My first attempt at casting.
My first attempt -erm, cough, experiment - at casting didn't exactly go as planned. Well, it did but the final result didn't. Read on to find out what happened.
| Here's the master for the mould. It's a steam engine base for the steam engine I'm making. A little fuzzy but you get the idea. |
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That little centrifugal blower does a grand job as can be seen in the next picture. |
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Now we're cooking, but not with gas! Hmmm, gas? That might be the next step, a propane burner, on the other hand, that means making another furnace. Anyway, the aluminium is melting nicely and that pot is HOT! |
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Yeahhhhh! The aluminium has been poured but I've got a feeling that a lot of steam has been generated and I've already got an idea that this is not going to go well. Still, this is just an -erm - yes, - experiment. |
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Hmmm, the steam vents sucked up some aluminium, wonder if the holes should have been smaller. Oh, dear! It looks real rough, too. Spot the little hole? Well...... |
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... it's a bloody cavernous hole in the metal! The sand was obviously too damp and this just indicates that I really need to find a place in the UK that sells casting sand. Still, it WAS an experiment. |
Overall I'm not too disappointed. In the main the whole procedure worked well with very little hassle. The blower worked brilliantly. I did change the motor as the original motor had come out of an old electric screwdriver (forgotten by me at the time) and the thing was only 2.4V. At 6V it was pulling 7.5A and the cables were getting hot, as was the motor. I replaced it with a 12V model from a miniature table saw that was no longer used and it worked a treat on my variable power supply, sucking 2A at 12v. I was able to start the furnace off gently to get an all round fire going and then cranked it up to get the heat. Very pleased with it, and quieter, too.
