Melting odd bits and pices

[HaydenI.]

G'day all
I have left over bits of metal all from the same stick so can i make a pattern and then cast it with the left over matiral? the materal is gunmetal and i would like to cast my cylinders and bit to go with it with this left over gunmetal?

Hayden

 

[abby]

Hayden with so little information given an answer is difficult .
If your "bits of metal" are in the form of swarf then you have little chance of reclaiming them.
The losses when melting small scrap are large , even with a large flux loading
The remelted alloy will not be identical to the original spec as some of the zinc will be lost.
Suitable gunmetal for casting (red brass in the USA) is relatively easy to source.
Visit one or two local scrap dealers and look for old steam valves and fittings - not domestic plumbers fittings.
Incidentally .......it's material , to read your post and check the spelling before posting is good advice .
You will get more replies if members can understand you.

 

[seagar]

Abby,this is a hobby forum,not an english class.I would suggesd you stick to the forum topic and keep your rude ,uncalled for comments to yourself.

 

[abby]

Seagar...cobblers !

 

[Maryak]

Gentlemen,

Settle down please.

We will not tolerate personal remarks or flaming.

Nuff Said
Bob

 

[HaydenI.]

No need for fighting were here to lern
never been god at spelling reading or writing.

anyway, all the bits are cutoffs or bit i screwed up from the same bar abby and i know i will loss zinc but is it not possible to add that in during the melting process?
hayden

 

[Tin Falcon]

Hayden:

Home metal casting is a hobby unto itself. It requires a different set of tools a different skill set and different safety equipment. If you want to do small you may be able to get an educational casting kit from a jewelers supply house. it comes with a small flask and a small crucible and you will need a torch. For larger projects you will need a small furnace, crucible tongs etc. Typical home furnaces are built out of a 5 gallon metal pail or a 20lb lp tank. use a new tank for safety sake. Most home foundry guys melt aluminum to start with. from what I have read bronze is preferred over brass for foundry work.
what you want to do can be done . you need to decide if it is worth the time to learn foundry work and if it is worth the investment of time and money.
it may be cheaper to sell your scrap and buy a new piece of bar stock.

As far as the spelling goes we only ask people to do their best. I know there are many reasons why grammar and spelling is poor, ESL, head injuries lack of education. learning disorders etc.
This is not an English class and we do not expect perfection.
That said it is easier to understand well written posts. So make sure your spell check is turned on and read through your thread a couple times before hitting the submit button. This just helps us help you and avoids misunderstandings.
Tin

 

[abby]

Hayden , as already stated , home foundrywork is a complete hobby on it's own and it can be very rewarding.
If you have access to scrap supplies it is quite possible for even a novice to make up enough equipment and produce some useable castings.
You can add the missing elements to your melt but without some form of analysis you would not know how much.
Actually unless you are making something to an ISO spec etc I wouldn't bother with the content but be prepared to loose half of what you put in the crucible.
There is a very helpful forum here http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/forum.php where I am sure you will find anything you need to know.
As Tin says you might be better off selling your scrap and buying new , but if you still have the yen to have a go and want to see what is possible in the shed go and look here http://www.unionsteammodels.co.uk

 

[Springbok]

Hi Abbey
I would be interesting to know what the cylinders are for loco, stationary size etc, A friend of mine made one from an old circular spin drier, firebricks etc;
you will need to purchase safety gear, tongs crucibles must be used in a well aired stone building or outside.
He wanted to start makeing nameplates and small loco bits.
Good Luck
Bob.

 

[robcas631]

Is it practical to melt n smelt ones brass chips?

 

[abby]

Bob my old pal you need to lay off the wacky baccy lol!
The cylinders you probably mean are G1 1/2" x 7/8" , they suit many different engines and are possibly the cheapest on the market.
cylinders made from an old spindryer and firebricks ? now that must be a sight to see.
I purchased my safety gear and foundry tongs etc about 30 years ago when I started in business in my substantially built brick workshop but thanks for the sentiment.
Rob.
As with all small scrap losses will be great , some improvement can be made by briquetting bushy swarf.
You will need a very large crucible as it is not recommended that you add more swarf to a part melted charge
and you won't get very dense packing , use lots of flux and a lid on the crucible with a lump or two of charcoal underneath
you may get something back , worth a go for your own satisfaction.

 

[kye]

hi all,

im by no means an expert, this is just what ive found to be the case from my experiences casting things.

when i first stated out casting my supply was about 5kg of an unknown bronze alloy made up of 5mm in size chips from machine turning. ive never had any problems with melting it down as it is a copper based metal it really doesnt oxidise in a serious manor like aluminium resulting in high losses of material, also as most of the alloying components will smelt down with carbon, just adding small charges of coke to the mix every now and then will insure you retain most of the metal fairly close to the original. As abby has stated this hobby really doesnt require our metals to be of exact specs and so what ever looses you may have from the metals burning off is really rather small and insignificant and wont be of any serious issue, this is provided however you dont have it melted and sitting in the furnace for any longer then is really required,m this is especially the case for brass as the zinc has a very low vapour pressure meaning brass will loose it alot faster then any of the other components such as tin and lead.

this is a steam cylinder i cast from the turnings

and this is a video of me doing so.
http://s1020.photobucket.com/albums/af324/mackye/?action=view&current=008.mp4

one little warning i will add is make sure theres NO aluminium turnings at all in the mix, ive had one case where some Al got in the melt and absolutely destroyed the metal, the bloody stuff was blunting my files when i tried to work it.

all i can say is have a go!!! be safe!!! and youll find it to be rather alot of fun, your equipment can be as simple as you wont it to be, my burner is still just an old hair dryer fan funnelled down to the inlet hole of the furnace. and finally it really does expand on your model making abilities for the better.

mackye

 

[HaydenI.]

Wow mackye from all those shaving thats quite the casting, on that, was it difficult casting it, with any big shrinkage

Abby thanks for those links they are quite good!

just another question to throw out
if the casting has blow holes or is not quite right can i re-melt the casting so to speak and try agian?

thanks All !
Hayden

 

[gus]

Abby,this is a hobby forum,not an english class.I would suggesd you stick to the forum topic and keep your rude ,uncalled for comments to yourself.

Very kind of you. Good manners and diplomacy.


Gus from faraway Singapore.

 

[kf2qd]

Is it practical to melt n smelt ones brass chips?

As was previously mentioned, the problem with brass is that you lose some of the zinc everytime you remelt it, and the effect is probably worse with small pieces like swarf. Casting brass requires better control of the environment right around the crucible than most home casters are able to do. Contolling the heat, keeping the molten metal properly stirred, proper fluxing etc. A lot of art involved in the process.

 

[kye]

hi hayden,

yeah there was, just didnt wont to show it . it did take quite a few tries to get it to the point in that photo and the photo below shows it still wasnt perfect. i have however since then changed the pattern and tested it in aluminium without any shinkage, i just hadnt had time these last 2 years to re try it in bronze again.

yes you can remelt them, however, each time you do your going to progressively loose more and more of the alloying metal. therefore its always good practise to do max 50% old castings with 50% new stuff to insure the metal doesnt vary to drastically from what it should be, keeping the casting properties you wont and none of the others that will make the pour go bad.

mackye

 

[Springbok]

Abbey
In my 70s I do not need what you call wacky backy which I presume is also called gangee, and I do not appreciate your infantile insults. I presume you are American. This forum seems that it is for children and not adults who like to discuss engineering.
I am therefore resigning from it.

 

[gus]

Gentlemen,

Settle down please.

We will not tolerate personal remarks or flaming.

Nuff Said
Bob

Wish we have Good Moderators like you to take charge.I have stopped posting into the Singapore Fishing Kaki Forum. When guys post small tiddlers with pride,I do not deride.When Gus post his big fish,I get rude remarks and some came from moderators.
Bob keep up the good work.


Gus the happy fisherman.

P.S.

How do I put in my mug shot with my name? Gus is a 69ner and not good at these things.Fingers can still hit key board correctly!!!

 

[gus]

Abbey
In my 70s I do not need what you call wacky backy which I presume is also called gangee, and I do not appreciate your infantile insults. I presume you are American. This forum seems that it is for children and not adults who like to discuss engineering.
I am therefore resigning from it.

Good of you to speak up.Is Springbok from S.Africa.

There is one forum in Singapore that I will not go in.Some of its moderators
took pot shots at my big fish catch. Catch is bad in Singapore Waters but I have secret spots that still yield good size catch every now and then.

 

[robcas631]

Melting brass is worth the while or not?