Lost Foam Casting: EASY reliable technique by VOGMAN
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2018
- Today I’m going lost foam casting an aluminium wheel using a technique that is both EASY and reliable. I get consistent, dependable results from it and it involved the use of good foam preparation, green sand and plaster feeders and vents. and I’ve previously prepared the foam using techniques that I’ve already shared with you.
Making use of my home made electric metal foundry, I heat the aluminium until it's pink, then I pour it through a plaster feeder into a previously prepared foam pattern. This evaporates leaving a solid metal casting in its place - it's as easy as that, or should be if you apply good casting techniques. Critically this includes good exhaust outlets to allow the built up gasses to vent, preventing porosity, folds, cold shuts and other such faults commonly associated with foam metal casting.
See this topic covered on my website here:
www.vegoilguy.co.uk/lost_foam_...
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#LostFoamCasting - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Man, this is not a tutorial.
That's a Master Class.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for the plug - I greatly appreciate it. Nice job on the video and I would have to add that it is one of the best looking lost foam castings that has appeared on YT, I think that you did a very nice job of explaining it all in a way that those wishing to try for themselves could easily follow. Incidentally the use of green sand as opposed to dry sand is an accepted technique with lost foam, in fact green sand was used before the dry sand process came into being. Foundries that I know use foam with the more modern hard sands (fenotec for example).You mentioned my use of vents - In my case of course seeing its not lost foam work the vents are to let steam out of my very fine sand. I tend to push the vents much closer to the pattern aiming at about 5 mm from it. Sometimes the vent wire touches the pattern but as its quite fine (about 1/2 mm diameter) and comes to a fine point the vents do not fill up with metal or mar the casting.
And yes, I could not agree more about it being easier to put the work into the pattern to avoid having to put it into the casting. This applies with tradition removable pattern work too.... Martin
Praise from the master is always gratefully received - thanks Martin.
Oh get a room you two! 😎 Sorry, I just HAD to.
Wow. Surprisingly high quality result!
This is GREAT technique on display. Thank you for sharing.
Many thanks : )
It's a simple technique but it works very well.
this has given me a whole new damn world. I learned Lost wax casting in community collage 2005-2007 and would of loved to do that at home but felt it was a little more involved. This is 100% how my teacher showed me just with sand. this is a way cleaner process. id been trying to figure out a cleaner smaller scale way to get back in to jewelry and casting to make stuff with and open my own little side thing.
Some tips here I haven't seen before. Thanks for a great video. Cheers!
No worries : )
Top video. Well explained and I like the ideadof the feeder tubes and bike spoke.
Many thanks : )
Exactly what i needed!! Nice one!!
Glad it helped!
I've got over a hundred pounds of aluminum I've been collecting over the years, I have a charcoal foundry, just been making muffins haven't casted yet. I need to make a backing plate for my new 3 jaw chuck, I thought of making a jig that would hold a metric nut the size of my spindle perfectly centered in a 2in piece of 3in steel pipe with 1/8 in threaded rod as rebar then pour aluminum, of course I would have to be concerned with balancing, I also have a few 3d printer I made, they make a wax filament...I have a lot of techniques I want to try, Thank you for your videos they are great, glad to meet another fellow maker.
I have no experience about casting, but after watching your video I have gained a lots of information.
That's the perfect place to start... with a little information that we safely build on 😁
Excellent job! I have yet to try any kind of casting (building my foundry at this point) but your technique looks to be just the ticket.
Thanks for all your hard work in producing these videos.
Cheers from Canada
Many thanks... but be warned, it's an addictive hobby : )
thank you sir you share very useful knowledge. i will try it for my new project.
All the best
Very impressive fella. My hat comes off to you sir. Very informative, literally a step by step vid. Well done.
Thanks Softail.
I have to make things easy - that way I can understand them : )
VegOilGuy
Know that one man 😂.
Beautiful work mate, great video......
Thanks Matthew.
That cat looks familiar... It hasn't come home with sand covered paws has it?
Just kidding ; )
As I can see this is not an experiment, it is a professional work. Congrats.
Thank you, but I am very much an amateur. I'm just happy to share my experiences : )
I'm having a ton of fun watching all your videos :D
That's great to hear 😁
I've got to try some of this looks like fun
It is fun. That's why I do it : D
That's brilliant! Really well done! I'm just getting started with metal melting. Bigstackd, ArtbyAdrock, and swdweeb have been my main source for info. I can see that I'll be checking in on your videos now, too! Take care!!!
Fantastic video. I also enjoy watching the experts, but please don't fail to recognize the value of "how to" and learning from mistakes. I'm enormously interested in melting and casting metal and have found the community incredibly encouraging and helpful.
Spot on Chris. They're a great bunch of guys. Very supportive and not taking themselves too seriously. Whether you want to melt a can or cast an intricate gear, there's help and support out there : )
beautifully done...
Thanks a lot 😊
@@vogman one day i too will start casting... never done this before.. I make chandeliers from scratch.. so to make some designs i thought go with casting..
just did my first lost foam...aluminum knuckles. very easy way to cast.
Excellent!!!
Totally radical dude.
Many thanks 😊
I can say that the results are present in the casting it looked as good as any corporately cast part where greens stand was used to hold the casting metal and given the fact that the finished part is a drive wheel or if you choose to cut a v groove then it's a pulley but the finished part looked marketable and reliable well done !
That's very kind, thanks.
The process is simple but the results are there to be seen... it works. For amateurs like myself I think it's a useful technique to achieve a quality casting. The best thing about the technique is that it's consistent.
nice tips , thanks
No problem!
New subscriber from Somalia
Great to have you here 😁
Couldn't you run the green sand mix in a rolling or vibratory tumbler to mix it and homogenize it?
thanks
Great Job Jeff also for first timers easy to follow instructions
I Have had several conversations with Martin a very very Nice bloke
and hr has a lot of info stored in his head as well
Tony From Western Australia
Thanks Joe. Martin's a hero of mine : )
He's forgotten more about casting than most of us will ever learn.
To watch him work he is a wizard everything just seems so easy but I suppose that is what so many years in the business gives you
I can see in your work some of Martins Ideas as I have been watching both of you
Esp the vents all around the mould
I think martin also uses the Plaster of Paris for the ingress vent etc or was it Brian Oltrogge ? so many good Metal casting and foundry channels you get mixed up !
I hope that you enjoy the below links Jeff some are more informative than others but each one will teach you something you didn't know
Tony
***************************************************************
Heres a few of my ones I look at
Olfoundryman
myfordboy
sandrammer
mrpete222
doubleboost often casts stuff for Live Steam Trains and road machinery as well as doing Machine work ( a fellow Countryman of yours)
And some one who is so Funny he is into engineering etc but his work is amazingly funny and very entertaining
This Old Tony th-cam.com/users/featonyvideos?disable_polymer=1
an example
ORIGINS
This Old Tony
th-cam.com/video/ycoCwoplU6Y/w-d-xo.html
Clickspring th-cam.com/channels/worsKCR-Sx6R6-BnIjS2MA.html
swdweeb
AlumiTube
bigstackD Casting
Brian Oltrogge
Home Made Propane Burner
Hot wire Foam cutters
luckygen1001
TAOW
thehomefoundry
Tito4re
Also
I have found
GerrysDiy an excellent source of info on Oil Burners , Heaters etc
Oil Burner
Thanks for the links. That's very kind.
Martin plaster? I don't think so. He's certainly been a guiding hand and tolerates my unusual approaches very well. He's taught me a lot, but I'm always happy to learn more.
Jeff I'm subbed to 867 Subscriptions / channels sometimes I forget which channel I get my info from grin must have been Brian Oltrogge(he used to be in the US navy foundry work on the big ships)anyway I hope you enjoy the links esp This old Tony Hes a real hoot Like Martin, Tony has a wealth of knowledge
Thanks mate. I'll look out for him : )
Looks good
many thanks : )
brother...a.m.a.z.i.n.g….!!!! that casting looks like a million bucks!
It's an easy technique. I takes a little preparation, but the results make it worthwhile : )
Nice!
Thanks!
¡¡¡Genial!!!
Can i use 3d printed object instead of foam
I completely agree with you on pattern prep. It the pattern is no good, then your mold is flawed and your part as well. Having cast things in less than perfect molds, I know how much work can go into part clean up afterwards.
The wheel looks great and thanks for the nod. I appreciate it.
Any time mate.
Next week then :-D
I'll do my best : )
But I can't promise Cheerleaders... they're only for Martin.
fair enough :-)
Poking ventialion holes, escaping gases. Thank you!
No worries.
Can you coat the foam model with wax or some sort of filler to get a more smoother result.
Hi Cosmic. Yes you've got the idea nicely. The candle wax can be painted over every surface if you wish. It smooths down an absolute treat and even conceals the grain of the foam. It takes a bit of patience though. I tend to save it just for areas that I need good detail - such as the teeth on a gear, etc.
Im looking at doing my first casting and i think it's probably quite a tricky one for a beginner, any advice is welcome!!
I need to create a centrifuge bowl, around 350-400mm diameter, around 120 tall. Probably 8mm walls with a thicker base.
The lip of the bowl for a centrifuge obviously hooks back over towards the centre to make it function properly so lost foam seems like a good idea to facilitate this.
Though im open to other ideas obviously!!
Im pretty confident making things, have a well stocked workshop and am sensible enough to be cautious so it's mainly the technicalities of the form im stuck with, but any advice is welcome!
Im thinking car wheels, engine blocks or bull bars for materials to melt down, but other suggestions are also welcome!!
Cheers from Western Australia
@vegoilguy excellent video, really good, educational stuff.
It can be tricky to keep up with the audio and the on screen information but lots of pausing works.
Thanks for making videos so we can learn.
Nice one!!
What type of foam are you using?
Great video! Most of your casting videos that I've seen so far are of various ways you cast the same type of aluminum wheel. Just out of curiosity, do you supply them to some industry or are they simply your favorite item to cast?
If you keep looking through the videos, you'll see I eventually built a radio controlled lawnmower with caterpillar tracks. These required large sprockets and wheels... so I experimented along the way 😁😁😁
@@vogman How awesome is that! Can't wait to watch.
Greetings and thanks for the beautiful video, I respectfully request the name and type of foam you used. What kind of foam can I use in Germany? Thanks again
It's known as extruded foam and it's popular with model makers. I believe model trains are popular in Germany and those guys love this foam for landscaping, etc. This video might help too th-cam.com/video/Bv1uV2MHMKk/w-d-xo.html
Great process... part came out looking very good... looks like it flowed exceptionally well? What if any flux was used?
More serious question, where does the E sound come from in aluminum? Always wondered about that... yes I'm from the states....lol
No flux was used in this one... but I use it these days and it does flow better : )
I've always wondered about 'aluminium' as well. I always used to think, "Why don't they pronounce the other 'i'?" but now I understand you guys spell it with just the one. But it's the differences that make life interesting : D
@@vogman Thank you for your reply, I know this is old, so I appricaiate the response...
Also I wonder if one could build an apparatuses to spray hot wax????
That's an easy one... an ordinary plastic spray bottle. Melt some wax and pour it in. The was will harden very quickly so the whole thing needs to be stood in a bowl of hot water. It works... I've done it before. But you need to acts quickly as the nozzle clogs eventually : )
ok ok i'll subscribe
😁
Impressive 😄😄 what kind of matarial the feeder is?? Thanks with alot respect
It's just plaster of Paris. Have a look at this video on making them th-cam.com/video/Dpl0zD-x7Kk/w-d-xo.html
@@vogman thank you sir appreciate it
Hi mate do you do this for a living
No Chris, purely for fun 😁
Can you make something as thin as the casing of a laptop this way?
With foam I think that might be a tall order. Thin is okay as long as there's not too much of it. But the size of a laptop, it would take a lot of trials before that one succeeded.
Does the foam gum up the sand after using..
Hi Greg. No, not at all. As will ALL types of sand casting, the sand blackens on contact and this is a good thing as it helps to show how heat and gases dissipate through the sand. But the sand remains unharmed and is good for use again and again : )
@@vogman good that stuff is expensive I wouldn't want to ruin it..
Now what will it take to do it in steel/iron? Can your foundry go that hot?
I've no idea if I'm honest.
In theory my home made electric foundry is good for 1400C, but that would be pushing everything to the max.
My outdoor foundry is good for 1900C if I remember correctly, but I only ever work in Aluminium anyway. It's a strong, cheap metal that good for my purposes.
I may be tempted to do a little bronze at some point, but I don't think I'll do steel. I'll leave that for the big boys : )
I see. I've been looking for DIY steel casting on TH-cam, can't really find any, maybe that's for a reason :D
Molten steel is possible and some of my subscribers tell me they've achieved it. It's a bit daunting for me if I'm honest.
So far there's been nothing that aluminium hasn't been good enough for. If that changes, who knows... but I would imagine steel is a tricky one to master.
where do you get your green sand from, or do you make your own?
That depends where you are in the world buddy. Typically you have to find a foundry supplier. In the UK, there's www.castreekilns.co.uk
I've heard of lots of people claiming to make their own, but I'm not 100% sure it's possible.
Bentonite clay is what is used in classic cat litter, the recipes i have seen use a part of cat litter and a fine white construction sand. i have some old books on metal casting that has similat recipes. it is not rocket science. i can send you the recipe on the old foundry book if you want to give it a try i have been doing a lot of research into the subject for the past 5 years but have yet to have a propper space and equipment to learn this skill :)
Does this work with foam balls? Im tryin to make my own slingshot ammo
I think they're expanded foam, so they'll work, but they'll be quite rough in texture and difficult to cut and shape : )
@@vogman ok thank you
oh thats a nice one, i want to start making brass balls, true story, have plenty of material.
Brilliant 🤣
@@vogman hey you answered , i have some 3 in. foam orbs i was going to pour plaster around, do i need a vent ?
I always try to answer when I can : )
With foam, I'd always vent. You need to get the gasses out ASAP, ideally pushing them infront of the metal. Venting is the way to go : )
@@vogman thanx , i did one with no vent / lost wax ball in plaster & had a volcanic spewage of oplium & burning of holes in my arms & face, my cat like reflexes saved me , ill vent.
Enjoyable video, Geoff. Keep a cover on the green sand and the cats won't be able to get to it. 😉
I suspect you were getting tired when you were editing this video. At 5:08 your (subtitle?) said, "...burn the metal...". I think you meant, "...burn the foam...".
Nice video anyway but please, no full monty. This is supposed to be a forum for all ages. 😆 👍
Thanks Ron.
One job I could never do is proofreader. I'm hopeless at it, especially my own work. When I read it back, it reads what I want it to say, but that's not always the same as what it actually says.
Guess I was distracted by those Cheerleaders calling after Martin ; )
Hahahaha. :-D If you put a plaster coating on the foam, won't ALL the vapors and soot have to travel through the metal to vent? I hope it works, but maybe you should first try a small test casting in case it doesn't. I'm thinking that gasses will more likely create voids in your metal that way.
Someone has been paying attention to my frequent "gas" waffling ; )
I had a lot of requests to do it and so I did... the results were - surprising.
But perhaps, for you and me, not all that surprising...
Of course I was listening. I'm sure that at least a few others do as well. When it comes to gas, I'm something of an expert, being lactose intolerant and all. Don't let anyone persuade you to do something too dangerous. 🤔
So there's already another video in the works? I'm looking forward to it. 😊
C ' est parfait grand merci pour ce partage !! Excellente pédagogie :) :) :) I have suscribed of c ourse :) :) :)
Thank you and welcome : )
@@vogman a pleasure :) :) :)
😮😮😮😮
😁
5
ever try this technique with pla? :)
You mean PLA within green sand? No, I don't think I have. I've done a LOT of lost PLA vids - th-cam.com/play/PLOzaysTbaKi5Vk_WV6B_-DxIbZ-KxwTeD.html - and the trick is to melt the PLA away to leave an empty void. Plaster works best for this : )
Neighbor's cat might help you make the green sand, but would you want to work with it?
Not the lumpy bits 😊😄👍
shame I have only one up vote to give! You're explanations are easy to understand and concise......except for the neighbours cat....whats up with that? I thought you needed a binder when casting in green sand!
Very good... but not an ideal binder that one ; )
Can I send you a part to cast for me? I have an old boat and one of the bolt ears broke off of aluminum cover. Clean break, but part is obsolete. There is one, very used one left on eBay, that’s it. You could cast multiples and sell for $100 each. 😂 I’ll pay you to cast mine also?
so beautiful. but this method should be considered as Full Mold casting rather than Lost foam
Thanks Jafar.
I can't really call it a method... it's just a few ideas shoved together... but it is reliable, so I was happy to share it : )
i would like to propose 2 ideas:
(1)Coat the foam with cement slurry + sprinkled sand to form a shell
(2)dissolve the foam away with a thinner bath for several hours or burn the foam away with high temperature
the old saying is: "work the model, not the metal"