Casting an aluminum plaque

[@Metalstacker]

That plaque came out really great! Job well done!

[@joshmellon390]

Crazy watching your older videos and seeing all the things you do different now lol. I've been learning quite a bit from you man, keep it up.

[@swdweeb]

You'd be surprised at how many comments I get from people that think all of my vides represent a single moment in time, that all of them are my most recent. It's crazy. I'm glad you recognize the past from the current. 😄 Thanks

[@IngotJoe]

Nice casting, I will be using this video to help me cast my logo on my channel. Thanks. Keep the videos coming.

[@swdweeb]

Thanks

[@2mnxffrddfghjbbvcdfh6644bcddcv]

Your film work is excellent. Great ideas

[@swdweeb]

Ha! I think I've gotten better in both filming and casting since then. Thanks for the comment, made my day. :-D

[@joebolling]

I have trouble with narrow channels or a narrow gate in the winter season where I live, but heating the sand with a heat gun solves the problem fast and also makes the sand from better around the model. Warming it up while working with it, and again just before pouring the aluminum works great.

[@swdweeb]

Are you using green sand or petrobond? I had trouble with my petrobond losing it's green strength when it got warm. I made a mold in the summer when the sand temperature was around 100F. I lifted the cope and the sand just collapsed on my. I used to bring it in the how in the winter and hot summer months so I could work it. I'm finding my green sand rams harder and is doing better with small detail.

[@joebolling]

swdweeb I’ve been using petro sand so far, haven’t tried green sand yet... fairly new to it all myself, but at 50 degrees f in my garage when the molten aluminum hits the mold the spaces have to be pretty wide for it to flow or I end up with half a casting and the rest overflows. I’ll have to give greensand a shot in the near future!

[@swdweeb]

@@joebolling Green sand is a big jump. I'm still in the process of switching to it but I'm sold. It's cleaner, doesn't stink, doesn't smoke, and is cheaper. Green sand is definitely more finicky. The moisture and sand/clay ration has to be in harmony. In regards to mold temperature, I'm not sure that heating the sand is it. It seems to be working for you but if you think about it, sand at 50F or sand at 100F is still huge difference to aluminum at 1200F. I had much better success venting my molds. A small vent on the far side(s) of the mold to release trapped gas made a hum difference to me. I don't know if you've seen these or not kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIacZoKDnsaYac0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opzGdqWnZrerhck kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXK3pKNvbcpja6M but you might find them interesting. I've never poked holes down from the top of the mold as a lot of guys do. You might also consider that. You might also try heating you meltal a little longer and get it into the mold quickly after you pull it from the furnace. Finally, there are some really knowledgeable people out there that will tel you venting is completely unnecessary. In their sand it might be. Don't let tehm discourage you from trying different methods to find what works for you..

[@glorybonjovi9343]

Nice job well casting

[@swdweeb]

Thanks. That was a long time ago 😄

[@RustyGlovebox]

Some impressive work. Nice job , you nailed it.

[@swdweeb]

Thanks. I really need to get my own 3-D printer, I've got a lot of things I want to do. You got one laying around? ;-)

[@JulianMakes]

Lovely cast!

[@swdweeb]

Thanks Mate

[@paulm5774]

Great videos just starting out on casting ,nearly completed my furnace. Hoping to have a go at Aluminium Bronze.

[@swdweeb]

Cool. I'm having a blast with it. I've only been at it a few months myself. I can tell you from personal experience straight aluminum is a lot easier to work with than copper or aluminum bronze. That said, there is something very primal about being able to melt copper and make the alloy. ;-)

[@ALCRAN2010]

16:00 what do you do with the burnt sand? Can it be reused?

[@swdweeb]

Yes it can kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpW6lqeVhqiMp5Y

[@volgnit]

Oh man. Now I can breath again. Nice job mate.

[@swdweeb]

:-D It's called suspense marketing. Thanks

[@NathanielOutdoorAdventures]

It is always worth trying new things. Even failing can be fun if we are learning

[@swdweeb]

Thanks, I'm always amazed that the lettering turned out on that one, they were so tall and thin.

[@JointerMark]

Would it help if the mold was warn? Maybe the metal would flow better into the letters? I am about to do some casting of letters also so I am very interested in your project. I have been watching several if your videos and really appreciate your relaxed manner.

[@swdweeb]

That's just my "on-camera persona" ;-D I don't know if warm sand would help or not. I'm not even sure how I would do that, especially now that its -150F in my garage these days. I expect most of my issues have to do with the sand collapsing when the aluminum runs across it. The letters are pretty thin so there isn't a lot of structural stability in them. Make sure you pattern has plenty of draft in it. These letters were about 1/8" (3mm) with 5% draft on them. I've recently done some stuff with 8% draft and that helped. But the letters on this plaque were just so darn skinny there was nothing to them when the aluminum hit them and they collapsed.

[@paulsheffler8146]

@@swdweeb I HAVE A SMALL FOUNDRY PATTERN WITH A 10% DRAFT. It is for a locomotive bogie side frame in 1:72 scale

[@swdweeb]

Anymore I put as much draft as I can on things. I’ll throw 20-25% on letters if I can. If course it all comes down to pattern prep. As I’m sure you know, the smoother the walls the easier the pattern releases

[@headstocktailstock]

Noticed when you put the cope down the sand moved up slightly,as though it wasn't bonded to the sides of the flask [one thing it won't flow out at the joint!!] upper cas A's & lower case e's are often difficult to get out which is why I have a dentists drill to fettle them up, I use petrobond in contact with my plaques & back up with greensand. Graham.

[@swdweeb]

Wow, I havent thought about this video in over three years. 😄 I've learned a little bit in the last few years and you're right those are tough letters to get to release. If I were to do this plaque again, I'd make the protruding surfaces much shorter. I typically go about 1.5 millimeters with at least 10% draft, more if I can get it.

[@headstocktailstock]

@@swdweeb Thanks for the reply Perry, any letters above half an inch height I cut out on a scroll saw from mdf with plenty of draw, anything below I use patternmakers letters as petrobond is expensive I only coat the pattern with it then back up with mansfield red [greensand] & when I shakeout I don't mix burnt sand back in thus keeping the greensand good, I find greensand not strong enough for fine letters, that's why I use petrobond,If I'm casting parts for model engines,baseplates frames etc I just use greennsand, I enjoy your posts & have learned some usefull stuff from them [ta!!] I built my first foundry with my Dad in the 60s 50 odd yrs ago run on foundry coke [& burnt a few out in between!]allthough I built a gas furnace [propane's too damned expensive ] I do 90% of casting with the coke furnace,as we allways have a few tons in for the rayburn cooker. Graham.

[@swdweeb]

@@headstocktailstock Well, you're definitely casting much larger pieces that I am and you've clearly been at this game a lot longer than I have. I assume you end up with some sort of mixture of petrobond and green after you've made a casting. Do you just treat it as green sand from that point forward? I agree wholeheartedly with your comments of too expensive. Petrobond beyond the mess and smoke it's bloody expensive and propane is too expensive as well. I'm investigating the move to diesel as my burner fuel. I wish I just had a working burner with it now. This having to figure stuff out is for the birds 😄😄

[@headstocktailstock]

@@swdweeb No,I only use just enough to mold with before I back up with greensand & when I open the flask after molding I scrape all the burnt petrobond off & bin it so the greensands not contaminated I'm friendly with a local foundry & they only use co2 sand & I was told to get as much greensand as I wanted "out the back" it had grassed over by then but I got a few hundredweight & filtered out the grass,a friend works for a firm that processes bentonite & as you know there's different grades, so he got me some that they supply to foundrys & I just the sprinkle handfull in the mix now & again to keep the bond up, as well as you another of my favourites is Martin olfoundryman,a really clever & helpfull man. Graham.

[@rondelby2482]

Where is a good place to get casting letters?

[@swdweeb]

I've heard of people using alphabet magnets and those press-on/in letters that get used on office lobbies. like this www.wayfair.com/AARCO--Framed-Wall-Mounted-Letter-Board-BOFD-AOFD-L6391-K~AAO1237.html

[@rondelby2482]

@@swdweeb I will check into it. Thanks very much ..have I ever mentioning to you about using dowel rods to make pre cast holes without having to drill them?

[@swdweeb]

Drill them?? I’ve been using dowels for vents and feeders for years

[@rondelby2482]

@@swdweeb What I mean was for example, say pouring a plaque,,,You can stick the dowels on 4 corners and then pour the mold. The metal will run around the dowels and burn them .When you open the mold, you can peck the burned dowel and you have a hole.

[@wyattoneable]

It came out nice man.

[@swdweeb]

Thanks! I learned a lot from the project, its not perfect, but she loves it and that's all that matters.

[@joebolling]

Nice! How’d you do the blue background on the earlier plaque shown in this vid?

[@swdweeb]

You're going to kick yourself when you find out how simple it is. 😄 I simply spray paint everything and then use my orbital sander the sand the paint off the high spots like the letters and the outer rim.

[@joebolling]

swdweeb Too easy - I love it!!

[@meditativemuriwo9078]

You must use a small tapered sprue

[@swdweeb]

Not sure if you were telling me to use one or if you are just being sarcastic. That video was from over three years ago. Since then I have become a huge advocate of the tapered sprue and use one every time I pour. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGXUfYKkgdh8mKc I've learned a lot since this video was created.

[@richparker7778]

New subscriber here. Nice job!!

[@swdweeb]

Thanks, it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot. Mostly how much I don't know ;-) Thanks for the sub too, I really appreciate it.

[@jondoes8222]

I like to mash a short piece of round bar at sprue and lift the bar up and the metal will have a smoother run to the mold cavity

[@swdweeb]

I'm not quite following you. Are you saying to use the round bar to form a taper? If you look at a couple of my later videos I stole a turkey baster from my wife and have been using that with great success. :-D

[@jondoes8222]

Where you dig out the sprue canal to plaque, just press something round like a 3/4th inch cut off piece of wood dowel and smooth and pull it back up and the metal will run smooth. I add a pinch of table salt to my metal and it makes the aluminum more runny.

[@swdweeb]

Gotcha, I've actually been thinking of printing stuff like that on my 3-D printer. In fact, I'm working on some patterns now that include the runners and gates as part of the pattern. I'm hoping it will make things much easier and cleaner. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm with ya. ;-)

[@jondoes8222]

About the letters not coming out good. I always use sharp faced gothic style letters. They are not flat on top They are sharp.I have always had success with them even on courser sands.

[@swdweeb]

Good to know. Thank you!

[@garyhuston]

I think you need to weld a couple of handles on that top. I think it will make life easier 😉 Good job though!

[@swdweeb]

I also need to weld in some plates into the angle that will allow me to stand it up on the long edge as well. Those are tomorrow jobs, today's an anvil day. ;-) Thanks

[@clist9406]

Screwing up is just part of learning. Great job though, but wouldn't the portholes should be closer and a vent. Just a newbie myself just asked questions

[@swdweeb]

Gaaaa.. I always hate going back to these early videos. It reminds me of how much I didn't know. ;-) Not sure what you're referring to as "portholes", but there was so much wrong here. The sprue (where you pour the metal in) should NOT be a big parallel tube, but rather much smaller and tapered to match the natural shape of the metal as it pours. You should NEVER cut a basin at the bottom of the sprue. Gating directly into the part is a bad thing as it allows the metal to enter the part at full speed. A slow controlled fill is greatly desired. That "vent" that I put on the back side of the part is really bad too. There is absolutely no reason to make it that big. A couple of scratch vents would have worked just as well and been about 10,000,000 times easier to clean up. I'd really urge you to not use this video as a "how to". Please look at one of my later videos to see a much better process of how to do this.

[@rabihhachem2739]

Nice job once again i am telling you i do like the way you keep laghing just like my dead father Thats why i love to see your videos Hatts off sir

[@swdweeb]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy them

[@shawnwillis7561]

Its good that your not a liberal. I'm watching your vids cus I wanna cast parts for gun builds.

[@swdweeb]

I expected that comment on my molon labe belt buckle, not this plaque ;-)

[@shawnwillis7561]

@@swdweeb i saw the thumb nail for that so I had a notion, but the liberal comment confirmed my suspicion. Im actually a former liberal/leftist anti gunner that recently(within the past 2 years) had a conversion. I see alot of molon labe in the gun community but I dont know what it means.

[@swdweeb]

Not sure what I said in that video to tip you off... I made it a long time ago,... but clearly I'll have to be more subtle ;-) Molon Labe is from King Leonidas. It's what he said when the Persians told the Spartans to lay down their weapons. It translates "come take" or "come and get them" he said with a wry smile

[@shawnwillis7561]

@@swdweeb I just finished your belt buckle video. Glad I finally know what it means. Ive seen it a thousand times but kept forgetting to look it up. In the the other one you said you werent very liberal.

[@shawnwillis7561]

@@swdweeb I plan on eventually casting upper and lower receivers so ive been watching alot of your vids with pouring thin walls and anything with cores. I will have alot of practice ahead of me, but If you have any advise on what to watch out for id love to hear it. Luckily I live in Texas, so I dont have to worry about laws stopping me building guns.