Does anyone do aluminum casting and blacksmith work?

[cg 2005]

I got about $35.00 into this oven. The pot will cook about 50 cubic inches per melt. I use three different molds and a hole in the ground, but generally cast a 4"x4"x2" ingot. The largest mold will make an 8"x3"x3" ingot.

The oven is powered by a propane torch. It take about 15 minutes to melt one pot.

 

[strantor]

cg 2005, where do you get your aluminum that you melt down, and what kind is it?

 

[cg 2005]

cg 2005, where do you get your aluminum that you melt down, and what kind is it?

. I get all of my Al from a small local metal recycler. He charges me a dollar a pound for anything I buy. I never get any extruded Al. Most of what !I get are floor drops from a machine shop. It could be anything from 6061 to aircraft quality. I have gotten a few sheets of 1" plate. Some I use as is, depending on what I am going to make, but most I melt down into my own ingots.