has anyone here ever built a foundry

admin

has anyone here ever built a foundery im just wanting to cast aluminum and brass mainly but I would like to have capibiltys of casting steel as well as iron but aluminum is my preference. any thoughts I am planning to to use propane blowers for me burners am I on the right track any help is welcome I will post pics of my build progress and if I can figure out how to upload my blue prints I will
Reply:if you are asking about forges then yes they have. type in forge in the seach bar. and welcomeMiller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/
Reply:
Reply:Originally Posted by cweldorhas anyone here ever built a foundery im just wanting to cast aluminum and brass mainly but I would like to have capibiltys of casting steel as well as iron but aluminum is my preference. any thoughts I am planning to to use propane blowers for me burners am I on the right track any help is welcome I will post pics of my build progress and if I can figure out how to upload my blue prints I will
Reply:Cweldor.  Look up the melting temperature of various metals and alloys. Start with Zinc, then Aluminum, proceed to brass.  Cast iron is up there and steel is WAY up there.  Skip Magnesium unless you are having a weenie roast. When you work your way up to melting tantalum hafnium carbide, let me know. (About 7,600 °F)"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Molten metals require a lot of care. I'd highly recommend you see if a college or arts center near you has casting classes 1st, rather than doing all this DIY. It's not all that hard to make a  furnace to melt alum, but you really need to know where you can do things yourself, and where it's vital to spend the money on store bought items.As mentioned casting low temp metals like alum, lead and brass are one thing, casting steel or iron is completely different and a whole other level beyond those materials..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:A "oopsie' with casting cast Iron..."...What followed was a long recovery, from April 2008 to February 2009. It included four skin graft surgeries, over $300,000 in medical expenses, and finally, the amputation of several toes..."http://foundrymag.com/feature/cautionary-taleLast edited by Oldendum; 02-17-2015 at 04:43 PM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:https://www.youtube.com/user/myfordboywww.alloyavenue.com is another good source as well as backyardmetalcasting.to melt aluminum is easy, you could go to your local hardware store get  a propane brush burner and use that as a burner to melt aluminum. For foundries guys have used metal trash cans that they line the inside of with everything from fireclay cement, castable refractories, or using burn ash and cement as well. Keep in mind many of these will take a day or more to dry, firing the forge up the next day after putting in a castable can cause it to be damaged or explode due to trapped moisture.A full face shield as well as heavy clothing and a full length apron are a must as well as heavy welding gloves. While god gave you a spare eye its best to save it for when you really need it.For burner designs there are TONS. ron reil burners are a venturi burner that will melt all but castiron and are easy to make. Blown burners are easy, get a blower attach it to a pipe, put a needle valve in a T fitting for the propane to be injected into it and stuff the other end of the pipe into the forge. There's a bit more to it but not much. Blown burners will heat up much faster and melt things quicker than a venturi burner.Lincoln ac tombstoneeverlast powerarc 300ST
Reply:I was part of a history group that got to fire up an old cupola furnace in Sutters creek at the knight foundry in the 80's. Scariest thing you would ever want to see. It is a chimney , about 10' dia x 30' tall if I remember right. It gets layered with coal and scrap iron. At the bottom was simply a hole plugged with a clay ball. At the bottom there were 12 clay balls. You fire it up, it had a water wheel powered fan. All that iron would trickle through the coal to the bottom. You knocked out the clay ball and all hell broke loose, liquid iron would start shooting out. When you had enough you took a stick and tried to re plug the hole with a fresh ball of clay. Easier said than done, that's why there was a stack of them. Liquid red hot iron everywhere you looked or stepped. I'm sure they had their share of accidents during the gold rush. It was a lot of fun, but I wouldn't want to do it every day for a living! I don't think it's been fired up since that day. Probably a good thing we didn't burn the whole town down that day.
Reply:Originally Posted by OldendumA "oopsie' with casting cast Iron..."...What followed was a long recovery, from April 2008 to February 2009. It included four skin graft surgeries, over $300,000 in medical expenses, and finally, the amputation of several toes..."http://foundrymag.com/feature/cautionary-tale
Reply:Originally Posted by cweldorhas anyone here ever built a foundery im just wanting to cast aluminum and brass mainly but I would like to have capibiltys of casting steel as well as iron but aluminum is my preference. any thoughts I am planning to to use propane blowers for me burners am I on the right track any help is welcome I will post pics of my build progress and if I can figure out how to upload my blue prints I will