Using Thermite to Cast an Iron Pan

[@iworkprorenata]

Know what I love about Cody? I have been watching for at least a decade and while the video quality has improved he’s never fallen into the over-the-top KZbin editing and production team that everyone else seems to get into. It’s still just a man filming his passion and sharing it with the world.

[@kitsumyr9752]

Honestly same. I've watched him from since i was in Highschool. It's been over a decade now and I'm now a board certified lab scientist and I still enjoy his content. I hope he never changes

[@bashkillszombies]

I just watch to see if by sheer chance alone he ever gets something to work, or gets an above 5% yield of anything, by sheer accident. Surely he'll get lucky eventually. They don't call him professor bumblefsck for nothing.

[@matmatician7]

It really feels like the old youtube here still, and I mean that in the best way

[@SheWasPerf]

Amen. If more people were themselves and not followers part of cookie cutter groups, more insecure people would remain individuals and do what they believe

[@EvilMaxWar]

Similar vibe with Primitive Technology

[@spacebeetle]

feeding aluminum and iron oxide burritos to a fiery thermite volcano was not on the list of things I thought I would ever see

[@harriehausenman8623]

Thermite Burrito! Love it.

[@KillianTwew]

Well wake up, Cody's here

[@TobiNightcore]

It made me imagine an alternative universe where wood doesn't exist and logs of thermite would be used to to fuel fires

[@-danR]

To me, it had a sort of Terminator 2 ending. "I cannot self-tehminate; you must lowah me into da steel..."

[@nathank4708]

Same here. But he makes things very interesting😂

[@Pitshants3]

so i work in a foundry that does cast iron. those lines in there we call cold shut or interrupted pour so what happens is different parts of the pan cooled faster than the others so it makes those lines. could have happened because you used 2 crucibles could have happened because sometimes the molds have air leaks which cause the iron to cool faster. but for someone who is doing this essentially in their back yard this was a very good first attempt terrific work!

[@toothlessblue]

22:25 "Now to tap it off" was the coolest thing I've seen in forever Like something out of a mythical dwarven forge.

[@keithjurena9319]

Now you know why it is called tapping the furnace.

[@clorky2]

I don't think it was cool, but a rather hot shot.

[@harriehausenman8623]

Yeah, that was *WILD*

[@Aaron-fh6hd]

really awesome shot

[@y33t23]

Just like in a professional smeltery, and soon much iron was actually made from such crude thermite

[@henriquekrever160]

It's also really fun to see cody saying "i'm not gonna do it that way because it doesnt work" and proceeds to show a clip of the thing he said doest work, going wrong. Love it! haha

[@Grandwigg]

It's a great way to use the footage of failed attempts without using a lot of time to do so. (And a very Cody way of doing it)

[@harriehausenman8623]

That was so cool editing!

[@AlbySilly]

I really like seeing the trial and error, though for a split second I thought the same issue happened the 2nd time around lol

[@tarstarkusz]

I wonder if the pan would be usable even if it had turned out well. I think the magnetite has impurities in it.

[@MrTStat]

This has always been one of the best thing about his channel, show where mistakes were made

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

Detonating home-made nitro glycerine with a butter knife, and the moment of 'tapping' off home-made thermite iron with no PPE whatsoever, is some of the best content on the internet. You are still as crazy as ever Cody. Never change mate, the world needs fearless people like you. Greetings from a loyal viewer in the UK.

[@gusallan3967]

Which video is the nitroglycerin one?

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

@@gusallan3967 He had to remove it from youtube, or they did it... it wasn't allowed.. but it was there for a while! Nerrly blew his finger off even though he was wearing a thick leather welding glove... it was only a tiny drop off nitro too!

[@SaltMineRanch]

aye, once upon a time we called these people men and not dangerous suspects.

[@pladmitry]

Hey, what do you mean no PPE?! He has glasses on! Sunglasses, but glasses nonetheless

[@HighOnTacos]

For future attempts - Prior to the early 20th century, cast iron pans were bottom gated, meaning the iron was poured through a flue leading to the bottom of the pan, with the pan upside down and horizontal in the mold. Older pans will have a visible gate mark, as they didn't have the ability to machine it smooth. Eventually they became side gated, and the iron was poured in through a gate at the top of one of the side walls. Modern pans will still have rough machining marks around the side walls where the gate was ground away. You'd probably have better luck with the bottom gate. The cooking surface of the pan would be formed first, with the iron then flowing down to fill the walls and handle. As it backfills the thickness of the pan is built up. At least by my basic understanding of casting.

[@brendandor]

They did have the ability to smooth it, they had files and grinding stones etc, just wasn't a priority or necessary.

[@RichardClaessens]

Yes and the crack in your pan might have been because it cools too quickly.

[@tz8785]

Also I wonder how much (or how little) carbon actually was in that thermite iron.

[@leonardoulian764]

​@@tz8785that's also my doubt. He may actually be making steel not actually cast iron. Major issue is the much higher temperature and difficulty to cast steel. Adding carbon will definitely reduce melting temperature and increase fluidity.

[@thymii]

@@tz8785 Isn't cast iron atleast over 2% carbon? I think this would've just been some weird alloy of mild iron and aluminium or whatever

[@thecuriouspan]

Cody is the mad scientist of our generation. Nonchalantly tapping a thermite volcano to pour molten iron into a mold made of old bee boxes is the most Cody thing I’ve seen. Well played sir.

[@No_More_Naggers]

if reddit was a person 🙄😒

[@GerinoMorn]

The only more Cody thing would be if the boxes were still full of bees or sth xDDD

[@rayyankhan4737]

i mean the molten iron was flying out and one drop of that thing gets in your shoe, it catches fire.

[@ryangross5446]

bro the way he smacked the pipe in and the whole thing just roared molten iron out like a dragon, seriously a cool process

[@techman8817]

That was a dedicated pour.

[@brettcoles6462]

Backyard scientist found that adding steel or iron fillings helped the casting go much better. Also, adding a release agent like talc to the mold halves could help with the stuck sand. Might be good to add some flux and let the slag rise to the top of your "ladle" as well before tapping

[@geografiainfinitului]

I don't know why he bothered with thermite when jet fuel and office paper would have done the same.

[@spicybaguette7706]

​@@geografiainfinituluibecause it's cool to use thermite as the iron source _and_ the heat source

[@muffchinthe3rd515]

Outstanding work

[@truantray]

​@@spicybaguette7706 actual thermite welding uses steel, not pure iron. Pure iron isn't very useful.

[@willaien9849]

Future archaeologists are gonna be so confused by your farm

[@nedisawegoyogya]

Nah they'll know it's Cody

[@burlak3182]

do you mean archeologists? :D

[@justletmelistthese]

"They used thermite to cast iron but they were bare footed, never discovering foot wear."

[@flow5718]

They be saying a great magus lived here and make it a sanctum or something 😉

[@hughmilner7013]

@@burlak3182 both spellings are used, although "archaeologist" tends to be used by Brits... and archaeologists.

[@ashworthcustoms]

Preheat your crucibles to a soft red glow. This’ll help prevent the iron from skinning on top. Also hit it with a small handful of borax before you pour. Cleans the metal.

[@AllanSanderson77]

Yep, was also going to suggest some borax.

[@kbot1060]

I know next to nothing about metalworking, but I think the aluminum in the mix might also be making the skin problem worse as I've never really heard of an iron-aluminum alloy nor do I think they'd mix well together.

[@alexhirt4382]

I think the sand ended up acting like a flux at those high temps, causing the skin problem as it cooled just a hair too quickly. I also suggested borax lol

[@chadoftoons]

Cody used plenty of borax before in normal casting im betting he just didnt have any there and also wanted it to be low tech

[@doppled]

@@kbot1060 the skin itself is the aluminium oxide

[@ixbleedxkief]

Really glad youre still here man

[@CrawfordAutomation]

I work as a mechatronics engineer for a ductile iron company (actually just up north of you) and those folds are called Mold Splash. It is because the casting was not a single smooth motion. That is absolutely still usable!

[@MrPruske]

It's cool to see structures from manufacturing like this imo, like waves in plastic from the pump pushing in spurts of plastic in an injection mold causing a chatoyancy effect.

[@seekyunbounded9273]

@@MrPruske not so nice that it creates leak or break point tho

[@leonardoulian764]

This is also due to the low casting temperature, and mostly because that. As the temperature reduces, viscosity gets higher and makes it harder to fill the mold cavity.

[@thetruthexperiment]

You should do lost iron casting with something REALLY hot.

[@thetruthexperiment]

@@leonardoulian764that was the long way to describe what anybody watching this would know intuitively but I’m sure it helped with all those people who watch this channel for the music…

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

The fact that you got anything, let alone a skillet-shaped item is downright amazing. One thing I will say regarding cast iron, from having done a few braze jobs on it, is the fact that it needs to cool SLOWLY, and dumping a bunch of water on it likely did not help any residual stresses it had inside.

[@sibtainhaider2411]

exactly. I would suggest cody to add some Brass like a very small amoutn for example 1kg to 10 kg ratio. The Brass may eleminate this problem with the Casting process since its a very Malleable metal from the Getgo, it can help endure the stress during the cooling. cody should also heat the molds a little too like atleast 200 degree celsius. A common problem in Casting in a cold Mould is the Cold Joint Problem which caused by pressure and temperature difference of the two substances. Its similar to putting very hot water in a normal glass. The crystalline structure cannot endure the rapid fluctation in temperature and hence will be very fragile. In case of metals, cooling the metal as slowly as possible gives it large and malleable crystal lattice that is key to metal strength and flexiblity.

[@MakeElectricity]

i hope he will make more casted pan videos, i cant buy anymore

[@ronbuckner8179]

Yup pouring water on the casting is a no-no. I learned that in high school shop class.

[@minmuseve5567]

like any future human wouldnt know who cody's lab was

[@josephmedina6403]

As much Ashe spent on making iron skillet I’ll just wait for the sale ! 😆

[@IWILSONMCF]

I’m 27 and in my early teens I started watching your channel and I feel like I’ve grown up with you in a way. It’s so weird and cool. I’ve had your notifications on since I was 14 and I’m always reminded of you whenever you post a new video. Please don’t stop

[@Maithiss]

Though failed attempts are frustrating, showing them and explaining how you learned from them is arguably the most important part of this entire project. Also, an entire set of kitchenware made of the sand (the iron in the sand technically) around the area sounds amazing.

[@Blandge]

For those who aren't on Patreon, Cody has been working on this one for a loooooong time on and off, refining his process.

[@geak78]

​@Blandge I wish I had the funds to support. Because those are exactly the videos I miss. And all the ones he had to take down...

[@Blandge]

@@geak78 It's not as important anymore since Cody finally got his YT payments figured out. He does post a ton of extra content there though

[@josephdorey8458]

​@@geak78 why did he have to take some down?

[@geak78]

@josephdorey8458 he was getting hit with strikes on a lot of videos that even hinted at explosives despite other larger channels basically teaching how to make them. He took a bunch down just to prevent losing the channel. Others probably have better details on the fiasco.

[@vell0cet517]

10/10 casting a pan with thermite skills; 2/10 egg frying skills.

[@jurjenbos228]

You forgot the skills to document the process; that is no small feat.

[@vincenttrigg4521]

I'd say 9/10 for the casting since it's got the leak

[@Lookingformorefun]

he was holding camera in one hand and braking egg with another.

[@SaucePussy]

​@@Lookingformorefunhe hit the egg on a sharp edge, if he hit it flat on the counter the you'll would not of broke. One hand easy. Please season your pan

[@jameswilkes451]

Cody spec'd all his points into intellect and none at all in cooking. Whenever he cooks it looks like a one-handed chimpanzee did it lmao XD

[@michaelkafoure786]

I think annealing the iron afterwards will help with the casting Bing brittle. We also used a special paint inside the molds to help maintain the integrity of the mold while pouring. We also used a 2 part epoxy sprayed in the sand to bind the sand together. We made steal at the foundry I used to work at, hopefully these tips may help some.

[@TheBreadbocks]

For your next attempt, you should probably try to have the volcano drain directly into a channel that feeds the mold, rather than filling up crucibles and then needing to dump the crucibles, the extra transfer step is just giving that crust time to form and obstruct the casting

[@edymarin7781]

I wanted to suggested something similar. Maybe the same way pig iron is casted into ingots (piglets), but with a shorter channel, to avoid freezing the metal innthe channel.

[@gnusamgnu]

I refrained myself from suggesting this, tyinking there was probably a good reason hé chose to use crucibles. Maybe it has something to do with the slag ?

[@edymarin7781]

@@gnusamgnu the slag definetly poses a problem for using channels, but I think that a deep channel would allow the more dense iron to flow on the bottom, while the slag solidifies on top. Of course, the channels would beed to be as short as possible, and Cody would have to babysit it and remove any slag blockages.

[@FullSpeed_only]

@@gnusamgnuThere are Casting Filters made of SiliconCarbide. Might help enough.

[@harriehausenman8623]

I also commented that. A direct pour could help. but isn't trivial to implement.

[@Linkehand]

that pour was so messy and chaotic, i love it

[@tannerbuschman1]

youtube has taught me that until your a pro the pour is always chaotic and everything goes wrong no matter how much you prepare. haha

[@blutadlerx]

One of the best KZbin videos I've seen in a while. There was a reason, why i wanted to check your channel again after a few months, and you did not disappoint 🎉

[@JPBennett]

I think pre-heating the mold before the pour may have helped the iron flow a bit better. But a great success, especially doing it single-handed.

[@DerHenker_]

that won't work here because of the melting point of iron. Its over 1500°C (don't ask what it is in freedom units) and the temp in the melt is even higher, around 1700 - 1800°C. So to have any effect the mold would have to at least 800°C. In that heat the mold would simply collaps. The best solution would be to use finer alu and iron oxide in the correct ratio, maybe a bit more iron oxide than needed to reduce the alu content in the final product to make it less brittle as aluminium makes iron very brittle

[@FishyBoi1337]

@@DerHenker_ What would that be in freedom units, by chance?

[@cowpatty711]

Pretty sure he has two hands

[@drusna]

@@FishyBoi1337 5 times hotter than a well-done steak, or 6 times hotter than a football field on July 4th

[@joybreegaming8781]

@@drusnaactually it’s 17 times hotter than a well done steak.

[@ericrosen6626]

One of my favorite "Cody things" is that like nothing seems to go to waste. "I need a funnel" doesn't mean go to the store and buy a funnel, it means cut the top off of a plastic bottle. "I need a vent for my mold..." Well, take the rest of that bottle you made a funnel out of and cut off the bottom. Cracked beaker? So what, it'll still measure out dry stuff fine. Wet stuff? An empty gallon jug is fine! Need something like a pastry bag? Well I'll just go ahead and cut a hole in the corner of a ziplock. I do get nervous seeing him handling a moderately heavy box of hardened sand around his bare feet... but I guess if you are careful enough to play with thermite, you are probably careful enough to not lose a toe :)

[@wesleyfilips7052]

when you live out in the sticks you improvise

[@Sembazuru]

When working around crushing hazards w/o any foot coverings, one tends to be hyperfocused where your feet are at all times. Except for that one time where your "ain't never got hurt before" hubris catches up to you...

[@LugborG]

My uncle used ziplock bags to ice cakes for years, and I always had the best birthday cakes growing up. Sometimes it's more about the skill than the tools.

[@roberthousedorfii1743]

wait, they SELL funnels in stores??? DAMNIT....

[@quint3ssent1a]

> need a funnel > just cut it out from a plastic bottle dude, that's, like, how 95% of people who ever lived on a ranch are doing it. Seriously, are you ever touched grass in your life?

[@MrSnafu-1973]

Cody, you're a mad man of genius. I made my own forge and melting furnace a few years back and have gained some insight and knowledge from your videos. I met a guy who came from a family of welders, thermite welders, I had no idea there was such a thing, and I did a little research. He had given me a few pointers and recipes. This video makes me glad I lost the information he had given me because casting using my charcoal furnace is exciting enough. Never change

[@nautica8745]

Those are some MONSTEROUS crickets at 2:22

[@rasmis]

I've paused at 17:00, to share my appreciation of the sound of the fleeing cricket. I don't know if it was added in production, or if it was wearing a mike, but it was just perfect.

[@Johannrothschild]

in my village we have big crickets in rainy season so i was like how big they can we but man these guys are huge

[@PurpleHaze2k9]

Dude yeah they are huge what in the hell. Where im from the brown ones are tiny and the black ones are slight larger. Dime or nickel size is just about the limit in my location.

[@franksprecisionguesswork501]

Also known as chicken treats!

[@rubiconnn]

Those are Mormon Crickets. They swarm nevada/utah by the billions in the early summer. They have to get snow plows out to clear the roads because it gets so slippery from the mashed up crickets.

[@pixeldragon6387]

NileRed: “Always wear proper PPE at all times” Cody: “where are my shoes? Eh screw it”

[@dbblues.9168]

Styropyro: "That was a cool reaction, but let's make it more powerful with my 10 gigawatt laser. "

[@ldobehardcore]

@@dbblues.9168 William Osman: That's all well and good, but I think I can make it better with head trauma

[@bigboss-tl2xr]

I did a thing, "Right Cody, we don't need shoes!"

[@jbartscherer92]

​@@ldobehardcorewilliam osman: I care for nothing but unboxing now

[@FerdinandFake]

"bit of an iron leak" 😂😂😂 Unbelievable, that molten iron pouring out of the volcano like water. Best video i have seen in a long time

[@XxShOeEaTeRxX]

I love how you come up with this shit and actually do it even though its a logistical nightmare

[@mozzyquodo5532]

Easily one of the most entertaining and educational channels on youtube. Love everything you do.

[@jodiecavinder9891]

Educational? Sure if you're wanting to learn the wrong way to do something😂

[@willthedill6199]

@@jodiecavinder9891atleast he knows how to do it, you could never do anything like this in your life

[@muffinpoots]

For the flipping of a sand mold you need a lot of compaction. You can use pounding but you can also use vibration. A fairly powerful subwoofer attached to any sand mold for a good period of time will compact a great deal. Might also err on the side of excessive moisture. Liquifaction is your friend here. Try to compress everything at once, not in layer. Layers make surfaces for delamination. Compressing as much volume as possible means you have more of a single chunk. Also, pleeeeeeeease, support both surfaces at all times while flipping. Some plywood screwed down would be eperfect. The whole thing should move as a monolith as much as possible. Great work. Great video. Just had ME 153 flashbacks.

[@BHSAHFAD]

one thing i love about cody is he never cuts his video short, i love it that he goes through and investigates what happened and shows us his investigation too.

[@supergeek1418]

Science at its finest and most basic, all at the same!

[@memejeff]

Thank you. The idea using CO2 to harden sodium silicate is genius. I have for months been fighting to make refractory bricks and had trouble with it. This saved me. Edit: 100L of perlite, 3 kanthal coils as well as the 3kg of NaOH have arrived. Working on sourcing the few kg of co2 needed. Will go buy the sand in the next week or so. 5/12: I have just bought the quartz sand as well as cement to line the exterior for reinforcement. 2600g of CO2 are on their way in the post.

[@leonardoulian764]

This is a common procedure in casting, especially for core making.

[@memejeff]

@@leonardoulian764 Glad to finally know it then. Couldnt find it on search engines.

[@Rosskles]

How's the bricks turn out?

[@memejeff]

​@@Rossklessorry for the late reply. Have tried it on a small scale and it worked well. Gonna try it on a large scale now once the sand arrives.

[@Rosskles]

@@memejeff Awesome! Be safe and good luck 👍😁

[@MartynDerg]

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate both the failures you had to endure along the way, as well as the integrity to showcase them too. Thank you for letting us learn from them, and showing too that it's all worth it!

[@alexmachan3255]

I love you explaining why you are not doing something and then cutting to where you learned that lesson. Really nice to see the failures as well as the successes since they give so much to learn from.

[@xTreme.Power.]

Cody: The single guy on KZbin who have 2million subscriber's but still record like a young KZbinr, without any setup or other 😂 Only the resolution is higher since some videos 🤣

[@dinkc64]

I dig his lofi approach

[@dustinsmith8341]

It's great. He's focusing on content and is the reason people still come back after many many years. If he did one project every few months with no videos in between but high production value, it would defeat the purpose of his rough and tough approach to things. How he does it is perfect for his content.

[@MakeElectricity]

old style youtube videos, back then didnt need crazy editing to get views, just an interesting video idea was enough

[@DemonStarCrafts]

It’s amazing to know your channel is still around Cody I use to watch your channel as a curios 16 year old kid I’m 24 now and just found your Chanel again and am loving re watching the old and new vids

[@gizanked]

17:00 good thing you did a bug check before hitting run.

[@pvc988]

Debugging is always important.

[@DH-xw6jp]

Cast crickets for the knick knack shelf.

[@Dracul616]

​@@pvc988best youtube comment I've seen today 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MunifTheGreat]

@@pvc988 Lol I'm dead.

[@youmukonpaku3168]

bug very nearly became a feature.

[@MrDemi1233]

Cast the iron pan upside down so the thinner walls get filled first. Cast the pan in one go directly from the volcano. Good video as always

[@Doramius]

Things I'm surprised he didn't use: Using a sparkler to start the thermite reaction ; Using a Wire metal brush to clean off the sand from the cast pan ; Shoes for any length of time in Nevada sun ; And salt on eggs. - Good Lord, are we not savages?!?!?!

[@alfredo42o]

I'm pretty sure he did use a sparkler as a fuse, rewatch the part when he's lighting it. It ends up not working too well I guess, cause he just started blasting the powdered thermite mix with the torch. ALSO, he did wear shoes for the rest of the video after he started the thermite, surprisingly. 🤣Thankfully he had some heavy, non-polyester clothing. Tbh that's the most important part. I'm pretty sure that's a Carhartt jacket or something similar, and I don't think he would just wear that in Nevada sun for no reason. It IISSS Cody though, so you can never predict him lol.

[@lawrencegerads7955]

Purple fuse. Better than sparklers and easy to make

[@admdubya2107]

This man’s insistence on always using the wrong tool for the job drives me crazy but I keep watching. I was literally going “bro wire bru…wire brush…g…go get a fkn wire brush!”

[@RichardCook]

i worked in a foundry when i was young the finale step they would do with a mold is use a supper fine silica powder and make a surly with it thick like paint then spray it on the mold lightly dont want drips prob 3 or 4 times use a torch to bake the coating on each lair tell smooth this creates a glass like lair between the coarse sand and molten metal

[@bluedistortions]

That sounds really cool

[@srdjanradisa]

25:54 Cody: What you think? Should I dump some water in this ? Me: I thought you'd never ask !!! 😂

[@Brkprsn]

Came to see if someone wrote this because I was thinking the exact same thing hahaha

[@harriehausenman8623]

ditto

[@JackpineGandy]

I've worked the pouring shift in a small foundry, and I was a track welder for quite awhile, welding rails together with thermite. I'm impressed as can be, with your efforts and results at every stage. The apparent seams inyour finished casting are due to the interruptions in the pouring. The "skin" that formed on the surface of the iron was slag. The slag is lighter than the metal and always floats to the top...even in a freshly tapped furnace. Your pouring rate was a little slow and this also contributed to the seams in the finished pan. The sand in contact with the molted iron vitrifies, forming a crude glass which has to be chipped from the casting. Perhaps a pneumatic needle scaler would work well for cleaning the casting efficiently. Risers can be formed in your sand mold to act as reservoirs of extra liquid metal which then flows back into the mold cavity as the metal cools and contracts. Allow several hours for the metal to cool before breaking open the mold flask. Overall, I think this exercise turned out very well.

[@davidwarner9032]

The "I guess I'm having scrambled eggs" makes the 30 minutes of complex chemistry prior almost relatable

[@DH-xw6jp]

Using thermite to cast a pan? Wicked Cool. Using an unseasoned iron pan to fry an egg? You monster.

[@LordDragox412]

The pan was a seasoned veteran, it went through literal hellfire to be able to fry that egg!

[@hugegamer5988]

@@LordDragox412 when you quench with oil not only will it cool, it forms a natural non stick coating too!

[@LordDragox412]

@@hugegamer5988 It causes polymerization of the oils/fats, and with enough layers it could even plug up the hole in the pan. But that's besides the point of my comment, which was meant to be a joke.

[@barthanes1]

I was a bit shocked as well that he would cook in an unseasoned pan.

[@AaronC.]

@@hugegamer5988 That's so cool! I imagine it should be a vegetable oil, not a machine oil, as normally used in blacksmithing?

[@naverilllang]

I came for Cody's Kitchen and was not disappointed As far as the pan goes, I think the flaws can be mostly mitigated. The pan is brittle because it was cooled too fast. reheating it and holding it at temperature should destress the material, so it's not crazy brittle. For the leak, you may be able to seal it off by seasoning the pan. Over time that could also fill that crack up giving you a nice cooking surface.

[@jaratt85]

When collecting the metal from a thermite reaction you need to start the reaction from the bottom.. Mythbusters showed this in one of their thermite episodes and it's also how thermite welding of rail steel (railroad) works. If you start it from the top most of the metal is lost to the reaction and burnt up instead of being usable. Something to help the metal flow in the mold is to preheat it. You need to season cast iron pans before you cook with them.

[@iankrasnow5383]

You don't NEED to season cast iron before cooking the first time, it's just a really helpful thing to do. It'll work just fine unseasoned, similar to carbon steel. Food will just stick more and the pan will rust pretty fast. I suppose you might also get a higher iron content from your food.

[@ralanham76]

​@@iankrasnow5383yeppers The pan has a crack and leaks 😁 Seasoning isn't important yet.

[@MyManwich2]

This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to knowing a dwarven blacksmith.

[@onebeingeverybody]

You just did about 50 things on here better than I've ever seen done. I love the kindling and logs

[@physchy945]

That was BY FAR the best casting I’ve ever seen with thermite. They always look horrendous. I’m extremely impressed

[@WormholeJim]

This is an amazing video. So typical of a typical Cody's Lab video, yet also, I don't know. Oddly accomplished somehow. I've been watching for years on and off, but with this one I realized just how much I enjoy watching these, and also _why_ I enjoy it. It's relaxation pure and simple, sitting back and emerging myself in this feelgood, slightly nutty chemical engineer univers and knowing that there is this guy out there on a badlands hillside doing backyard science like none of all that other stupid shit going on even existed. You help keeping the world just a little sane and playful, Cody. Also, yeah. Of course the wind is going to blow the smoke your way, that's a natural law. It doesn't help move around because then the wind just shifts, so. But at least it spewed the lava in the other direction, so there's that👍

[@Blandge]

Yes, Cody is the sane one 😅

[@icygaming1216]

35:56 never been one for asmr but the sound of that shattering gave me chills

[@Vegalith]

I choose to read the title as a Metal-based wizard trying to use Thermite as an ingredient to cast the spell “metal pan”

[@thiamath]

Not far from reality though

[@SpaghettiEnterprises]

Literally describing the video?

[@pogers22]

Cody said "I, CAST IRON!!!!"

[@rodneyjackson7147]

@@pogers22 my favorite cody spell is manifest murcury.

[@malljip3420]

40 minutes of codyslab, fuck yeah

[@davidf2281]

Seemed more like ten. Best. Content. Ever.

[@Kawka1122]

Cody slab

[@harriehausenman8623]

Hope this will become a series: Thermite Casting with Cody! And we cast some really silly stuff everytime 😄 Maybe just going wild and creating some artsy stuff. I would buy one 😉

[@reggiep75]

Just under 20 for me.. 2x speed watcher 😉

[@Kawka1122]

@@Science-Vlog BIG MEMBER 12CM

[@projectdirtbikes]

That was the coolest thermite reaction I've ever seen! Awesome that you got an actual pan out of the process too. Great video

[@olam4642]

I've been watching your videos for years and that sequence at 22:30 was one of the coolest things ive ever seen, the molten steel shooting out violently at 2000ºC and then the way you have to fight to wrangle it into the mold, that was amazing!

[@Tharicnar]

That pan came out a lot better than I was expecting. Not the most efficient method, but certainly a lot more interesting to watch. Thank you, Cody. Keep up the great work.

[@teamja1088]

Holy hell, I have not seen a Cody’s Lab vid in years. I thought the govt or KZbin (but I repeat myself) shut you down around the same time you and your lady separated. Glad to see you are still making videos Cody!

[@MinedMaker]

I'm equal parts amazed and stressed out by that pour and molten metal spray, awesome video.

[@Jeremy_Adams]

When I was a kid I watched Mr. Wizard. Now as an adult I watch Cody’s Lab!

[@supergeek1418]

Totally agree.

[@mynameismatt2010]

I do investment casting, not sand casting, so it's reasonably different, but a few notes on ways to improve are: 1. have some kind of primary layer in your mold for better shell to metal interface properties. We use a blend of fine grain alumina powders in a slurry 2. Include sacrificial runners for better flow properties and to drive shrink out of your finished piece 3. Every bit of preheating your mold you do will help you in the long run. 4. You're losing heat to radiation proportional to the 4th power of the temperature, try to superheat the metal and try to minimize the time between net energy in the volcano going negative, and your metal entering your mold. We try to kill our induction coil within 6 seconds of pouring.

[@Sky-._]

That was great! It's both the most successful thermite casting I've seen AND the most successful I've seen a KZbinr be at making a cast iron pan. Great work!

[@Grandwigg]

The timing of this video is hilarious. I was watching a bunch of old thermite welding videos this last week. Railway stuff, mostly.

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Blasting sand alone is a bit homogenously coarse grained, I think. Good structural handling hold of traditional moulds and smoother end product finishes, requires a balance of more fine particled clayish substance mixed in. Usual recommendations seems to be certain mixes of fine sands down to zero size grains (dust/clay), water and a bit of oil to make it all slightly more tacky and compactible by stamped packing. For mould layers and object separations I usually see uses of talcum powder. I have seen professionals use open flame exposures (bigger propane torches/flame throwers) to the imprints, to glassify them before pouring. I recon it makes the mould both more rigidly fail proof and gives smoother finish. You´re already half way to waterglass with your silica cat litter there. Add the lye :)

[@onmyworkbench7000]

The way Cody list all of the steps that he had to do to cast his Cast an Iron Pan using thermite, reminded me of the old *_British TV series Connections,_* that was created, written, and presented by British science historian *_James Burke._* To remove the sand you need a *_SANDBLASTER!!!_*

[@hngldr]

22:28 - I never thought I would know what such a noise would sound like - that put a huge smile on my face

[@nickgut8508]

just stopped by to say thanks for all the content Cody. i am glad you are still doing your thing

[@ArthurEKing8472]

Best suggestion to improve? The crucibles are an unneeded step. In essence, the biggest "issue" with the casting, was the fact that the metal started to cool in various places and locations, and you didn't have enough of it all at once to fill the mold, so it started to harden in various locations first. So if instead, you just put the mold in the right location? You could have the whole mold filled immediately, and it would be a clearer, simpler process, with fewer steps, and fewer possible points of failure.

[@anandrew6641]

This

[@mr.narwhal547]

wouldn't the slag layer still be an issue in this, our would you just need to have a large enough vent for it to bubble up to?

[@ArthurEKing8472]

@@mr.narwhal547 slag COULD be an issue, yes, but If you took that into account in the first place? Plan for it? You'd still get a WAY better end-result. IMO

[@jannepeltonen2036]

Seeing as how violent the eruption of melted material from the volcano was, getting the material in the mold in a controlled way without using the crucibles as an intermediate step looks like it would be really hard.

[@Zach476]

@@jannepeltonen2036 you just use walls to funnel it.

[@henriquekrever160]

I'm so happy to see Cody with that big smile, excelent video as always cody!

[@markbottcher9623]

You could make the volcano higher and dig out a lower hole that you can place your mold into ,then when the volcano is done reacting, you could tap the plug and have it go directly into the sprew. Then it would probably fill the mold more evenly.

[@simonbecker748]

What a project! Making everything from scratch, the failed mold attempts, actually getting it to work on the first try, the tapping… So much work and such a good result. Awesome video cody

[@ECM398]

getting the metal out of the vulcano seems to have worked a whole lot better than i would have thought, i was very skeptical before seeing it flow out so nicely

[@YodaWhat]

Folds and voids in the pan might be avoided by orienting the mold vertically with the handle either at the top or the bottom. This will let gravity do more work pressurizing the molten iron and giving bubbles better chances to escape. But the mold will really have to be clamped together strongly.

[@tom-607]

It always brightens my day seeing Cody upload. Thanks man!

[@erinmac4750]

Absolutely agree!

[@harriehausenman8623]

Yeah, thanks Cody! 🤗

[@tomarnd8724]

This is the most low tech/high tech thing with how aluminium requires huge industrial infrastructure to make and yet mixing it with sand and setting fire to it is so simple, I love it

[@deltab9768]

Yeah aluminum is pretty much a high tech miracle fuel. Once the oxide layer comes off, it gets super reactive. There was a research team that made a surprisingly strong rocket fuel from aluminum and ice.

[@arthurmoore9488]

That was my thought as well. The volcano reminded me of a Primitive Technology video. Yet, it's only possible because the energy "put into" the Aluminum. Which was probably shipped around the world so it could be done "cheaply."

[@iankrasnow5383]

It makes me wonder if there were any thermite- type processes that would have been possible with primitive technology. We couldn't use aluminum metal or really most pure elements, so I can't think of anything off the top of my head to use as a good reducing agent.

[@tomarnd8724]

@@iankrasnow5383 elemental copper occurs naturally, maybe you can get a thermite compound to work with that? Might not be reactive enough

[@iankrasnow5383]

@@tomarnd8724 Copper is lower in the reactivity series than iron, so if anything, pure iron would be a reducing agent in a reaction like that, to produce copper, not the other way around. The potential energy and kinetics are also a lot lower so I doubt you could even get a sustained reaction. My hunch is that thermite wouldn't have been possible to make before we started using electrolysis in isolating metals.

[@Satanelul]

The crust formed because the metal was not hot enough. There was enough heat to smelt it but you need to make it hotter than the melting point to be aible to pour it

[@vahannema]

the only thing i'd suggest is to try and skip the crucibles. after tapping into the molten iron, have it flow into a (tile/ceramic?) funnel, directly into your cast. if it'd cool down too fast in the open air, you could extend the cast to include a hollow section leading to the mould. you would tap it with a pipe like you did here, but the pipe is blocked at the end (away from the molten iron), and has a quarter segment cut out that the metal can then flow through, into the hollow below towards the mould.

[@user-uc4th2yi3f]

Cody is my favorite KZbinr of all time🙌been watching since 8th grade and just graduated college

[@dasvanalo3504]

things i saw others do for casting, not necessarily an improvement: use fired clay instead of sand; use wax mold, put in sand, then melt wax off; more holes to pour the molten iron in; pour it in fast at once by keeping the crucibles isoltated/ hot; have the molten iron in a big vessel, then open a hole at the bottom of the vessel to let it flow out without the top slack; temper/ anneal the finished pan; regardless, cool video!

[@MordecaiV]

A bigger crucible for a single pour will likely help, and I think if you put your flasks at a ~10 degree angle you may avoid the wrinkle/void in the center of the pan base. I think that knit line/void was mainly a failure of venting.

[@TheZombieSaints]

I still can't get over you can get such a "rough" thermite mix to actually react with a really good yield seeming the raw and I mean RAW mix 😂 well done cody. Awesome stuff!

[@collinhickmann1258]

Hey Cody, fantastic video! I'm going to try some thermite casting as well, and have a few thoughts/ideas. 1. I'd consider adding some carbon to the mix to increase the strength, some chromium oxide (or chromite) for corrosion resistance (with enough aluminum to reduce it), and some metallic iron (maybe 10-30%) to absorb some of the excess heat and increase the ratio of iron:slag for casting directly from the reaction vessel. 2. It would be informative (and entertaining) to measure how much aluminum and silicon end up in the final cast. Both of these could reduce the strength of the metal you produce (although 1-2% silicon improves the fluidity and makes a better cast). If the values are too high, you could correct that in future casts, and if not, it's one less thing to worry about. It would also be a fun video in its own right. 3. If you have too much aluminum or silicon in your iron, you could try using an excess of magnetite. This would probably reduce the amount of unreacted aluminum in the iron. I'd assume any silicon in the iron is coming from the reaction between aluminum and the silica of your sand volcano. An excess of magnetite could help to reduce the silicon content by outcompeting silica for reduction by aluminum, particularly at the very tail end of the reaction when there would otherwise be very little magnetite left and a good amount of sand. 4. You could try lining your volcano with magnesia-tar (I think this is the crucible lining used for thermite welding) or alumina, which would give you more control over silicon content and reduce any issues you have with molten sand thickening the slag or failing to separate from the metal.

[@AtlasReburdened]

I think that if you're confident that your largest crucible has the volume to fill the mold, use only that one to collect at the tap. Let it overflow so that the metal sinking to the bottom displaces as much of the crust forming slag that capped both the crucibles this time around. Best case scenario is that the molten iron displaces virtually all the slag and you loose a bit of unneeded iron to overflow. Worst case scenario is that you have all your usable metal in one crucible, and you only have to break one crust and do one pour.

[@shoberino3898]

He is just casually hanging around 4,500°F metal droplets flying everywhere 💀

[@mindofmadness5593]

I've seen people doing Aulminum and such wearing fliflops. Life aktering event if something goes sideways.

[@harriehausenman8623]

… so we don't have to 😆

[@andersjjensen]

Cody does Cody things that only Cody can survive. Welcome to Cody's lab.

[@dylanmeier7556]

I work in an iron foundry. You'd be amazed how relatively safe molten iron is.

[@canobenitez]

@@dylanmeier7556 care to elaborate?

[@demo3456]

I'm just glad there are people like Cody out there in the world. Good for you kid

[@Talmiior]

"Wood? pff who ya think I am? A woodsman? We do metal logs out here" xD

[@harriehausenman8623]

*Thermite Burritos* as we call them in the badlands 😄

[@ardiarafahmi7926]

I love the trial and error footages, give hope for the beginners.

[@MJR_ATX]

Why didn’t you set it up to tap the flow right into the mould

[@theCodyReeder]

Because the iron comes out mixed with slag, mostly melted sand, that would end up in the mould. I wanted to give it a clean place to "rest" so the slag could separate.

[@pufthemajicdragon]

​@@theCodyReeder I was wondering the same thing! Thanks for answering! I do think you'll get a better pour if you can pre-heat the mold and flow the iron directly into the mold from your volcano, just because the crucibles create too much of a slag cap problem. Maybe design the outside of the mold with a "settlement" pool? A place built-in to the mold's exterior that allows the slag to float out. This would both pre-heat the mold and feed it clean iron directly from the volcano, no crucibles needed.

[@Dreuh2001]

Awesome 😮

[@timothywhieldon1971]

@@theCodyReeder Maybe if you could use a ceramic filter and a primary area for it to flow first?

[@timothywhieldon1971]

@@theCodyReeder Railroad do this directly into the mould and get a perfect connection. for a 1st attempt you did amazing. your 2nd go should be perfect. I would do a lost wax though.

[@gizanked]

These are the fireworks I was hoping for today.

[@joelhollingsworth2374]

Might be worth adding carbon and some scrap mild steel/scrap iron/Al mix from this reaction to the melt after the reaction gets going: part of the brittleness trouble you observed in your casting was a consequence how much volume the metal loses as it solidifies, and the graphite flakes in proper cast iron really help with that (carbon comes out of interstices and forms a very low-density crystal, so a small concentration can make up for a large amount of volume); it will also depress the melting point, to give you a longer time working and allow a greater proportion of scrap steel for overall better control of composition etc.

[@noahh4431]

Love the thermite videos.

[@dijpdepijp2154]

WHEW that was intense! Amazing result! congrats :D

[@fendermarxist]

If you ever try this again, I'd suggest taking a look at the thermite welding setups they use on railroads. The big difference is that once the reaction is complete, the reservoir is tapped directly into the mold, rather than being transferred by intermediary crucibles. The fewer things the metal touches along the way, the less heat is lost to surroundings, and the hotter and more fluid the metal will be inside the mold.

[@AndrewSteffenHB]

I absolutely want more of this, I could watch Cody cast like this 24/7

[@matt0xx76]

Ones of lifes pleasures, when a vid from cody pops up

[@tonytrade]

I think put the mold directly below the furnace unload, avoid cooling of the iron, and big holes in the mold make the slag swallowing.

[@bettathnu316]

definitely the most badass way i've seen someone make a pan, i swear this dude could make watching paint dry entertaining

[@benjurqunov]

How is it possible casting obstructs special họmọṣẹxuaI special rights ?

[@matthewf1979]

Excellent first attempt!

[@madmanmerek4969]

One of the coolest things ive seen in a while, you pulled it off and the sound that followed you saying "now to tap it off" was awesome.

[@supergeek1418]

When you do it the next time, besides using both finer powders for your iron oxide and aluminum, you might want to consider adding some activated carbon powder, as well, to create cast *steel* thereby creating something a bit less brittle as well as temperable to make it even tougher. Good vid, in any case.

[@swssm4741]

Isn't steel more brittle than iron?

[@supergeek1418]

@@swssm4741 It depends on how it's tempered and/or annealed.

[@GameDesignerJDG]

I think there's only a few things you can do to improve the process, and probably only marginal improvements: 1. More vents. The wrinkles and bubbles are definitely from trapped gas. 2. More dry. Steam is probably the main source of any surface pocketing (which you didn't have all that much of.) Ideally, you'd bake the mold in a large metal box to keep combustion from adding steam to the mix. Probably ideal to bake it for 8+ hours in a mold that big. I know Nevada and Utah are dry, but not as dry as we'd want, ideally. Mars would be dry enough. 3. More hot. The mold would, ideally, be hot when you pour, but that's pretty hard to do. It would help the metal flow. 4. Thicker walls on the form. You coated that pan really thick in wax, which is great, but more hole to fill means more flow to fill it. 5. If you can, try to place the mold directly under the furnace output pipe to prevent wasting heat and making that top crust on the crucibles when pouring it manually. 6. Make that furnace output pipe thicker or actively cool it with water to prevent it melting and use a bigger inner diameter to prevent it plugging up. Convert to an open channel if you want to restrict flow rate further down the line.

[@SerumCRM114]

7. More flux. I just watched the exotic thermite series of a KZbin channel named "The Gayest Person On KZbin". He uses a 50:50 mix of calcium fluoride and cryolite as flux to remove impurities and increase crystal size.

[@markussmith3135]

Bubbles come back in the the casting as voids and pits makes the metal like a aero bar there usually concealed inside or look like bubbles them folds look like cold shuts caused by the iron not been hot enough and flashing off slightly in the mould that’s why the water pisses though it’s not sealed together it’s basically where both sides of the pour have met

[@GigsTaggart]

The crust is glassy silicate slag though. If he goes straight into the mold he's likely to get glassy inclusions

[@markussmith3135]

@@GigsTaggart I doubt it the gravity of the metal and the viscosity will stop that although sand inclusions are common in castings it’s usually down to breakdown of the mould when the boxes are together so it’s gets picked up as the metal flows the crust on the outside is crusty because the heat has managed to melt the sand it won’t happen instantly

[@GigsTaggart]

@@markussmith3135 I don't know, I've only ever dealt with nonferrous casting. You may well be right. Just seems like this stream is really "dirty" and some settling time might be helpful.