing on/off a shaft. Wrap a wet towel around the bearing and microwave it. The towel will get hot and so heat the bearing. Beats getting the torch out.
But yeah, I can’t really think of something a microwave can do that’s impossible or hard otherwise.
Tony
From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Monday, 15 February 2016 2:50 AM
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] Use for microwave oven ?
Tony,
Would the defrost cycle on minimum work to dry wood? It would be automatic.
For getting labels off magazines or other items I use a heat gun. The wife’s hairdryer would work very well too.
Bertho
From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2016 01:47
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] Use for microwave oven ?
The metal casting needs special crucibles made out of exotic ceramics or something like that.
I've got a microwave in the shop, I occasionally use it to heat up water to use as a bath for something else - eg etchant. To be honest a kettle would be better and can still be used to make a cup of tea.
The microwave was intended for curing wood. You turn down green wood and then microwave it a few times to drive out the moisture. The wood also goes a bit plastic so you can mould it. I haven't played with that much but the wood moulding is kinda fun. The drying is a bit tedious as you microwave for a minute or so, let it cool and repeat (many many times) until the wood stops losing weight.
If you're thinking 'hey you could automate that' so is everyone else but no-one ever bothers to get 'roud tuit.
I've got a toaster / pizza oven that's more useful as you can control the temperature. Excellent for getting decals off things; many glues will start to release at around 80 degrees which is under even the melting point for plastics so you can get labels off things without damage and reuse them.
As Stefan mentioned making a spot welder out of it is an idea. Microwave ovens for have lots a salvageable parts (motor, transformer, big-arse magnets, microswitches, thermal cut-out, relays, AC filter etc).
Tony