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+--- Thread: Casting Scrap Aluminium (/showthread.php?tid=8933)
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Chris KC - 11-11-2023
(16-10-2023, 07:17 PM)dickie65 Wrote: I have cast lead with a camping paraffin stove and steel saucepan. Fist time the plaster of paris mould still had moisture in it the results were spectacular as the water boiled off spitting out molten lead.
Second attempt was fine after the mould was left in the oven to dry out.
I have yet to try re casting any Austin Alloy of which I have a lot of scrap.
Dad used to collect up spent bullets from the firing range at Mount Browne and melt them in a saucepan on the kitchen stove...
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Graham Barker - 11-11-2023
Chris, I guess that he didn't use an aluminum saucepan!
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Jamie - 30-01-2024
Just a quick update for anyone vaguely interested.
I made the mould using plaster of Paris in the end, but heeded the warnings about dampness and dried it indoors for a couple of weeks in a warm place. I cast the piece over the weekend, using a crucible, a MAPP blow torch and insulation blocks to enclose the heat.
I had partial success. The mould worked well and the finished piece where it came into contact with the mould was nicely shaped. The trouble was that I could not melt enough metal to pour the piece in a single go. Consequently, I did it in several small pours, none of which stuck to the previous one. It all looked good until I took it out of the mould to clean up the edges and it felt apart.
Next job: purchase a larger crucible and fabricate a small furnace.
Tune in for the next thrilling episode: same time, same place....... sometime.
Jamie.
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - John Mason - 30-01-2024
Jamie, Have a look on You Tube for a man under the name doubleboost. He is a hobby engineer with a background in car mechanics. He does a lot of machine work with lathes and milling machines but also does casting in brass and aluminium . He made his own crucible out of a metal beer barrel.
John Mason.
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Jamie - 30-01-2024
(30-01-2024, 10:23 AM)John Mason Wrote: Jamie, Have a look on You Tube for a man under the name doubleboost. He is a hobby engineer with a background in car mechanics. He does a lot of machine work with lathes and milling machines but also does casting in brass and aluminium . He made his own crucible out of a metal beer barrel.
John Mason.
Thank you. I shall have a look. I have an empty helium tank that I could use.
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Nick Lettington - 31-01-2024
Depending on what you want to make, a steel crucible is not that good an idea. I used one but subsequently read a little book called the back yard foundry or something similar. A steel crucible may apparently add iron into the alloy and make it a bit brittle. I'm planning on buying a proper one before my next attempt.
RE: Casting Scrap Aluminium - Jamie - 31-01-2024
(31-01-2024, 09:55 AM)Nick Lettington Wrote: Depending on what you want to make, a steel crucible is not that good an idea. I used one but subsequently read a little book called the back yard foundry or something similar. A steel crucible may apparently add iron into the alloy and make it a bit brittle. I'm planning on buying a proper one before my next attempt.
The crucible that is on order is graphite according to the advert. Fingers crossed
Jamie