Highly Detailed Aluminum Sand Casting using a Vinyl / Graphics Cutter.

This video explores the possibility of using a graphics / vinyl cutter to create a pattern for sand casting. The sand used in this video is 190 mesh petrobond.
Disclaimer--Metal casting is dangerous and can cause injury or death. This video is only for entertainment purposes.
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#metalcasting #sandcasting #aluminumcasting

[@imafreeamerican7443]

By far of all the channels I watch and learn from your finishes right out of the sand are by far the best!!!! Learning so much from you.

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

[@jdmccorful]

Very nice work! Enjoyed watching, thanks.

[@ChatterontheWire]

amazing the detail you picked up with that. Also nice use of some old HardDrives there.

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Thanks!

[@philipromeo8028]

I must say interesting good job

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Thank you!😀

[@rudycandu1633]

My first casting was a 5 inch plastic gear that was used with a timing belt. Being plastic I knew the would be almost no draft on the part but I wanted to cast something and that was the best I could think of. One edge of the mold had some damage because of misalignment from the lack of draft when I was putting the cope back on the drag. There were other issues, like shrinkage. In all it was a great learning experience.
I was using green sand. The thing that surprised me was the retained detail. Yes it had somewhat of a grainy surface. But the slightly raised lettering molded into the part was there. And the paper label also came out, with a well defined step. While there was the sand grain pattern to the part it still reproduced the detail. It did help that I was using zinc as the metal.
I have never tried petrobond yet. I like the clean result it can produce. I have a couple of small cans of the bentone used to make it. I was sent a couple of samples from the company that makes it. I will need to get some finer sand than I have now to make it. My sand is fine but not as fine as used in good petrobond.

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Gears just sound difficult. I have not tried casting in Zinc, does it flow and pick up detail better than aluminum?

[@rudycandu1633]

@@DamonsMetalCasting I took a picture of the part. Easier than describing it.
i.imgur.com/TzrmIrt.jpeg front
i.imgur.com/dArDtnB.jpeg back
It has a flat flange around the one side. So easy to ram up. The main problems were the lack of draft making it very hard to get the cope back on the drag without contact. Caused a bit of a mess on one side. Another problem was the flange was only 0.040" thick at the edge. It didn't fill cleanly all around but it was mostly there. A few voids.
Some on the surface of the part were mostly smooth but lots of graininess elsewhere. I wonder if it was not packing the sand hard enough or consistently. I did this about 10 years ago and then shelved everything because I had too many other things to do. I'm only now getting back to casting again.
Zinc is supposed to be better for detail but zinc is usually used in high pressure die casting. As far as gravity casting, because zinc is 2.5 times as heavy as aluminum there is more pressure to fill the mold. If you don't have fine sand it will push into voids in the sand. So yeah it can pick up more detail, but maybe it is the kind of detail you don't want. I want to play around with less head height. I found that if I have a riser above the part the surface at the top of the riser is more smooth, and moving progressively down to the part it becomes more grainy.
I've got lots to learn in this hobby, and I consider that a good thing.

[@HawkWorley]

Its so hard to see detail on shiny metal through a camera. That looks great!

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Totally agree. I had to work on the lighting to help. If I had a thicker vinyl it probably would have been better.

[@mikeoswald2000]

Nice detail! nice to see additional techniques used to bring out the details. I also like the flask. Is that one you made or did you buy it somewhere. Looks like an excellent choice for small castings.

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Thank you. I just wanted to try something different to see how well it would work. I wish the vinyl I used was thicker, it would have better visibility. The casting flask I picked up from Amazon. Its one that I think most people use for jewelry. The top pour worried me that air could get trapped inside being that the melted aluminum just gets dumped in the top. It seems to work fine though. Thank you for leaving a comment.

[@wantafastz28]

Not bad.

[@wantafastz28]

Now try copper!

[@DamonsMetalCasting]

Thak you. I probably will try copper in the near future.