BIG MISSSTAKE melting aluminum cans with my Amazon furnace and first time trying sand casting

[@chasebowmaster1417]

Happy to see someone actually SHOW their mistakes publicly, not only did you learn first hand, the newcomers to this craft are also learning, keep being honest!! And better luck next time, hopefully safer methods prevail

[@BoyNick2]

I'm glad I came across your video. I was going to make my own casting sand the exact same way. As soon as I saw yours catch fire, I immediately knew why. Thanks for showing.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Glad it helped and i would just buy the casting sand off Amazon. I bought a big bag off there and the stuff works great and it's really not that expensive.

[@THOTHvii]

I think it’s cool when folks show their mistakes as well. I foresaw the flame when you said gear oil.. You might try mineral oil if you wanted to make your own again but I can appreciate having an idea and going for it. Good luck

[@Notric]

Also a good idea to turn the gas off when lifting the crucible. If you spill metal on the gas line while its on you will have a big problem.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Yeap, you're right, and it saves a little gas. I have started doing this.

[@Gazr965]

What the aluminium cans are made from is a good quality grade malleable aluminium, draw back is it is coated with an epoxy ink design on the outside and also a plastic inner liner which is also epoxy based (BPA) This has to burn off in the melt leading to a lot of dross and impurities. So you need to use a flux to separate the two. Gaz UK.

[@Peter-jl4ki]

That, and the other issue is the high concentration of aluminium oxide which - unlike pretty much all other metal oxides - has just about the same density as aluminum and thus will not settle or float. Aluminium oxide increases viscosity of the melt, and since it usually forms bifilms with tiny amounts of trapped air, it also creates plenty of porosity and weak spots in the cast as those pockets get expanded with desorbing hydrogen when the metal solidifies.

[@Gazr965]

@Peter-jl4ki Yes, not worth melting, unless to make some arty castings, I have used ally cans in sheet form for various things.

[@adrianmorning.1555]

How many cans to make all those ingots?

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I didn't count but it's alot. Cans are very thin

[@patrickcase55]

now i'll never be able to unsee this.

[@waltervanalstine3903]

keep those tongs out of the water. one drop of water in the hot aluminm will explode 2000 times its volum, in one second . i have done it.

[@richardritter6025]

Did you weigh the “crude” to see how much waste vs good aluminum???

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I did not but that would be nice to know how much lose there is in like 100 cans

[@roscoepatternworks3471]

A couple of comments. First don't sit down when working with molten metals. Don't melt and pour over concrete. And last time to start buying safety equipment, face shield, spats and at least a leather apron. Safety is primary, because liquid metal is unforgiving.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Thanks for the tips

[@micaht52]

😂 liquid metal is unforgiving has to be the most underrated statement I've ever heard

[@chemcorps272]

Why not melt and pour over concrete? Thanks for the advice. I'm looking to get into this in the summer

[@roscoepatternworks3471]

@chemcorps272 concrete retains water. Even a few days after a rain, molten metal spilled can cause damage to the concrete. I've used a drip pan with a layer of sand, if I have to pour on my driveway.

[@chemcorps272]

@@roscoepatternworks3471 thank you!

[@othername1000]

Heat treatment of the tongs is interesting. Hope they didn't get brittle and snap at a bad time.

[@scorpioseye2493]

😮 Thank you for sharing your mistakes. I just bought my first kit 😅🎉

[@copperdolphin5291]

you need salt to throw in with that slag to get the aluminum out of it!! From what I have seen on other channels. looks like it works great, that way your slag should come out like a gritty power instead of lumps of alum-slag....

[@davidcarlisle3384]

Awesome Metal pouring 👍. I watch several channels that pour Metals. 👍👌😊

[@tinayoga8844]

Aluminum cans as metal are not good for sand casting. Also it costs a lot to get the cans melted. You are much better off turning the cans into a recycler and then using that money, and the money you saved from not melting the cans down, and buy some good aluminum. You will end up with much better results.

[@JackTheAwesomeKnot]

Honestly thats not true

[@jklersy9724]

Awesome video,if you want good casting sand mix good old black 2 stroke oil with it,and then you wont have the fire problem

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Thanks I guss thats what i was missing was the type of oil.

[@ChrisPelletier73]

Holding the crucible and pouring with the tongs is inviting disaster. The side of the crucible will easily snap.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I upgraded and got a Crucible Tongs Clamp for that very reason.

[@ChrisPelletier73]

@@chickenhawkfarmstead8478 I learned the hard way; sorry to make assumptions you definitely know what you’re doing!

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I dont know it all but leaning as I go. Tip and helpfully comments are very appreciated

[@a787fxr]

3D printing meets ancient technology. The possibilities are amazing. Pretty good for the first one if you ask me.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Thanks. Yes its getting addicting and I had no fath it would come out that good its definitely getting hung up as a display piece.

[@DreidMusicalX]

At the cost of the propane being about what, $22.00 a tank for 5 lbs of aluminum. Would it not just be better to either makes stuff from the aluminum or just take the aluminum in and sell it off as cans? Because $22.00 a tank of propane doesn't sounds like a good deal for $5.00 worth of aluminum. Or does it not take a full tank to melt them all?

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

You can melt a lot with a whole tank. And for me it's fun plus I plan on just stacking and saving them for menny years 20+. Some I'll use to make my own items out of aluminum using sand molds.

[@DreidMusicalX]

@@chickenhawkfarmstead8478 Ok thats what I was wondering. I'm going go get on to start learning to sand cast stuff with. But I just bought a furnace thats electric TaAuto for doing silver and maybe some gold stuff. But I wanted to also get a propane one to do fire ant mounds since this Taauto only does 3Kg in the large crucible and only 1Kg in the smaller one. But thanks for the information! I'm still learning and trying to get an idea on it all.

[@stevenjohnson2162]

Gear oil with high temp molten metal, your a genius aren't you. You do know that there are literally thousands of videos you can watch to learn how to do this right and safe, KZbin is full of them. bigstackd is where you should start.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I really appreciate all the helpful comments. Your such a guy person to take your time to write them and let people know the type of person you are.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

@Big K lol did you miss th title and don't believe everything you see on the internet. 💣💥💨 drop the mic

[@johnkillian4719]

I second Roscoe Pattern Works about the safety equipment and would add that wearing plastic shoes is not, I repeat NOT, a good idea. Spill liquid metal on top of the shoe and it will melt down to your foot and really cause pain. Cause a lot of pain. You will be surprised how long it takes to get your shoe off and how much time the metal has to burn a hole into your foot. Yes I said into. That hole will take months to heal and will hurt for weeks after the accident. ( I would include a illustration but a computer crash caused a loss of the pictures. I did hurt bad.) And by the way turn down the gas pressure. You are wasting gas as long as a flame is roaring out of the top of your furnace. There should be some flame at the exhaust hole but it should be a gentle flame. I melt with a furnace similar to yours and I use a Bernzomatic T8000 torch and one pound camper gas bottles. I make four one pound melts from every bottle. The metal takes in heat only so fast and any heat not used is up the stack. I know you are having fun with this but think before you do something new. John

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

That's all good advice thinks

[@davidhart1919]

And do not get a drop of water in that molton aluminum. It will explode, I used to work in a plant that made aluminum wheels, I've seen it happen.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I head that before, and I can definitely say it's not true on this scale. But the water will instantly turn to steam and can throw molten aluminum, which is bad. But no, the aluminum doesn't explode.

[@EricScrapping4Dinidog]

There’s more science to it than just throwing cans into a fire. You might want to read up on oxidation letting the aluminum get oxygen to it. Start using flux so you don’t waste so much of your aluminum

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

You're right, but for me, I am just melting the cans down into bars for fun and sometimes making other shapes.

[@stan7764ify]

Close your top your burner your furnace up.

[@joeybez5464]

NOT BAD AFTER DRINKING ALL THAT BEER JUST TO MAKE A VIDEO

[@matersworkshop6123]

You only learn by trial and error

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

So true

[@jagboy69]

I must be in the bad boy box here at $hitube... I KNOW I left you a comment and your count shows 5 comments on this video. I only see one from Doug HulaHoop and your reply to him. For those that don't know, this is just a small example of shadow banning these ratbastards play. They know what channels I'm subbed to, they see what we comment on and they put you in the penalty box.

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

I saw the comment count too but couldn't find the comment.

[@jagboy69]

@@chickenhawkfarmstead8478 and now you know why my friend! I should have never subbed or commented on other channels from THIS login. It's disgusting is what it is. They know which way I lean and they don't like it.

[@MADDLADO1]

I know this video is over a year old, but I'm cringing every time I watch you picking up that crucible from the rim, with those tongs. If that crucible breaks, you're gonna be in a world of hurt when that molten metal goes flying all over you, and that floor, and you get a steam exp. on top of everything else. You should also always wear a respirator when melting. Anyways, hopefully you didn't learn this stuff the hard way by now.

[@wang744]

Awesome video, enjoyed it very much from start to finish.. Learned more i thought i would.. Keep em comin..👍

[@garyschultz253]

How was that a "BIG MISTAKE" ? I could see that if you lost the house. I'm about to make my first venture into Aluminum Casting. Thanks for the vid, made it look quite easy

[@chickenhawkfarmstead8478]

Best of luck, and I will say it seem like most things them more you do it the better you get, lol. And sand casting it probably my favorite part.

[@dontask8979]

I wouldn't use the zink plated ANYTHING.