Foundry

[Mike N]

Has anyone bought a foundry kit from Lost & Foundry?

http://www.foundry101.com/search.htm



View attachment Foundry.bmp

 

[rake60]

I have never bought one but that site has been in my bookmarks for
a couple of years now.

Rick

 

[Mike N]

I have never bought one but that site has been in my bookmarks for
a couple of years now.

Rick

Mine Too! ???

 

[Kludge]

And I just added it to mine. The last time I did sand casting was in high school and this looks like a wonderful way to get brought up to date and put a small foundry on the lanai.

I wonder if they'll put one on lay-away ...

BEst regards,

Kludge

 

[tmuir]

Oh if only they were in Australia I would order one tonight... :'(

On the way back from the hardware store today I dropped into an antique shop and by chance stumbled across a nice set of rust cast iron mini cake trays.
Absoluetly perfect for making small ingots from let over aliuminium so snapped them up to be filed away when I finally get round to try and cast ali.

 

[jack404]

Tmuir my thoughts exactly

so much so i've sent a email asking if they would sell the furnace and bottle (snap flask) alone ( paying for sand thats mined 100 kilometers from me is silly) if my calculations are correct the freight on those two items and there cost is cheaper than the chinese made electric unit i borrow from my mate

chinese made $729 AUD plus GST ($801.90 AUD)

this one (US made) $310 USD
bottle (snap flask) $45 USD

total $355 USD or $561 AUD

USPS to Oz $143 AUD

Total shipped ( maybe waiting on responce if theres packing or handling fee's)

$704

If china starts buying coal or steel again then the dollar will be better as well

so this is a really viable option compared to the ultra cheapy available here..

cheers

jack

 

[tmuir]

Thats still not too bad and I have $600 OZ sitting in my paypal account from sales of a couple of toy steam engines.... must resist the urge until the OZ$ is better.......

 

[Tin Falcon]

Nice looking set up put it in my favorites
Tin

 

[xlchainsaw]

im really upset now!!! here ive been scrounging all my foundry gear and there is a place in spokane where i could have gotten all my needs!!! the thing is ive been casting for nearly a yr now and my stepson has just come home after spending 2 yrs studying in SPOKANE!!!!! he could have got me everything. they are a bit dear tho. the casting burner would be all right tho ,the rest you can make.

 

[tmuir]

True xlchainsaw but your setup works well even for brass and I bet it cost you a lot less in $ even though you had to invest a lot of time in it.

I must get off my backside and send you those patterns.

 

[Budgie]

The pre-made kits sound nice, but I built my aluminum foundry for about $400 CAD (~$320 USD), including a commercially made ceramic crucible. It turned out really nicely, and its something I'm proud to show people now that it's finished. I've got a bunch of information on my website (www.budgiemetalworks.ca).

Good luck!

 

[Mike N]

Has anyone bought a foundry kit from Lost & Foundry?

http://www.foundry101.com/search.htm

I broke down & ordered the large foundry kit yeterday, it should be here by March 5-6th. I have alot of yellow brass saved up to get started.

I will let you know how it works out!

 

[Bernd]

The pre-made kits sound nice, but I built my aluminum foundry for about $400 CAD (~$320 USD), including a commercially made ceramic crucible. It turned out really nicely, and its something I'm proud to show people now that it's finished. I've got a bunch of information on my website (www.budgiemetalworks.ca).

Good luck!

Check your PM

Regards,
Bernd

 

[rake60]

Brass is a little tougher to work with than aluminum.
Please do keep us updated when you receive your kit Mike.

Nice web sit you have there Budgie.
I enjoyed your casting videos.

Rick

 

[Flopearedmule]

Budgie,
That is really cool. How long does it take to melt 5lbs of Alum.?

 

[Loose nut]

You can get books from Lindsay Books and other web sites that show how to make your own foundry and equipment, thats what I did and was able to scrounge most of the materials, except the Fire clay for the refractory, and it cost almost nothing to make. Homemade gas burners are simple to make, the furnace itself takes a little work but is simple to do. A home built foundry will work just as good as a boughten one.

 

[Mike N]

I finally got around to trying out my furnace. I did not have very good luck with my first casting. I need to make a larger gate & runner & add some vent holes so the cavity will fill to the top. This photo shows my results, I will try again this weekend & see if I can improve on the process.

 

[maury]

Mike, how did you gate that wheel?
In case you are interested, I would use a runner that is about 3/4 the size of the drag side size of the rim, extending (around the wheel) about 1 1/2" beyond 2 non adjacent spokes. Then run your gates directly into the rim where the 2 non-adjacent spokes are. The extension of the runner past the gates allows the dirt to be washed past the gates, and backflow of clean metal will then feed the casting. Also, it looks like you used aluminum. The spokes will cool first, choking the hub of molten metal. You will need a riser on the hub. make it about 3/4 the dia. of the hub and about 1 1/2" high. use about a 10deg taper with a round top. The round top will help the metal feed better from the center. Run the sprue down the center of the runner, with a rectangular well at the bottom of the sprue. Pose a poc of the good one.

maury

 

[Mike N]

Maury,

Thanks for the advise. This is my first try at foundry work.

I did use Aluminum. The wheel is 6" in Diameter. The rim is approx. 1 1/4" wide. I have attached a sketch of what I plan to try next. The runner will be 3/4" wide & 3/4" thick, the gates will be 3/4" wide & 1/2" thick. I will extend the upper hub at least one more inch. The sprue will be tapered with the large end 1" in diameter. I really want to pour the wheels in brass but I think I need to practice on the Aluminum first.

 

[maury]

Mike, unless you are pouring from a VERY large crucible, the sprue is way too big at 1". What will happen is the metal will suck air down the sprue and will disruption in the metal flow. The big problem with aluminum is that air will react with the metal and form slag which then will be in your casting. I suggest if you are using a tapered sprue, go about 3/8 to 5/8 range.

When I pour bronze, I use a 1/2" piece of brass tubing to cut the sprue, and spoon out a pouring funnel at the top. You want the sprue completely full of metal when pouring. If you are getting air pressue build up in the mold, poke some vents with 1/16 or 3/32 drill rod sharpened to a point. You will certainly want to vent the hub.

Disruption of metal flow is considered a very bad thing in the foundry business these days. I have been lectured at length by my foundry about gating the patterns for the Monitor and Aermotor. Not complaining, these lessons have paid off. The design of the gating system needs to provide smooth flow of the metal into the cavity. No sharp turns/corners...

The gates you suggest are a bit large also. You want the gate to give some backpressure to the flow of metal to keep the runner and sprue full as the pour fills the cavity. This also allows
the metal to flow a bit slower and allows the dirt to float up in the runner, even though with aluminum the effect is minimal, as the slag has about the same density as the metal.

Good luck
maury