Annealing gray iron castings

[BobsModels]

ChazzC, Richard

Getting on track to the thread title, you both seem to have a lot of experience. Could you share your personal experiences annealing gray cast iron? When building your models that have iron castings have you had luck with any of the processes above or another process or just use them as delivered?

Bob

 

[Richard Hed]

ChazzC, Richard

Getting on track to the thread title, you both seem to have a lot of experience. Could you share your personal experiences annealing gray cast iron? When building your models that have iron castings have you had luck with any of the processes above or another process or just use them as delivered?

Bob

I have no experience with that.

 

[ChazzC]

Yes. Also, the James Webb telescope. It ran on and on for years, delays for what ever reason. Truly, I thot, I would not live to see it launched. But now the thing is sending back truly revolutionary information. Of course, it was not an emergency like war or cold war.

Not the place but if we ever are in the same vicinity we can spend an evening over beer discussing my experience with government and business making short term monetary decisions that cost lives in the long run.

 

[ChazzC]

I have no experience with that.

And I have to admit that my experience is based on reading (Guy Lautard IIRC, and maybe old issues of Model Engineering)


EDIT: If you can wait until Spring when I will be able to drive again I could pay my Amish acquaintances that run a small foundry what they think.

 

[BobsModels]

And I have to admit that my experience is based on reading (Guy Lautard IIRC, and maybe old issues of Model Engineering)


EDIT: If you can wait until Spring when I will be able to drive again I could pay my Amish acquaintances that run a small foundry what they think.

ChazzC

Not sure what I have to wait for, I have been having cast iron annealing done for me or by me for over 45 years, including several Amish foundries back in late '80s. I am very happy with my results. I and others of course are always willing to learn, as from JasonB in his post and others here. So please do get back to us with your acquaintances input when you get a chance. I too know what it is like to be driving restricted for a bit, kinda crimps your style.

Bob

 

[ChazzC]

ChazzC

Not sure what I have to wait for, I have been having cast iron annealing done for me or by me for over 45 years, including several Amish foundries back in late '80s. I am very happy with my results. I and others of course are always willing to learn, as from JasonB in his post and others here. So please do get back to us with your acquaintances input when you get a chance. I too know what it is like to be driving restricted for a bit, kinda crimps your style.

Bob

Sling until after recovery & PT, and the replacement surgery isn’t until December so it will be a while. However, I’ll add this to my to-do list.

 

[clockworkcheval]

Anything that needs annealing - cast iron, steel, weldments - i throw into my woodstove end of day. The temperature will then be around 700 degrees Celsius. In the morning I take them out. Works for me.

 

[skyline1]

Anything that needs annealing - cast iron, steel, weldments - i throw into my woodstove end of day. The temperature will then be around 700 degrees Celsius. In the morning I take them out.

We would do the same by putting them into our coke fired furnace after the pour with just natural draught and letting them cool with the fire

Regards Mark

 

[Jasonb]

Here's one I cooked in the week and starte dmachining today.

Build up a good hot bed and then put the castings on top

Keep feeding the fire and get it nice and hot, castings will slowly drop down

Actually almost dark but the hot embers could be seen through the vents for several hours. Still warm to the touch the next morning.

Even the sticky out bits which ar ethe most prone to hard areas drilled nicely. For scale the holes are 3.5mm and the lugs 7mm wide. This maker of castings had a reputation for supplying hard ones but all seems well so far now that they have been treated.