BSA Bantam casting a head

Casting a head for the Sellicks Beach race Bantams

[@grahamlloyd7046]

From a retired foundry man and green sand moulder, great effort, green sand moulding is not easy, true green sand moulders now days are as rare as the proverbial rocking horse shit and command the greatest respect in the trade.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks graham. I could have done with your help more than once! I appreciate the comments.

[@notyouraveragegoldenpotato]

What do you mean true green sand moulders are rare these days? I started not too long ago. Made my own sand and through lots of trial and error and LOTS of manual mulling finally got a really good mix down that works very well, at the same time I built my own foundry and again- through trial and error Made my way up to really clean pours. From porous crap to degassing and alloying my own metals (aside from "it works" I don't have any fancy testing of strengths and statics of it done). Made everything myself from simple molds to making my own sodium silicate cores for pretty complicated molds. I feel like I'm a real greensander😂

[@grahamlloyd7046]

@@notyouraveragegoldenpotato generally speaking someone with extensive experience in all aspects of greensand moulding, given the trials and tribulations you’ve put yourself through perhaps we could call you a greensand moulder, just for a comparison I have played around with motorcycles most my life, with the help of Bones videos and Eddy in Englands video’s plus google have been able to get an old bsa bantam which hadn’t been on the road since 1977 back on the road, but I would never call myself a motorcycle mechanic lol. Keep up the good work it’s a very rewarding way of passing one’s time.

[@paradiselost9946]

@@notyouraveragegoldenpotato tried countless lost foams, but refractory aint cheap and i tried most nearly every option... before giving up and making patterns, corebox... sodium silicate, and tracking down bentonite... once you mull the sand properly, its magical... first go, still in service :) some intake manifold. i think what the OP meant was maybe, "theres very few real PATTERNMAKERS anymore...". thats the real hard part, the patternmaking...

[@79huddy]

Not at Francis manufacturing our moulders machines are from the 1930's and we shovel all our sand and carry our moulds to the floor I made everything from fence parts to super charger housings lots licensed Shelby Cobra reproduction air cleaners and valve covers we had all the old Corvette valve cover patterns from the 60's and 70's on the wall too I miss paying scrap weight price for high dollar parts 😁

[@petermckee1061]

Nice work mate. Don't ever think you'll humiliate yourself in front of your viewers. We're your friends not your critics and you're in there giving it a go. Cheers, Peter.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for that

[@Tinnunulus]

Great video and i admire your patience, as a time served engineer of 42 years and still learning ive watched lots of sand casting videos on you tube, keep up the videos mate your doing great 👍

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting I appreciate it.

[@Diger65Line]

Brilliant, loved the video warts and all. Makes the rest of us feel more human.

[@notwocdivad]

Many moons ago (about1969) I worked in a Blacksmiths. We often helped the moulder cast bushes from Phosphor bronze. He called the sand LOAM SAND and it was a black colour. His moulding boxes were made from cast iron and were very heavy. The tamping tools were round dowel with different size square wooden plates on the bottom for different jobs, Plus the odd Golf putter head, poker stands etc etc, SHHHH!! watching your efforts brought it all back to me even the acrid smell of the hot sand when we broke open the moulds! Happy Days, Thanks Mate

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting.

[@shaunmannion1292]

I used to have an aluminum foundry years ago. Unfortunately time has erased some of my knowledge, but 2 tips for you. 1. Make sure you are using the correct grade of aluminum. I think you need to use LM6 for engine parts. 2. Looks like the material is a bit too hot. 3. You need to "degass" the aluminum before pouring, else it will be full of tiny holes when you machine it.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for the info....I'll look into the LM6. Material was too hot on the first pour. Working on a thermocouple at the moment to take the guess work out for that. I'll keep persisting!

[@ducomaritiem7160]

I saw the coloring of you failed casting, and thought the same, like: too hot. Degassing agent can't do any harm too.

[@AdrianRouse-e1f]

That was great . Learning as you go. Have to admire people who try. Good luck and look forward to the lost foam trial.

[@richb419]

HI Tony, I've had my failures with casting aluminum too, one of the many things I did was not making the mold large enough to account for the shrinkage. I normally use oil-based sand. the foundry that I worked at used green sand where moisture amount is very critical. I think they used some ethylene glycol too. I have had a lion's share of failures with my stuff. I do like the way that Kelly Coffield does his. Take a look at his channel. I think you are doing very well so far. Rich (from across the pond) 😎

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting and for the recommendation of Kelly's channel. I'll definitely have a look!

[@slipstreamvids7422]

Foundry man here. Mulled the facing sands, the floor sands and the machine sands every day and spent the rest of the day running the cupola and managing the heat. Best job I ever had.

[@markdoolan7282]

Outstanding commitment and perseverance. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great craftsmanship from a home shed. There’s hope for Australian manufacturing yet.

[@OzBSABantams]

I appreciate the comments

[@ershad193]

Great video Bones. You have a lot of patience mate. Eager to see how you progress with this. Cheers!

[@Tuberesu]

My first motor vehicle (1962) was a 125cc Bantam and within a few weeks I hated the thing! No wonder they said that BSA meant 'Bits stuck anywhere"! Driving down a one in seven hill with a force eight behind you, you might see the speedo needle struggle to within a millimeter of forty miles an hour! Why did it always pour down when I had to ride home? Soon it went in favour of a Norton Jubilee "250" twin (actually 249cc because of learners being made to stay under 250cc). I actually reached 80 mph on that thing and never once regretted the demise of the Bantam. Strangely, your video (thankyou!) brought out pangs of nostalgia, maybe I should have tried for the 197cc Bantam -- what on my pay?? I only had the Norton because my friend had pulled it apart and couldn't put it back together and in frustration said if I could put it together, I could have it for £15.00!

[@stevebettany8778]

The Jubilee was famously unreliable my mate had three engines one in the bike one ready to go in and one in bits. Mind you we were seventeen.

[@ralphjones7240]

Lost foam seems to be the way to go. Would more draft on the cooling fins help?

[@michaelclutton8446]

Thanks for the video, I found it really interesting, I have owned a D1 Bantam for 40 years enjoy a potter around the country lanes English, Welsh borders. Your a very patient guy. Regards Mike

[@michaelclutton8446]

I didn’t realise there was this much interest in Bantams down under, I have just been looking at your excellent web site

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi......Yes plenty of Bantams here but mainly the early 3 speed models. Thanks for commenting.

[@jonhowe8768]

Tony, good efforts. As an ex green sand moulder, could I suggest cutting the gates in the same direction as the fins. Also, a wider gate. This will allow a faster flow and help to prevent misruns. I'm impressed that you managed as well as you did with that sand. We used a sand clay mix called "mansfield red". It had the correct consistency (water content) when a handful could be squeezed in the hand, and it would stay together but not stick to your hand. Good luck.

[@dennisyoung4631]

Have heard about that stuff. Heard it works really well.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi.......Thanks for providing insight from your technical knowledge. I must admit I did think about going in the direction you said, however I'm a bit dissapointed in the surface finish with thew sand I have. Hence why I'm going to give the lost foam a shot to see how that goes.

[@wikusdp]

You said when explaining about the 3D print "gone are the days of the patternmakers hey", that hurt a little bit, lol. If a good patternmaker made that pattern it would've pulled out the sand first time. Good efford mate and good luck with your project, greetings from accross the ditch.

[@OzBSABantams]

You are dead right. I should have shown the original head that I've been working from and I'd dearly like to know where the original pattern is now. The last time these were cast to my knowledge was in the 1950's. That pattern would be long gone by now. It really would show the true skill of the pattern makers and moulders at that time to produce a quality product like they have.

[@dennisyoung4631]

The “ridges” that result from the 3D printing process tend to make for ‘difficult to pull’ patterns. I’ve done a fair number of finned patterns in the last few years. Some things I learned: 1) 2-3 degrees draft on the fins. Amazon has tapered end-mills. They work well in the mill. 2) you want your fins end-on as for the grain of the wood. Cherry works well, and you’ll want to sand and finish the pieces before you glue them to the main body of the pattern. They tend to be really hard to do otherwise. 3) you want glass-smooth, and glass-hard for your surfaces. Anything you do this way can help. I’ve *waxed* my patterns, dusted them with powdered graphite, and similar things to help them pull easier. 4) you want good green strength to help avoid the walls of the mold crumbling when you pull the pattern. This was so much an issue that I’ve been plotting the use of Petrobond sand, as it was said to be better than the usual bentonite-bonded stuff.

[@OzBSABantams]

@@dennisyoung4631 Hi........If I persist with sand casting then I think the petrobond sand will be better than green sand. Surface was sanded and wax polished and release agent that worked the best was graphite. Thanks for commenting and the constructive feedback.....Bones

[@mikef.1000]

Tony, this is the best casting how-to that I've yet seen on the internet. I'm wanting to cast all sorts of small bits for my GS Suzukis, for starters. Thanks for the great teaching session! Subscribed.

[@OzBSABantams]

You're a bike man like me.........Stay tuned then. Thanks for commenting.

[@paulhewitt1488]

As they say practice makes perfect. The last one looked pretty good and I would imagine due to the complexity of the cooling fins back in the day there would have been a few rejects at the factory. Terrific job , you should keep going as I reckon perfection is not too far away. Take care 👍👍

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks Paul.........

[@russthebiker]

Bloody awesome Old and New technology meet The Australian can do mentality, my old man 90 years old, told me they had a foundry up the road, he used to go and collect the finished castings Then machine them and polish them

[@geraldfitzgibbon7428]

Oh man that was fantastic. Ye did a good job an i bet u relearned a good few things from ur days workin as a caster . Welldone Bones great vid

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes i did have a few "flashbacks"!

[@tonybrock5288]

Nice perseverance! You already have a 3D print. I would definitely go for a lost PLA type casting on the 3D print itself. Way more accurate and without the intermediate sand casting which creates problems all round...

[@YeahNahMaybe947]

I'll never do any casting but I did enjoy watching your video what I really liked is how you didn't edit out the ones that failed it shows real integrity good on you Tony well done.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting........

[@smithsmarine4885]

the problem with scanning and 3d printing the pattern is it ends up exactly the same size it needs to be bigger (how much depends on the casting medium) BRING BACK THE SKILLED PATTERN MAKER well done mate great attempt

[@OzBSABantams]

The printed pattern was scaled up 7% to allow for shrinkage........I agree about the pattern makers too. I worked with some pretty skilled ones back in the day.

[@neuterdude5932]

Also depends on the pouring temperature of the casting medium.

[@colinwellman9480]

Knowing zilch about casting I wonder if a spray with silicone release spray would work? Good result in the end.👍

[@OzBSABantams]

I thought exactly the same thing and gave it a go.........It didn't work. Thanks for commenting.

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Legends, I've been waiting for this one. A lot of work but a brand new head in the end. There is no doubt in my mind that you will refine the process. Best wishes, Dean.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi Mate.......I'm not happy with the surface finish. As I said I'll give the lost foam method a go. Have a mate who has a small CNC mill, so I think I can use the scanned program to machine it up. It's a fair less detailed process to reach the end product. Currently also working on the barrel.........But that is another vid! Hope you and family are well.....

[@ShedBuiltStuff]

Welcome back - nice to see a new vid.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hey, thanks!

[@borealmetalworx]

Good work. I can appreciate the efforts you put into that. Cheers from Sudbury Ontario Canada

[@OzBSABantams]

thanks for commenting.......

[@beakittelscherz5419]

Very interesting stuff👍👍👍Thanks for showing the whole process 🤓Greetings from Germany 😉

[@OzBSABantams]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tristanbuckoke9121]

Great work mate . Keep up the great work. Might see you at the Sellicks beach races

[@OzBSABantams]

It's a great event!

[@alanbrown1563]

Brilliant mate I envy your weather my d7 is in bits in my back bedroom waiting for a break in the weather to start building it back up that's if it stops pissing it down

[@OzBSABantams]

Well your weather better clear up........I'll be there in a couple of months. I've heard it's been wet there for a while.

[@greglaroche1753]

Finally ! Congratulations ! I was wondering the same thing, if the lost pattern or whatever it’s called would work. With 3D printing, that could be interesting. Good luck.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes! Thank you!

[@rudycandu1633]

When I saw what you were going to cast I thought, 'that's going to be very hard to cast'. I think you got a pretty good result given what you want to make, the materials you had, and the method that you used. I don't know if you mentioned the aluminum alloy you used. I hope you are using a good casting alloy.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi .......I'm using original heads that are beyond use that have been melted into ingots. That way I have the same metal composition as the originals. Thanks for commenting.

[@nbrettoner]

VPM* Very Patient Man. I've not been able to purchase Johnson & Johnson baby powder for months. Years ago we used to sit the kids with their feet dangling out the back of our Landcruiser wagon, sprinkle their toes with the baby powder and the sand would come off beautifully. So no sand in the wagon :)

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes it works well!

[@dennisyoung4631]

Another form of talc is that used by farmers as a seed lubricant. There’s another version that mixes powdered graphite with the talc. This seems like it would work really well.

[@sdunn5643]

If you paint the 3D print with several coats of UV cured resin, it will fill the small voids on the PLA print. I would guess that the layers of the 3D prints are allowing the sand to form in the voids and when you pull the part, it pulls section of sand out. You want the smoothest positive for the best negative. Bottle of UV resin, brush and a UV light.

[@OzBSABantams]

I actually thought of painting the pattern in resin. I'll keep trying the lost foam for the time being as my sand isn't mulled and is a bit coarse.

[@anthonygrodecki7968]

When I was a young man there was foundry on site as an apprentice I would hang around as it was nice and warm. They had a 50 percentage success. They did it full time with Ali but they added some sort or blue stuff to make improvements to the flow. So making it up to 75 percent. Great vid thanks for sharing 😅

[@hitandmissprospecting3833]

Top job bones, I can only imagine the days and hours of trial and error, that’s an extraordinary amount of effort to achieve that, it’s a good feeling to finally see the end product. Not to mention great editing, very informative and very confident in front of the camera, you get a 10/10 from me, keep up the good work. Cheers Brett

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks a lot and I appreciate the feedback.

[@fredrikvanlienden6749]

First time viewer, just stumbled upon your video. Great content, Tony! your calmness and humbleness made this a pleasure to watch.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks and I appreciate your comments......

[@dlfabrications]

I do not know if this is true but are you not suppose to put salt in the melted aluminum to help it pour better? Maybe it is for getting impurities out of the melted aluminum?🤔🤔

[@davidrenn6897]

A proper flux is better

[@studiomodoki]

Awesome work. I admire your patience and persistence. Just out of curiosity, are you scaling the 3D print to account for shrinkage? Scanning an original head won't account for %6.5 shrinkage...

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes the original was scaled up to account for it.

[@LeadedAsbestos]

Very nice. Ive been working my way towards casting some engine parts myself. I do a little lost foam and sand casting. Ive made a couple small motorcycle intakes, v belt pulleys, ect, so I know how much work went into every attempt. A video just can't do it justice. You look like you're very close. I know you didnt ask, but I do have a few suggestions to try or at least look into going forward. If you keep going with regular sand casting, try out a pouring basin, and a tapered sprue instead of the cans. It creates more head pressure than the cans, and less turbulence. I switched from the can method and I get a lot less inclusions/ voids now. I believe thay was your issue on the head with one bad fin. I also think some 140 mesh oilbond sand would help a lot with the surface finish and the strength of the mold. Green sand is very finicky to work with and its flakey. I personally dont use green sand anymore, because the oil bond is so much easier to work with. Those fins are going to be a challenge no matter what due to the depth and the number of them. Im no expert, but I know thats a very hard casting to get to turn out right. Something I've been experimenting with recently is Sodium Silicate sand molds. I think your part would be a very good candidate for this method. If you arent familiar with it, you take fine sand or play sand (bags of sand from the hardware). Then you mix in "liquid glass" (sodium silicate), and stir it up. The ratio varies but I use about 5% sodium silicate by weight. The ratio isnt terribly critical. The more you use the harder it gets, but the sand gets harder to remove after casting. You then ram up your pattern like normal. Next you take compressed CO2 and inject it into the sand. You can do this by placing the entire box in a plastic bag and gassing it, but generally you use a long needle, like that used for inflating a basketball. About 10 to 20psi is plenty. Too much will blow the sand out. The end result is that the sand becomes hard like cement. The pattern takes a little work to remove. I was afraid of breaking the sand mold until I got used to it. Its stronger than you'd think though. The sand pattern it leaves has a smooth glass like surface and its very hard. Its so hard you can actually sand it to remove imperfections. It holds a lot more detail and it doesnt fall apart easily. I think that would help getting deep into those fins without having breakouts and inclusions. After you cast your part, it can be hard to remove the sand. Starting out I had to use hammer and chisel. Then I found out if you soak the part in water for a little while the sand will brush right off. Lost foam is really good for this type of work, but it also requires a cnc router, and a lot of wait time for the "plaster" to set. Im suggesting the sodium silicate sand because its a great way to get a solid mold in a very short amount of time. One thing to note with sodium silicate is that water, and moisture break down the sand mold, so if it is humid you want to pour your mold within a few hours. If you wait too long in a moist climate, the mold will become brittle and eventually turn back into a box of sand. I tried preparing a batch of sand cores the day before a pour only to have them turn to dust when I picked them up. For the first few hours I could toss them on my bench and they stayed together. Its only a problem if you dont know about it lol. Dont take this wrong, I just seen the video and thought, man ill bet sodium silicate would work really good for that. I wish someone would've told me about it sooner. Anyway, I just subscribed and look forward to checking out more of your channel. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[@annpeerkat2020]

@LeadedAsbestos great reply. Deserved a subscribe despite the scary name!

[@samrodian919]

I fully agree with you that the sodium silicate moulding sand method is the way to go for this project. Also using a tapered sprue and pouring basin ideas. I was a metalworking teacher in another life 40 years ago when we had proper craft classes in high school here in the UK . We did casting then and I prepared all the sand etc for the moulding process. And taught the boys who were doing their projects how to sieve, the sand over their pattern and to ram it up. One thing I think you have missed in making your moulding boxes is having a groove all around the inside. The groove should be about 1/2":wide, and about 3/8" deep, this helps to stop the whole lot of sand moving within the box, like it did on your very first attempt. It won't "hydraulic" like yours did. You probably were not ramming it too hard as you thought you had, it's just that the groove wasn't in the cope and drag to lock the sand in. If you see videos of professional sand casting and they are using old iron boxes some of them have sort of wavy sides all round. This is to hold the sand in place also. Great effort on your part, and a good result in the end.

[@OzBSABantams]

I greatly appreciate your input and insight. I'll try the lost foam next and see how that turns out. Might be time to look more into your method and if I go that way I may be in touch! Once again I appreciate the effort to respond and your technical insight........regards Bones

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi.........What wasn't shown in the video was I places "keys" in the boxes.....1/2" x 1/2" timber strips around the periphery of the boxes, to stop exactly what you said. It was one of the things that was missing but "came back to me" after I hydrauliced the sand through the box. Thanks for commenting..

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi and thanks for commenting.........I did end up fitting the boxes with "keys" inside from 1/2"x 1/2"timber, however should have probably shown that in the video. Thanks for providing your technical insight I appreciate it.

[@carlwilson1772]

Good to see you. Its a painstaking process and no mistake. I admire your perseverance and skill. In my town there is a company called Orbex. They 3d metal print/sinter complete rocket thrust chambers, with all the cooling channels and so forth. Looking at the 3d printed pattern, do you think that a viable way to make these heads would be 3d metal printing/sintering? Really enjoyed the video.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi Carl.........It's something i did think about, however wanted to keep things a bit "old school" and try it out for myself. I couldn't access that level of 3D printing anywhere near where I live. I should have a foam pattern machined for me within the next week......stay tuned!

[@carlwilson1772]

@@OzBSABantams Good stuff. I just wondered as I know you can send cad drawings to some of these places, then they use the 3d sintering machine to make it. Cad is something way beyond me. The one they have at Orbex in my home town is the biggest in Europe. I was thinking it would be a good way for quantity production. I admire you for doing the casting. There is a guy in the UK called John Mills "Double boost". He does or used to do a lot of casting. Dean and I watch him. But he's never done anything as complex as these heads with all the fins. I am looking forward to seeing how you get on with investment casting it. I'm sure you will get there.

[@davidprocter3578]

?Have to say I admire your tenacity , it must help having previous training . Two questions if I may first any reason you are not using this modern casting resin in the sand? and number two why the bantam? my mates had bantams back in the day and they were charming but slow, my villiers powered excelsior 197 cc single left them for dead the engine out of it eventually ended up in a bantam and transformed it's performance.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi.........The engine I'm replicating currently does 60mph on the sand with road tyres...........I'm hoping to get it going faster! Stay tuned....

[@davidprocter3578]

@@OzBSABantams I would be interested to know what you have done to it so far.

[@OzBSABantams]

@@davidprocter3578 I've started by building a head! No the engine will be copied externally from what i have, however the port map is different and I'll do a tuned exhaust. Barrel will be also cast from scratch. All of this will be in a swingarm frame. There is a play list on my channel for the Sellicks Beach race bike, which details the restoration of the original bike. The first few videos are crap as this was my first attempt of putting anything on youtube....

[@russthebiker]

​​@@OzBSABantams how about replicating the Schnurle loop combustion chamber used on the machine the bantam was copied from ? The DKW was 100cc but the Bantam needed to be a 125 to get the same power

[@OzBSABantams]

@@russthebiker Every non-deflector piston 2 stroke since the 1940's has worked on the schnurle loop system. The Bantam already had it since its inception.

[@RichardScovell-xz5nb]

Absolutely fantastic, good effort.... thanks

[@OzBSABantams]

Many thanks!

[@RotarySMP]

This was a really good video. I have also done some hobby sand casting in Al, and CI, and found it useful. I would have painted the pattern to reduce the sand keying into the layer lines. Very impressive print that you got it to release that well. Your flask was a bit small :) Can you change your camera shutter speed to 50Hz? It picking up a lot of flicker from the flourescent lights at the speed it is currently using.

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi, the pattern was painted. I detailed that part in the video. I use a gopro and they flicker at lower light apparently......I don't use flouro's in my shed they are LED's. Thanks for watching and offering up positive feedback.

[@RotarySMP]

@@OzBSABantams Sorry, I must have skipped the painting bit. You did a really nice job on those heads. Look forward to the machining video. With 50Hz power, lighting pulses at that frequency. Flouro's and Leds both. Shame the GoPro's have a fixed aperture so you cant control the shutter speed. I had the same on my early videos, till I started setting my camera to 1/50th sec.

[@grenvillephillips6998]

Alchemy Down Under - just brilliant!

[@RcRogers-gk3hy]

Have you considered the lost wax ceramic mold tech? Offhand using PLA instead of wax seems like a promising idea

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes I have..........There is a lot of mucking around so I'll try lost foam first

[@RuthlessMindset68]

When you were leveling the sand, I’m not sure what you called it. But the concrete term for leveling a surface is called “Skreeding”

[@Wrighmachining]

Hey buddy good learning there love the video . What about lost pla casting ? Aside from 36 hours to print . Also if you set a draft onto the part of a couple deg it may release better :) Lost foam casting would work but the part will be vertical not horizontal like green sand casting . Also i had to hunt around for good sand that didnhave the rocks in it and it worked way better . ( masonary samd came in a bag )

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting.......Lost PLA isn't off the table, however I'll try out the lost foam first. The pattern can be machined a lot quicker. Sand isn't an issue..........I live near the beach! Keep up your good work as I enjoy watching your videos....regards, Bones

[@mickyfinn7969]

Do you have to oversize the pattern to compensate for shrinking?

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes by 7%

[@raymondo162]

i cast a fancy 1.5kg weight for a clock project. great fun !! i made things easier by buying a sack of ready-to-use greensand, but you still gotta develop tamping skill. you picked about the most difficult shape possible for a first pour

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi....The green sand I purchased was crap in a nutshell. It was that coarse I ended up blending it with the other stuff I had. My mate who is a jobbing moulder joked that I should cast an ashtray as the first attempt and not the trade test!

[@750triton]

I always knew it was a feat but I have a new appreciation for those who cast those alloy cylinder blocks for the Triumph generator and the 500 GP engines

[@OzBSABantams]

Me too!

[@chris_sirhc01]

One way of improving the dissappation of heat with better air flow through the cooling fins and reduce material costs also is to have them holed and aligned to deflect away to the sides,just a thought. Maybe tapered as to have the thickest outside and thinnest near to combustion chamber. Cheers

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi.......Thanks for your input and I agree. However what I'm trying to do is replicate an engine that was built in the 1950's, hence why I've tried to reproduce this head........Thanks for commenting.

[@tiitsaul9036]

I've been wanting to try casting since I was a child. Now I hace children my own, but still haven't cast anything. How many hours went into this project?

[@OzBSABantams]

A lot! I'd say 50-60 hours to get an end result.

[@davidIT7]

Tony, do you need to make the in gate larger so that when you pour there is more material holding heat so that the fins have longer to fill and fully form?

[@OzBSABantams]

I think my issue wasn't so much poor fill, but too high velocity of the molten metal causing erosion inside.......Lost foam for the next try.

[@robturner3065]

Good effort that's not an easy pattern, we used resin bonded sand for aluminium. Furniture polish on the pattern before the french chalk helps. Even 25 years ago our patterns were CNC machined resin

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting, I did polish this as well in an attempt to improve things. It did make a huge difference.

[@simonmccarthy5512]

Interested in how you scaled the 3-d scan to be bigger than the pattern head, to allow for shrinkage after casting?

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes that's the beauty about 3D modelling. You can increase the scanned object by percentages before you print it. It was scaled up to allow for shrinkage.

[@hotrodZack1948]

Do lost wax. Also you said you scanned the head and printed it. Did you account for shrinkage? Also try different sand maybe that stuff you have looks very course.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes the print was scaled up by 7% prior to printing. Yes the sand is too coarse and sadly i paid for it as pre-mixed green sand. I don't have a kiln for the burnout for lost wax, hence why i'll try lost foam.

[@niklar55]

My son suggested preheating the sand mold before closing it. I've seen several videos, where the mold was preheated with a blowtorch just before closing and pouring! It keeps the metal flowing a bit longer so it can penetrate fully. .

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi......I was thinking of that however was concerned with the pre-heat drying out the sand too much on the fin lands and eroding when I went for the pour. But I'll keep persisting and may try that.

[@niklar55]

@@OzBSABantams Have a look on youtube, there's loads of examples of very primitive, but successful sand casting work.

[@MrClickbang357]

It was vert cool to see your success! That was quite the journey and I can't wait to see you try lost investment!!!

[@OzBSABantams]

Then stay tuned! It will be happening soon.

[@richf5967]

G’day - love your work I’m not a casting guy but I have seen some videos here on YT That use a 3D printing filament that gets burnt out A bit like lost foam Better surface finish was achieved by dipping the pattern in sloppy gyprock top coat before putting it in the sand The down side is the pattern is single use only

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes i looked into that, however I don't own a furnace to do the burnout.

[@richf5967]

@@OzBSABantams yeah it would be a bit bigger than your current one What about a kiln - got a friendly potter anywhere Would a really light 3D print - 10% infill just burn out like lost foam?

[@OzBSABantams]

@@richf5967 No I wish.........I live in a pretty remote area

[@radboogie]

Awesome, really interesting video - thanks for sharing mate 👍 Those 36 hour prints - hoping you didn't only load up enough filament for 35.5 hours worth 😂 Subbed

[@OzBSABantams]

No I definitely made sure it had enough!

[@tonyfulton9966]

Great job Tony!

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting

[@BillyBob-si2db]

Wouldn't the lines in the fins from the 3D printing process grip the sand making it impossible to pull the buck out without destroying the mold?

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes........That's why I painted, sanded and polished it.

[@BillyBob-si2db]

@@OzBSABantams I was quick on the draw and posted my comment before I saw you fix your error. Good job.

[@gary1477]

My father was an Assistant Moulder for Western Australian Government Railways until called up for the Militia during WW2.

[@timothymerritt620]

Worked at a foundry for years and it was always disappointing to mess part up

[@bristolfashion4421]

old back innit we done whizz about with bantam and wotnot at airfields etc some water cooled, some not but always great fun oh yes

[@plupyduplupydu1369]

Way crazy brave , i hope it doesnt blow. I think the finnes are just for lightweight show-a solid good piece of metal cut right with a bit of air flow cooling is gonna get ya to giligans island and back ten times

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes by around 6-7%

[@plupyduplupydu1369]

@@OzBSABantams hey mate , im very impressed with your work. As a small engine mech- i have seen that the finnes dont do much except hold dirt and may add ridgitiy. The engine valves and seats are the most important high tolerance parts. Pouring your own metal is very daring-keep on pouring

[@OzBSABantams]

@@plupyduplupydu1369 It's for a 2 stroke, so no valves.......Stay posted for the next instalment!

[@Cobra427Veight]

I just came across your channel , probably because I bought a bsa b33 , you didn't work for Steve Morrison in lillydale did you ? Cheers, hope you got a head with that job .

[@OzBSABantams]

Hi........No I didn't work for Steve. Yes there is a useable head after all the effort.

[@justotalkalottashit8392]

36 hours? it looks good but it also looked warped on the bottom, increase bed heat, increase speed , increase nozzle size.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yep it did..........First time 3D printing as well so I'll try that........Thanks.

[@willi-fg2dh]

i'm surprised you got any metal to flow into those fins . . . good job!

[@OzBSABantams]

I was figuring someone had cast the original head so it could be done. I'm wondering if a vertical pour might be better. I'll see how the foam goes.

[@robertbeighter6336]

Not that I've done bike parts, but look at lost PLA, put your print in plaster & burn it out, then pour the Aluminum in the cast when the cast is near glowing hot too.

[@ducomaritiem7160]

Try red oil sand. That's what I use, it's far more finer, sticks great.

[@jjhack3r]

How does water in your sand not create bubbles?

[@OzBSABantams]

The water content of the sand vapours out as steam into the sand when the molten metal comes into contact with it. That's why you punch vent holes through the sand to assist this process.

[@mikewilson631]

All the casting I've done in the past, the sand has been bound with oil. Better consistency, as it does not evaporate. Your first pour also seemed to be way too hot. More chance of a bit of a bang, which would have been exciting for the guy in shorts. Even molten aluminium, although its temperature is much lower than ferrous metals, can jump quite a way and still make you jump.

[@OzBSABantams]

The first pour was as per the furnace instructions for time duration. I won't be following the instructions again! The second pour was a lot better. I did enquire about petrobond sand, but in all honesty the clay based one is a lot cheaper .....Thanks for commenting.

[@mikewilson631]

@@OzBSABantams You could also try using waterglass (sodium silicate solution) for a stronger binding agent, instead of plain water. Should help with the fins. It may make the sand single use, though.

[@johnwalker7592]

Use 1/2" sprues between the fins might fix your flow issues. towards the tops, would require some cleanup [cutting] but nothing a bandsaw or even a hacksaw/grinder couldn't handle. as others have mentioned there is such thing as a casting alloy for aluminum. Best stuff you can get is from late 80's all thru the 90's japanese motorcycle cases... in my experience they have the best alloy's for remelting.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks for commenting I appreciate it.

[@TheAcousticWarfare]

Im very jealous of your shed.

[@OzBSABantams]

It's not bad is it!

[@ronnybe7994]

Impressed! You should protect your concrete from molten metal. Lost foam will not work. Too thin

[@hirnlegorush]

them printing layers act like a brake in the casting sand,actually like thousands of little breaks xD try something like abs and isopropanol vapour for for smoothing those surfaces. or just print it just sideways if it fits the printer ?! resin printer would also work but that large is expensive ...and also its a stinky chemical mess ^^

[@OzBSABantams]

If I printed it sideways I'd have all the supports to cut out and remove. Once I painted and polished the pattern it was OK. Thanks for commenting.

[@Rich77UK]

As frustrating as it is for you, thank you for showing us your failures. So many channels only show the good, leaving us viewers to believe it's a simple task, results are perfect every time and any failures are complete flukes and our fault.

[@OzBSABantams]

I appreciate your comments............I'll get there in the end! Stay tuned.......

[@brianjackson4960]

Have you got a tapper on the fin's

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes there is..

[@cedhome7945]

Any chance you could do A10 ally barrels as they would sell like hotcakes?

[@OzBSABantams]

I'm too busy making Bantam parts!!!! haver a look at www.ozbsabantams.com.au and you might get an idea....

[@DingoHammer]

It takes a lot of work to get a 3D printed pattern smooth enough so that the sand won't stick to it. Lots of sanding and filling.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yep it does.......painting in resin worked well....

[@rickhowell3847]

Persistence or what!

[@OzBSABantams]

I'll be having another crack soon....

[@2barrell]

3 words from an ex foundry maintenance man: Polish your pattern. Nothing makes a pattern easier to remove from the cope than a pristine pattern surface.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yeah I think a coating of resin on it would have worked better

[@slipstreamvids7422]

With those many thin sections I’d double the riser diameter. That would greatly help with those unfilled areas.

[@OzBSABantams]

The unfilled sections actually turned out to be the sand collapsing internally and not poor fill. I think the pour velocity is too high and I'll work on that. Thanks for commenting.

[@kevinburrows735]

We used to with smoke with acetylene

[@sblack48]

You would love one of the newer printers which will reduce your print time by a factor of 3 or 4. A slower printer is fine if everything works well but spending 30 hrs on a print that fails at hour 28 is heart breaking.

[@OzBSABantams]

It failed at the 18 hour mark first time..............First time 3D printag as well.

[@alansimpson432]

Makes you respect the old-timers from yesteryear.

[@OzBSABantams]

too right.....

[@BedsitBob]

The mating face, where it mates to the cylinder, seems very thin.

[@OzBSABantams]

It's 20mm thick in the centre where it mates up to the barrel. The thinner outer section overhangs the barrel.

[@Straight_Outta_Hopton]

7.45 don't go for a brew and leave the cat alone in the workshop

[@OzBSABantams]

Yep.......

[@SoBoring136]

That part would be a good candidate for lost foam

[@OzBSABantams]

Yep I agree and that is the next step I'll try.

[@skyfreakwi]

I thought bentonite sand was green sand... Regardless good job you've made at least one more part than me today. I'm looking to get started ASAP but with the lost foam method which of course is still sand casting. You just don't have to ram it and it's basically cheating.

[@OzBSABantams]

Lost foam is cheating..........I'm now thinking it's the smart way to go :)

[@skyfreakwi]

@@OzBSABantams I'm not saying it's wrong or anything... Work smarter not harder! I'm really planning on doing some casting I wouldn't be if I hadn't learnt about the lost foam process. It can still go wrong but your chance of success is so much higher. Especially if you would need cores to make empty spaces inside. Like if you were casting an engine case or intake manifold hell an exhaust manifold!

[@OzBSABantams]

@@skyfreakwi I have to cast a barrel as well....... So as you said rather than make cores I think a lost foam method will be the best way to go. That's also not saying I can master it, but it will be easier than making a multi piece pattern and cores. I appreciate your comments.

[@Jack_C_]

Mate top stuff, thanks for taking us along for the ride. You are one talented and patient man. A great learning experience. If you'd like to persist with sand casting I can highly recommend fellow Aussie 'Olfoundryman' www.youtube.com/@olfoundryman8418 For 'lost foam casting', I have found no one better than 'Kelly Coffield' www.youtube.com/@kellycoffield533 Both of these guys turn out parts that look factory (sometimes better than factory).😊

[@OzBSABantams]

I have been watching him.........alot!

[@BuickDoc]

Since I have watched three YT videos on casting, I am now an expert. In my expert opinion, that project would have been an ideal investment casting project. IMEO, when you have fins sand casting is difficult.

[@OzBSABantams]

Thanks

[@BigEpinstriping]

Since you 3D printed your part for your mold, why don't you try lost PLA casting? You print the part in PLA, make your mold, pour in the aluminum, and the hot metal will vaporize the PLA part. people do it all the time.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yes but you have to do a 36 hour print each time. They cast in plaster so it would take a bit to cure the mold and a lot of plaster too. Most of the people doing that only do small stuff.

[@raymondo162]

27:04: cameraman epic fail......................... sakes

[@bryanlatimer-davies1222]

I think a little more draft angle on the fins would help

[@andrewbaluk1663]

the guys that get results seem to use some kind of waste oil in their sand mix. not very environmental...

[@Gribbo9999]

Mate you need to check your workshop lighting or recording framerate. Very distracting to watch.

[@OzBSABantams]

Yep I'll look into changing the framerate on my go-pro. however they say they flicker at low light but I'll try a bit more and see how I go.

[@oldschool1993]

You need to use your bare feet to ram the flask like those Pakistani foundry workers- just be sure to put on your safety sandals when pouring.

[@OzBSABantams]

I kinda like my foundry practices over theirs :)

[@creatorofevil4595]

Good sand is hard to find.

[@OzBSABantams]

I 'm finding that out!!