February 8, 20206 yr Hey everyone Finished this new foundry and tools last weekend. Refractory has been drying for 3 weeks so I did a cook out firing for about 2 hrs on lowest flame I could sustain until it stopped steaming. Seemed to go well i didn't get any spawling really. I used 2 types of castable refractory because I ran out on the bottom section and didn't have enough for the lid, they both seem to hold up well.I can't remember what types they were, they were industrial surplus from a job at work partial bags that they throw away. I welded several refractory anchors inside the tank, seems to hold up well so far. Orifice is a mig tip and the propane parts are salvaged from an old tiger torch. I've done a small amount of casting with a small crucible I made for my forge but it was all just pouring round stock for my lathe. But I'm new to this so it should be an adventure, lots of possibilitys with the lathe and mill. Cheers
February 11, 20206 yr Author 6 hours ago, 671jungle said: What are you melting? What are you using for molds? Nice looking oven Aluminum and brass. I made some flasks from 3/4" plywood and I have some sandblasting slag and powdered bentonite I was gonna make green sand out of. Now I just need to figure out a good first project. Thanks
March 22, 20206 yr Author FINALLY cast my first project today. This is a new handle to replace the broken one on my wife's grooming dryer, this one shouldn't break. Casting went well for my first time and I learned a lot. Need more draft on my model part so the sand does not tear up when I remove it for example. The greensand was more work to prepare than I anticipated and I read you should do 70/30 sand to bentonite mix and i found that was way too much bentonite. Also I need to pack the sand into the sides of the mold better for a better surface finish, but the casting turned out with very little porosity. Cheers Ps: what's the best way to store the damp greensand for next time I have it in a 5 gal pale right now. Should I dry it out on a tarp.
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