Making Model Steam Engine Castings in the Home Workshop

My learning-journey into the exciting world of metal casting at home, Here I show my early attempts at casting aluminium engine cylinders and flywheels.
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Channels mentioned in the video:
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MyfordBoy Channel: / @myfordboy

[@CraigLYoung]

No worries 👍 some of us like the sounds of birds.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Craig :)

[@robertoswalt319]

I enjoyed the sound of the birds. It was calming as was your narration.

[@WesleyHarcourtSTEAMandMORE]

Same

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you enjoyed it! Regards. Ade :)

[@howder1951]

Was that a European swallow?

[@gazzman2631]

👍 Great work on the casting, it came out quite nicely. I will admit to rather liking the songbirds in the background as well. Excellent job all around sir, thank you.

[@AdeSwash]

Cheers Gaz, glad you enjoyed the vid. Regards Ade :)

[@joshwalker5605]

The birds in the background are wonderful. Great video, informative and peaceful!

[@AdeSwash]

Many thanks Josh :) Regards. Ade

[@davetheelasticgoose4838]

when machining stuart casting kits get too boring😂 hats off to you sir, that is some next-level model engineering!

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou Dave :)

[@fetchitnowuk]

What a great video. Very informative. I did like the part about the sand core. I need to get back to melting. Hopefully this time without blowing myself up in the process.

[@AdeSwash]

Best advice is to NOT blow yourself up ;)

[@bloodknottrevelian3396]

Excellent video. My father was a non ferrous moulder and I frequently visited the foundry. You may find benefit from obtaining a pair of old fashioned hand bellows to blow loose sand and excess talc off of the mould surfaces. Had you considered increasing the diameter of the risers but reducing their length as the metal in them will stay molten for longer ensuring complete feed of the mould. The other thing that you didn’t mention was, when making the pattern you need to allow for shrinkage, from memory dad used to say it was ¼” in a foot or 2.08%.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks for the tips, I do need a blower of some type, bellows would be good. I hadn't considered the diameter of the riser but yes it sounds like it would work well, Thanks

[@Andrew_Fernie]

I've seen lots of videos from Myford Boy, Prezzo and others and this is THE simplest and least faffy setup I've seen. Well explained and no voodoo involved. Great stuff 👍👍

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you liked the vid Andrew :) Thanks

[@jlinkels]

Very interesting project. Excellent video recording and very pleasant narration.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks

[@Hyratel]

Extremely clean castings, and well-shot and well-explained process, with some intermediate explanations that I hadn't heard in detail before. Your voice and pacing are very calm and deliberate: easy to follow.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Hyratel :)

[@inorbitaowertrack8454]

love the birds singing Sweden

[@IdleLayabout]

Love the small unobtanium sign on the shelf 🙂

[@AdeSwash]

I reveal the Unobtainium in a future video - Stay Tuned ;)

[@davidculmer1520]

Very nicely produced video.

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou David :)

[@AdeSwash]

NEW EDIT UPLOADED - Sorry about the loud Blackbirds, problem is now fixed - unfortunately youtube does not allow me to replace video, so have lost the likes and comments

[@andypandy9931]

I very much like the birdsong Ade.

[@howardosborne8647]

Is this second viewing the Ade Swash definition of 'retweeting' 🐦🐦.......🤣

[@AdeSwash]

​@@howardosborne8647 took me a while!.....🤣😂🤣😂😛

[@evanhodgson3104]

It's always nice to watch workings with metal. This video is a real eye opener for me now I'm retired. 10 out of 10 for the showing. 9 out of 10 for the comedy segments. Looks like a new hobby coming in.

[@Preso58]

They are nice clean castings Ade. I have used epoxy sand cores in brass castings and they work fine. Regards, Preso.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Mark, that is good to know! Cheers, Ade

[@ProfSimonHolland]

you are an inspiration...i see molten metal in my future.

[@AdeSwash]

Hey Prof.Simon, you would really enjoy this, hot, dangerous and scary, but superb fun :) All the best. Ade

[@nlo114]

Be sure to pre-heat the second lot of scrap before adding it to the crucible! Any moisture on the surface can flash to steam and give unprotected parts a painful silvery coating of aluminium.

[@rastafari4264]

very detailed overview of all needed process steps, thanks a lot, very impressive

[@RB-yq7qv]

Love the birds in the back ground. They are a real feel of spring and summer with their feathers changing at this time of year.

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou :)

[@headstocktailstock]

Nice clean castings, molten alloy will dissolve your steel tart tins, I coat mine with a refractory wash, Petrobond's expensive, I use a facing with a layer of petrobond & back up with Mansfield red [greensand] & make my cores from windblown sea sand, linseed oil dextrin & water & bake them in the rayburn [when the missus is out!!] when I taught students to cast I told them an easy way to remember the flask parts is "life's a DRAG when you're on the bottom but you can COPE when you're on the top" hehe. Graham.

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you for the information Graham, that is a great way to remember the parts of the flask! I'll never get it mixed up again. I normally use my box of 'already used' petrobond which has been reconstituted with a bit of motor oil as a filler after the clean facing sand has gone in, but it does smoke more than the new stuff, so chose to use just the new stuff for the video. Thanks. Ade

[@headstocktailstock]

@@AdeSwash So can you reconstitute it then Ade? I usually throw the burnt stuff away & make sure the greensands not mixed with it at shakeout, & is it just motor oil? cheers Graham.

[@AdeSwash]

@@headstocktailstock I get rid of the big burnt lumps but the smaller ones get crumbled and go back in, with a few drops of motor oil added if it feels too dry. I only use it for backing up after facing with new stuff

[@MyHeap]

Great video Ade. Looking forward to seeing your creations come to life! Thank you for sharing. Joe

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Joe :)

[@steved8038]

For somone who has only been casting for a short while thats a bloody good result congrats, looking forward to more !!

[@AdeSwash]

Cheers Steve :)

[@watchit65]

Excellent video in every way, many thanks.

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you!

[@sazafrass]

15:21 😂 I love that we can hear you whisper "that was the scary bit" like your soufle might deflate if you're too loud. Lovely video.

[@AdeSwash]

:)

[@DClarke1954]

Lovely job Ade. 🙂 I hope the wife appreciated her roasting tray back unharmed and the Sunday spuds didn't taste too oily or gritty. ;-)

[@AdeSwash]

Hahaha! 😁

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

An excellent opportunity to rewatch the video and be even more inspired than previously. 👏👏👍😀

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you enjoyed it Andrew :) Best Regards. Ade

[@charrin9086]

Very well explained Ade! A big thumbs up from the Colonies!

[@AdeSwash]

Many thanks

[@pirminkogleck4056]

Ade i gotta say: i love your Voice. its so calm and fits perfect to your Nice edited Videos. The Video is very informative ! thanks

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you Permin😃 I really appreciate your message, I'm glad you like my narration :) All the best. Ade

[@pirminkogleck4056]

i am just done with the darn crosshead/ conecting rod /crankshaft playing around untill i get mad my crankshaft seem to have a little ammount of throw, and my conrod was never sttaight from the beginning, in the end i had to tap it with the mallet, and machine of about 0,2mm of the big end side, still it is a bit tight on bottom dead center...i run it in now on the handheld drill but hope it will loosen up with a bit more tweaking . not as easy as it all seems in the videos ! @@AdeSwash

[@pigmanuk]

An excellent video .. thanks for taking the time and trouble to produce it. I'm 75 and learned a great deal.

[@petermcneill80]

Hi , I don’t mind the birds there quite nice actually like the Suffolk punch at the beginning it shows you’re truly in a lovely British garden ( or was it a qualcast? ) Great video enjoyed the content and learned a little more about casting very nice job on that btw , and your very fast with a hack saw too 👍🏻

[@AdeSwash]

Many thanks Peter, it is indeed a Qualcast Suffolk Punch 12" - Very lovely old mower :) Kind Regards. Ade

[@briansmith4724]

Thank You for sharing. Well done and interesting presentation. 🙂

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you Brian :)

[@garymucher4082]

I have to say, that was a very good tutorial as how to cast items... Thumbs Up!

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you enjoyed it Gary :)

[@bossdog1480]

Great stuff, very interesting. Many, many uses for that. 😁

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks for watching! Ade

[@montyzumazoom1337]

Nice job! I believe the drag is so named that for large casting pattern boxes which were too heavy to lift, they were pulled or dragged around the foundry floor with hooks or ropes. In fact it was a common way to move metal boxes around when I was an engineering apprentice. A 2 foot or so long metal rod with ends bent at right angles, where one end was hooked into the handle of the metal box and the other end held in the hand and the box of components dragged along the factory floor. I've never worked in a foundry although I have visited them as part of my work. But I did metalwork at school and we cast a few things like aluminium file and pad saw handles.

[@geoffreyharbinson2488]

When you were filling the box you were resting from from dragging ...when you were dragging you were resting from filling ...Seems to me that job was one big rest you had ........Said to me as a young lad in a similar job .. I can tell you I was not pleased LOL All the Best Monty

[@Arzon527]

Although I have no intrest in model trains, your documentation and clearly shown process for making the mold, sand, risers and everything else about the process of making an aluminum casting is amazing. If anyone i know needs a walkthrough of how to do it, i will show them this video.

[@AdeSwash]

I'm glad you enjoyed it @Arzon527 Its all still new to me :) Regards. Ade.

[@BLACKHART_]

I’m only 1 minute in and already loving it!

[@jamest.5001]

I had an idea when I saw the crucible 26:19 Maybe you can coat the graphite crucibles with air dry, or even oven set ,ceramic coatings, Cera coat it's used on pistons, exhaust, and lots more, if it made a crucible basically indestructible it may be worth it, it had been said to hold an aluminum piston together after it had gotten so hot it melted! If it protects the crucible allowing it to last 10x 20x or much more longer, I don't think the crucibles are that expensive, but a dollar saved and all, another thing, I believe going to a salvage yard, buying scrap allow rims, cutting them up, 'making aluminum inguits for later pours, it pours very well, and can be nearly free, if you don't mind the work! It is an alloy, designed to be cast, and look perfect!

[@AdeSwash]

Hi James, yes I agree, alloy wheels are a good high grade ali to use for casting! I will look up Cera-Coat as it sounds like it would be a good coating. Thanks. Ade

[@danteriouslee840]

You could always turn down the outside of the flywheels to press fit into a cut section of steel pipe for added weight

[@markphillips5368]

Using a small paint brush and a little water to swab the edges of the pattern pieces will aid in the removal of the pattern pieces from the mould halves. You may need to de-gas the molten aluminium to avoid possible gas holes in the castings. De-gassing tablets should be available from a local foundry supplies merchant or a local foundry.

[@AdeSwash]

Great tip! I will try this :)

[@johnkillian4719]

Not with a oil based sand. That only works with a water based sand.

[@teshire9075]

This seems interesting, may have to try this with a 3d printed pattern instead of wood...

[@AdeSwash]

Yep 3D is the way to go for patterns!

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

You beautiful man ! Thank you for making this magnificant tutorial.

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou :)

[@martinhow121]

Very nice job. Love it. How about shrinking a steel rim or tire onto the aluminium flywheel for extra rotating mass?

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Martin, good idea :)

[@rossilake3430]

Mum’s going to be Angry with you using her Muffin and Cake pans! Nice job, I love watching melting video’s. I’m a hobby machinist also. 👍

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Ross, she did ask if I had seen the muffin tray, but I denied all knowledge ;)

[@nlo114]

Sunday beef and Yorkshires were a bit crunchy...

[@paulburke324]

Loved the vid, can't wait to see the engine 🙂

[@AdeSwash]

Coming soon Paul :)

[@MarshallSmart]

From an old bloke in his shed nice one,M😀

[@brightmodelengineering8399]

I don't know how much talc you use but I used quite a lot mixed with fibre glass resin as a cheap car type filler to make a fibre glass pattern for making fibre glass moulds to make some parts I needed for a large model. I bought 25kilo from a fibre glass supplier based in Redruth, Cornwall, a good source for cheap paint brushes and latex and rubber gloves, very useful for clean hands playing with graphite. They also do a large range of mixing pots. They also do 5kg of talc for £12.17.

[@johnnicol5009]

Wow, great video. Very well put together and I learned something! Thanks for your time to do this.

[@Flippingwolfresells]

Wow I can't get over well your channel is doing

[@Desmouffe]

Very interesting. I have done some casting myself but it's always nice to see others work. Nice

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks @Desmouffe :)

[@legio65]

Watching your video. Can i give you a tip? The Aluminum you use is very low in magnesium. it's not for pouring. Try to use old cast parts like cylinders carters or magnesium wheels.. it will pour and flow much better.

[@IanFletcher1970]

Good video. I use the CO2 process for core making. Good to see you at Claymills today

[@AdeSwash]

Good to meet you today Ian :)

[@c5173]

great informative video on the practice for home use.

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou, metal casting in a home shop is good creative fun!

[@philhermetic]

I like the gate pattern idea, very neat and far better that scooping the gates out afterwards! Phil

[@philhermetic]

I have a virtually identical furnace, mine came from Vevor, and the element quit after one heat! Luckily they (eventually) settled the warranty and i bought a new British made element for it. They are very quick and convenient for small castings. Phil

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

Excellent work!

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you like it!

[@T1nCh0]

You could use a small coarse fabric bag to powder your surfaces also. Just by hitting the surfaces you'll get powder in them.

[@bossdog1480]

Pakastani style. 😊

[@howder1951]

Excellent vid and demonstration of moulding/casting to offset the high price of the casting kits available. I got here on a push from "Mr. Factotum" so good luck with the subs, here's hoping you got "viral" cheers!

[@DigiLab360]

The background sound is wonderful. Beats some overplayed, corny music soundtrack any day.

[@AdeSwash]

Thankyou :)

[@pisstinpete4700]

Those aluminium muffins look very tasty

[@AdeSwash]

They take some chewing! :)

[@gaildimick1831]

Nice clean casting, Thanks for the teaching.

[@fsecofficial]

My ford boy has been doing this for years. But he never speaks lol.

[@SimJackson]

Rather than using a zinc alloy, could you not get some steel pipe and put steel crowns on the flywheels to give them a bit more mass?

[@freespeechfordemocracy2152]

Just stumbled on this video. Great work and really informative, cheers from the Far East

[@AdeSwash]

Many thanks - peace and goodwill to you! Regards Ade

[@wingles69]

Have just watched this vid, like it and am now a subscriber. Excellent vid, no bullshit and love the comments when taking out the patterns - that is exactly how I would feel doing it. Very well presented with excellent content and information. Don’t think that I will be forging but you have made it look achievable. Thanks Stewart .

[@adad-nerari4117]

Nice work,congratulations.

[@toneault7499]

LIKE YOU ATTITUDE ON THIS .. COMING FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW. MADE ME THINK AGAIN.. AN LOOK TWICE.. HOPE YOU KEEP IT UP .. TONE UK

[@deepsamuel8149]

Late comment, flawless casting one of the cleanest.

[@sailaway1015]

Very comprehensive.... excellent!

[@Greg-om2hb]

Fine work, Sir.

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you kindly

[@DavidR8]

Thanks for this. I've been eyeing that furnace as a way into metal casting.

[@AdeSwash]

Hi David, it certainly is a good entry point to metal casting, I love it!

[@thomaswilliams]

Exellent video,im glad i came across it. Id reccomend Doubleboost's channel,he also has some fantastic casting tips and tricks. You have certainly earned a new subscriber.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Thomas, yes I watch Doubleboost amongst many others youtubers, all give great advice and teachings

[@daniellyne9420]

Excellent video!

[@AdeSwash]

Thank you very much!

[@michaelvitetta7231]

So much better! At least the bird noises are in the background this time!

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you liked the 2nd version Michael - Regards. Ade

[@adad-nerari4117]

Nice work. Thanks for this very interesting video.

[@Wonlongpong]

Great video and very informative. I think you've got cope and drag terms the wrong way around. The drag is at the bottom and the cope has the risers.

[@gertjevanpoppel7270]

Great video 😀👍… Thanks ade

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you enjoyed it. Regards. Ade

[@guypehaim1080]

What I could find as to the etymology of cope and drag is as follows: The word cope evolved from the latin word for a woman's head covering. The word drag came from an ancient norse word meaning load, something heavy that would be dragged.

[@mikehardy7060]

excellent video, glad I came across it, now subscribed thank you

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Mike :)

[@rjordans]

Nice video, thanks! Another option for the flywheel may be to get some thick walled steel pipe and use it to make the rim of the wheel as a separate part. The rim is what counts most for storing momentum so if you can get the weight there you will have a great flywheel

[@AdeSwash]

Great tip! - Thanks :)

[@zdcyclops1lickley190]

Try baby powder on the inside of the conduit when making the sand core.

[@woodsmn8047]

I seem to recall that molasses was used instead of epoxy to make cores in the old days

[@rodneyfrost1674]

Excellent video , Thank you sir.

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you liked it :)

[@RustyInventions-wz6ir]

Very nice video. I’ll definitely will have to look into it in the future

[@AdeSwash]

Cheers Rusty, sorry, I haven't forgotten about the sticker just not got it sorted yet

[@zvonibab]

Well done Mr Swash

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks :)

[@gwheyduke]

looks like your part came out very well. I use flour, a little molasses and water as a binder for core sand. Have to bake it in the toaster over at 350 F for about 4 hours. Less expensive than expox.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks for the tips!

[@StanFerris]

Brilliant work as always, Ade!

[@AdeSwash]

Cheers Stan :)

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks Stan :) Best Regards. Ade

[@Mr986Willis]

This is really cool, i want to do the same thing on a smaller scale to make silver then gold watch cases. Incidentally i used to work for Tecumseh engines we had light medium and heavy flywheel options. Light were aluminium, medium were zamac and heavy were cast iron. If you want to increase the mass of your flywheel, more than casting from zamac will achieve, pressing a steel band onto the rim might be an option. Finally, an inboard flywheel could be a nightmare if you need to run belts off of it.

[@jws1503]

Wonderful tutorial Video, i love the fact that i am not the only one who used kitchen tools from my wife 😂😂😂😂😂

[@AdeSwash]

Glad you liked it

[@robcoyle5011]

Informative and very well done! Thnx!

[@ryry8210]

Thanks for the video! Please be careful about breathing in any baby powder. The talc powder especially should be avoided. Even the cornstarch based powder could cause respiratory issues.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks for the tip!

[@julias-shed]

Really nice clear casting video. I haven’t done casting for a few years but is it best practice to split the flow of metal? I thought you could get a join where it comes back together 😀

[@AdeSwash]

Hi Julias, I'm not sure what you mean? I am new to this so always willing to learn :)

[@johnkillian4719]

The metal is still liquid when it meets and joins with no problem.

[@slots1407]

Ade, thank you for reducing the bird noise to listenable levels - not to be funny, but us hearing-impaired old duffers have a real problem with extraneous noise (we avoid restaurants on that basis) - and thanks also for a most interesting and pleasantly voiced video on the subject (I believe the term is "ASMR", whatever that means. Cheers!

[@howardosborne8647]

Birdsong? You should count yourself lucky Ade hasn't got a furnace with a propane burner🤣

[@AdeSwash]

@@howardosborne8647 Oi! I resemble that remark ;)

[@tano1747]

Beware the zinc fumes if carrying anything with zinc content. Not (ahem) "good" for you.

[@AdeSwash]

Thanks for the warning Tano :)

[@wkjeeping9053]

Actually anything being melted down produces toxic fumes. It don't matter what metal used

[@Machine_NZ]

Excellent video Ade. I've just started using Zamak also. The engine I'm now building called for Bronze flywheels. I knew Bronze would be expensive so looked at Brass. I'm an ex-pat now living in New Zealand and metals not cheap here. Brass was going to cost me approx. £130.00....Ouch! Zamac is a lot cheaper. Won't look the same but couldn't justify the price. Loved the birds singing away.. Regards Kevin

[@AdeSwash]

Hi Kevin, the cost of metal has risen here in the UK also, especially non-ferrous, I'm really pleased with the zamak, it pours like water and gives superfine detail, and turning it is a delight. Cheers. Ade :)

[@tomt9543]

Think of it this way: the DRAG drags on the table, the COPE just has to cope with it! Lol

[@manfromthemist1958]

Briliant video Ade thanks very much,

[@AdeSwash]

No worries, many thanks for watching Regards. Ade

[@alexopouloscharalambos8242]

To make heavier flywheel, you can make a aluminum/lead alloy.

[@AdeSwash]

Helo Alex, thanks for your comment. I did try melting lead with the alum as a test, but when poured the lead just remained at the bottom of the crucible and had not alloyed with the alum, I would be interested to understand how to make this work ? Thanks Ade

[@WilliamDuckett]

I've seen some documentation that shows the Victorian and Edwardians mixing graphite into the sands to fill microscopic gaps making for exceedingly fine castings, some of which I've seen in person in buildings as door furniture!

[@TheEvertw]

Very nice castings! One comment, shouldn't the steam chest reach further to the ends of the cylinder, so that steam is injected and extracted beyond the maximum travel of the piston?

[@AdeSwash]

Hi @TheEvertw - the steam supply is drilled from the top edge of the cylinder, to meet the ports in the steam chest, this is quite typical of model engines. The cylinder caps then fit to seal the top edge, and a small port is milled from the hole into the internal cylinder. Steam is then ported to each end of the cylinder via the slide valve diverged control. Hope that makes sense :) Ade

[@guypehaim1080]

I like the twin-cylinder, single-wheel version of your steam engine. what will be the construction of your boiler? I think you could use a used fire extinguisher bottle.