Casting aluminum on a backyard

[Tim Keith]

Is a direct melting furnace a good choice for casting 50 pounds of aluminum ?

On Monday I'm visiting a foundry to observe them casting bronze!

 

[savarin]

Is a direct melting furnace a good choice for casting 50 pounds of aluminum ?

On Monday I'm visiting a foundry to observe them casting bronze!

Will they let you take photos

 

[Tim Keith]

I'll see if I can take photos.

 

[Tim Keith]

I'll see if I can take photos.

The furnace was below ground level. It was fueled by propane. Not much to see. They were melting brass and wax for investment casting

 

[vtcnc]

Likely front covers, water pumps, etc are permanent mold castings, not good. Cylinder heads, on the other hand may be a good source, at one time I cut up a number of Jaguar heads, good heavy sand castings.

@benmychree - Are die cast aluminum castings considered “permanent mold” castings?


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[r3292c]

Making 3-way pulley

 

[r3292c]

Another aluminum casting adventure

 

[benmychree]

@benmychree - Are die cast aluminum castings considered “permanent mold” castings?


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Yes, they are considered permanent mold castings; the alloy contains iron to prevent sticking of the aluminum to the molds, and causes castings made from such scrap to shrink to a higher extent and cause puckers in castings of uneven section. Pistons are poor scrap for making sand castings, and melting in an iron pot exascerbates the situation even more.

 

[Larry$]

For me, its not about using the perfect or correct alloy. Its about getting a casting that works for the intended use. I've never made a perfect casting! I try to improve my results but less than perfect is still fine. Its the doing and learning that turns my crank. I've never made something that is maxed out strength wise. If I feel I'm pushing it, I'll resort to the PDS system (Plenty Damn Strong.) Aluminum has a high rate of shrinkage no matter what the alloy. Design your patterns to compensate. Provide feed reservoirs for thick areas or better don't make thick areas. Use chill plates to control rates of solidifying so those areas can pull molten material from the feed areas as they shrink. Plan your sprue, gates, & well to minimize turbulence and prevent dross from entering the mold. You can buy chemicals to put on top of the finished pour that burn to keep it hot so metal continues to flow. Absolutely none of these are my ideas, but they make sense once observed in practice. All require judgement and practice. Credit Olfoundryman videos. Have fun, Failure is a system for learning. Its cheaper to learn from other's mistakes.