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• In order to take care of the voids, I mixed up small amounts of the refractory and using the palm of my hand I rubbed the refractory into the voids in a circular motion, making sure I filled them all completely. I let that dry for about an hour. I then took a kitchen sifter and sifted some refractory into a fine powder, dumping the bigger particles back into the bag. I used this to make a fine paste that I then went over the areas I had previously patched. This left the area nice and smooth. It is hard to tell where it has been patched.

• This final picture is of the first light of the furnace, made about 36 hours after pouring the refractory. I have been making short 5-minute heats at low gas pressure (about 2 psi) to start driving the moisture out of the refractory. I let the furnace set and cool down about an hour in between heats. In the past three days I have made about 8 such heats and I am gradually increasing the heat. I am still getting steam coming out so I will continue until the steam stops and then wait a few days and give it a try at operating temperature.

• Stay tuned for crucible design and build.

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