R.C.Lovett

A buddy and I started messing around with melting down aluminium from old large transistor heat sinks to pour and cast buggie/truck parts. We just used a plastic a-arm off of my MP to see how it will turn out. I'm trying to get my hands on some casting sand, but right now I'm going to use sifted concrete to make a rough mold, to see how it works out. We used some of Ohio's wonderful clay dirt that we have here to mess around with at first, but we didn't let it dry out, even though we used a propane torch on it to help dry the surface, it still had too much moisture and caused a bubble to form, but it didn't turn out too bad for just messin' around. We used an old coffee can and cut it so it was only 2 inches deep and placed it on a Coleman gasoline stove and used a torch to help get the aluminium melted. My father in law has a forge stove and a melting pot that I may try if I get into this a bit.

JBrannon

My Feedback: (3)

When I was in High School, 30 some years ago, we did some aluminum casting in Metal Shop. It was real easy if you get the right sand. The sand has a green clay coating that forms to the mold real well and dosent crack.

Maybe your local High Scholl shop teacher can help you out.

A lot of those guys stay after to work on projects like that.

Being over sexed high school boys we made some real interesting, to us at the time, molds that the facualty did not approve of.

Joe Brannon

R.C.Lovett

That's an great idea, I didn't even think of asking my old shop teacher. Thanks for the idea!

parabellum

is it possilble to melt aluminum ingot with just a bernzomatic propane torch?

crazypyro013

if it heats to about 1600degrees

fhm101

What you need is some common white sand and some Bentonite clay. It's available in bags or bulk from most industrial supply houses.

parabellum

for fine casting parts, Jewerly or Dental Lab Supply places are also good.

try Pearson Dental


http://www.pearsonlab.com/

goto investment section.

obviously limited to objects smaller than 3x3x2 inches.

mostly lost wax casting.

skliffy

sounds good have ya got ne pics of the turn outs yet ive been tryin ods n sods for ages still dont have the skill lol

Sypro

This may work. take to slaps of clay and form them around you're part, and fire it in a kiln. then bam you have you're mold.

skliffy

tried that the clay changes size when its kilned.
and if u get 2 pieces they never come out the same size.
but thankz sypro
i thought id sussed it too when i thought of that.best thing ive tried so far is finish plaster.
from hardware storepeeps most kno wich 1 i mean

fhm101

I used to be half owner of a small aluminum foundry and if you are trying to make actual 1:1 copies of parts you must make the pattern oversized. We always outsourced our patterns so I never learned the finer oints of pattern making, but I worked with the pattern makers enough to know they used a shrink guage when building pieces for a pattern.

nitromacguyver

wouldnt cast aluminum be a little brittle?

skliffy

yes its brittle and crapy metal unless its injection molded, thats y machined pieces r just under double the $$ of cast pieces.
but its better than plastic especialy if its broke plastic.