Hi Martin, Recently came across your casting videos ,every single one has been helpful and instructive so I have taken notes and will put the info into good use in my home workshop. I am sure everyone who watches appreciates the enormous amount of time and thought you put into your videos and managing the site by replying to so many comments. You have the skills that get you "master" status in Taiwan!! It is very generous of you to share this knowledge and also incredibly humbling. Back in the 80s I was trained as a toolmaker in the UK- I wonder why this incredibly useful knowledge was not taught to me back then. There are lots of competent metal casters to be found on youtube but you really have done the very best job of all to explain the fundamentals of this skill as well as show us a part of the finesse needed to get a result to be proud of. Thank you very much indeed and good luck with the channel and good health to you and your family.
Bikefarm, Wow, I could take comments like this one of yours all day every day 😀. Receiving a comment like this makes it all worth while - thank you very much for taking the time to make it. If you get some good use out of the information I have provided then I am very happy indeed. They probably did not teach it way back in 1980 because a lot of it was either not known at all then or perhaps to just a few and certainly not believed by many - sadly, looking around at YT and at industry many still do not believe and continue to produce second rate castings using what has been called "6000 year old technology" Thank you too for your good wishes... Martin
John, Its actually very simple. I had to come up with something in place of the large commercial machines that use hydraulics to swing the die. This sort of set up was way to complicated and expensive for me to build. I needed something that was simple, unpowered, cheap and easy to build. To my pleasant surprise this little machine and its mate (I have two and used to run them side by side) worked very well indeed... Martin
Another great video showing casting techniques you don't typically see on TH-cam. Great explanation of the process and why it's used. Love that machine you built with its simple adjustable throttling valve to control the tilt speed.
Walt, Thank you for your comment. It is a very good process when used properly and is capable of producing excellent castings. It is of course more usual to use cast iron or H13 steel dies in quite large hydraulic machines but that little machine and its mate have served me very well indeed. I even stuck a big die made from a con cast aluminium ingot in one of them and used it to cast 200 or so moulding box sides in a day! As I have mentioned below in my reply to John I had to come up with something within my capabilities to build and operate. While a little(?) rough around the edges these machines built essentially from my spare parts inventory (read junk collection) have worked well... Martin
Perry, I love to make you wait! Perhaps another 5 or 6 episodes first before pouring 😀 No, next time I promise I will pour in Part 4 - maybe - 😀. Glad you liked it... Martin
Thomas, Keep up the good work! I could use al the views I can get as I think it helps with the algorithm that suggests what to watch to others … Martin
Nice video Martin. Good explanation and I appreciate your understanding of the positioning of the metal feeder versus the die. Makes a lot of sense. Wheels are turning! Thanks for the video again! Mark.
Mark, While the die itself is short life the bit with the feeders in lasts a lot longer. I have replaced some dies 2 or more times years ago as they deteriorated but still kept the same tops. Something to keep in mind as the wheels turn... Martin
I'm listening! You probably know that i'm thinking of applying this permanent die idea to loudspeaker baskets. My guess in that kind of an application is that there would have to be a multi-segment die that could be taken apart. I have a few loudspeaker designs that I have been working on that would be short runs of a couple hundred pieces a year and be perfect for this kind of work. Now I have to set up a proper foundry! Been quite a while since I did that! Why for I keep watching your videos. I watched a few others. But stopped when I saw some pretty suspect methods that could do nothing more than make very porous castings. Which I was quite capable of as a teenager 30 plus years ago!
Mark, These short life dies do have an Achilles heal in that they are only suitable for vey simple parts - anything that as a casting would contract onto the die will destroy it very quickly. For castings that are in this category it is necessary to use stronger die materials I have used brass/bronze but cast iron is probably about as good as die materials get and I have machined quite a few dies from cast iron that one can buy as continuously cast bar stock in a large range of sizes. Of course this means that you have to go down the traditional (and expensive) route of die making. I actually bought an (older) CNC mill in order to make one die - took me a year! (I am no machinist and I had to get the mill running and learn how to program it, hence the year) May have a video on that die being use soon… Martin
Continuous cast iron is pretty nice stuff to machine in some ways. I have worked with it ion some high performance loudspeaker motors in the form of continues cast silicon iron. I'm not a real machinist. But I've done enough machining to know what and where to do it. Albeit much more slowly than a real tool and die maker!But get there I can and will. Appreciate the insights.
@@olfoundryman8418 What do you specifically notice about the die, that makes you say, "It's time to retire this mold"? Is it pitting? Surface finish? Wear? In other words, what makes you produce another die?
Han, The first run of the die was successful and most important of all the customer was happy! The final video in the series, perhaps 7 to 10 days away, will feature the first and maybe second pour if I get it doe in time... Martin
Thanks Martin, absolutely fantastic explanations. I wouldn't have thought you could do production quality like this in the home workshop but you make it look easy. Looking forward to the pour. (by the way, the videos are looking good as well):-)
Jack, Production quality is just a matter of applying the best techniques that one has learnt and always striving to discover new and better ones. I don't think its the environment that determines the output quality but rather the attitude of the producer. Pour coming very soon... Martin
Jkay, Yes, they are both green sand. The facing sand is backup sand and new sand mixed about 50/50 and ground a bit finer in a home made "flour" mill. I have video about that "preparation of facing sand" I think it is called... Martin
Jkay, I did do a video on reprocessing my backup sand at the end of a casting day, it featured my sand aerator. My sand is a natural sand i.e. it is straight out of the ground and it came from a quarry about 30 Km from where I live. To use this sand I first almost dry it (I leave a little moisture in it to help control the dust) then I run it through my aerator just to break it up and then sieve it through a 0.5 mm sieve (takes forever!) just to remove the few little pebbles and pieces of ironstone that are in it. I then spread it out on the concrete floor and add water stirring with a rake and shovel - similar to the facing sand but in bigger quantity and on the floor. Then I run it through the aerating machine to mix it properly and its good to go. Completely new sands is very strong and a bit hard to work with so I tend to add it to the existing sand rather than replace the existing sand completely in one go. I do have to do some lost foam work in the near future and for that I will be making up a fairly coarse green sand from scratch using paver and or play sand and kitty litter just to see how this works. I have what I hope is an interesting twist on that process and I will try to do a video... Martin
Very impressive, you sir understand foundry work and simplified it geniusly. Keep the videos coming I could use all the knowledge you care to share thank you.
practically a race adjustable knee action shock for a bug-eye sprite, lol... your seat of the pants engineering skills are honestly as impressive as your casting ones are. i can hardly wait for the metal to flow!
Luddite, I had not thought of it in those terms but yes, I guess so. Seat of the pants engineering? - its a bit of an Ozzie tradition. The metal (like the spice) must flow and indeed, it soon will... Martin
Luciano, Thank you for your comment. Sharing my experience is my pleasure. I watched your lost foam video - some interesting ideas in it. If I may make a suggestion add 0.5% glucose powder to the sand before adding the sodium silicate it will then wash out in the water when you quench the casting... Martin
A very interesting video Martin. It would appear that the mould is canted above the horizontal by 5 to 10 degrees when the basin is being filled. I liked the way that you can control the flow rate as the mould tips below horizontal. Wylie Coyote would be impressed. Mark
Mark, The cant rate is supposed to be at least 10 degrees I aimed for about 15 but got I think a little less. Work mentioned in John Campbells " Complete Casting Handbook" suggests up to 20 degrees above horizontal as being close to optimum. Sadly no one I have ever seen tilt cast does this most use horizontal or below and most have oversized basins so that the metal level is way to low and does not start to enter the die until it is well on its way to vertical - a good technique ruined! In truth the very best of tilt casting machines would employ computer tilt control via servos or steppers so that the tilt speed could vary during the pour- a slow start with a speed up in fill rate once the metal has reached the end of the die is said to be beneficial but this sort of thing is beyond a simple old timer like myself... Martin
Eddie, Yes, it does work very well. I have already shot part 4 of this video series and in it I pour 166 of the lens blanks so I know it works Ok. I have made other parts by this process and they too have been great successes... Martin
Amagamous, Go for it! I put this stuff on YT in the hope that people will make use of it. If you manage to make good use of it I will be well pleased. Do let me know how you get on, and if you need any further info along the way just ask... Martin
kursor, I had a look at your 10 year video - interesting stuff. You and I do things quite a bit differently. Why for example do you use a 28 mm diameter sprue when no doubt the stream of metal that you are pouring down that sprue is much much smaller in diameter? Incidentally I have used shims to hold a mould apart to not only increase venting but in other cases to increase casting thickness. I do not like doing this as it means a lot of flash to cut/file off. Your castings did not look to bad to me (petrobond sand?) but if you send some photos of the defect that is troubling you to olfoundryman@gmail.com I will have a look and see if I can make any suggestions. What is the source of your brass, do you know exactly what bras sit is and do you add and deoxidiosers to it e.g. phosphorous... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Hi! thanks for fast respond. Ill send@ With defect and ill describe other factors that are corelated with this. And ill just say here about that fat sprue that iam useing for other viewers. I use such big diameter because i noticed that the faster ill empty crucible the bigger chance to get succesfull pour.notice that pouring cup is carved only from half side its because i plus do fast that it create something like g fotce;) My castings are max 3 mm thick. In some surface Ares they are sometimes 1-1,5 mm. So i struggle a lot with Frozen pour cavity filled only partially. That's why i started to use this big sprue. But i have to try your method.
On a similar subject, a question on backyard foundry Facebook group came up last week asking about casting using aluminium moulds! If you have the desire, there’s a link here facebook.com/groups/975721692468728?view=permalink&id=2112091682165051
I guess that this technique is a more advanced version of the pouring basin and tapered sprue concept. It would seem that when pouring molten aluminium that Haste makes Waste.
Mark, There is a correct fill rate for all techniques. One of the great advantages of this technique is that it completely does away with the sprue and gating system all you have is a feeder less fettling to do better yield and, if done well, very good castings. But with any casting you sure do not want to throw the metal into the mould from a great height at a great rate as that is a recipe for poor quality castings - so yes, unnecessary haste makes waste... Martin
World, Stay tuned! Bit of a spoiler - first run of die yielded 166 parts only needed 150 so I ingoted the rest of the metal in the crucible, Second run next week some time will be about the same size... Martin
Volcker, It was a quick rough build with what I had to hand but it and its mate - I used to run two side by side with different dies in place - work very well and I have made a lot of castings with them including my current moulding box sides... Martin
Donald, No I did not. the tilt casting process wonderful as it is (when done properly and it usually is not) isn't suited to all shapes. The landing light base is a case in point very awkward to tilt cast and in any case the very simple gravity die that I do use was very easy to make and works quickly and well. Its a horses for course thing... Martin
Molb, Formal learning , experience, and continued chasing of better knowledge and methods is the most powerful combination there is. Without it one can too easily become stuck in the mire of 6000 year old technology that sadly infests much of the foundry industry amateur and professional alike... Martin
Martin, this is a truly great video I'll be showing my colleagues at work in the hopes that I can convince them that this is superior to our current method! One question: You mention around 3:37 (th-cam.com/video/rEHr9yCvz_0/w-d-xo.html) that smart people have studied the geometry and angles that tend to optimize this process - do you have any recommended reading (papers, books, websites, other TH-cam videos, etc.) that discusses this in greater depth? I'm about to start drawing up roughly 15 mold patterns in 1-2 weeks and I'd like to try and be as informed as possible on the optimal angles between the basin and runner, and between the runner and cavity at the start of the sequence. Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer and again, you've made a really excellent video (and you can be certain I'll be watching the rest of your videos)!
Ben, Send an email address to "olfoundryman@gmail.com" and I will send an article to you that although only a few pages is the best info I have seen. Everyone but everyone I have seen doing tilt casting does it wrong!... Martin
Rv4, Yes it does sound a bit weird. Firstly remember that these are short life dies good for 500or so shots, A cast iron die will last for many thousands of shots. But why does it work at all? Well its a matter of how much heat I am putting in at each casting and how much it would take to melt the die, the die is much bigger and heavier that the casting so a lot less heat goes in than is needed to melt the die. The aluminium of the die is a good conductor of heat so heat flows quickly away from any hot spots thus preventing any slight local melting, Weird, strange, and a bit different but it works... Martin
Dhc, Yes, I guess that you have a point, looking back over those 40 plus years I would have to admit that sometimes the "cake" was very "stale bread". Frustrating as they are our difficulties are our greatest learning experiences....Martin
junit483 Up until about 1972, Australia used British Imperial measurements and even today a lot of hardware can still be bought in Imperial sizes. Imperial based expressions are still used in conversations.
Junit, Fair question. Reason 1. In my primary school days we only learnt the old imperial system inches roods perches grains scruples gills furlongs nautical miles pecks bushels and nails - you know the whole 9 yards, opps! Sorry make that the whole 8.2296 metres. And we learnt it well so its sorta ingrained. Then at secondary school we were introduced in science at least to the metric system so we had to work in both systems! At tertiary level it was mainly metric and by then we had begun to go metric as a nation with the conversion of our currency (to, in the main, the American system!) So I know and work in both systems but the imperial is the more ingrained and even if working metric I will still at times check it with imperial calculations. However apart from the upper limits of our daily temperatures I am entirely metric (centigrade) with respect to temperature. If someone quotes a Deg F reading I reach for the calculator. As you can see I think in both systems and thus at times use whichever comes to mind first. Reason 2. Probably over half my audience is in the USA and they of course are imperial so I use it for their convenience. I notice though, in email and YT conversations with American friends that many of them use mm and not inches and I can see a defacto metrification occurring in the US - now if only I could get them to use C instead of F 😀 Oh, and a "nail" its old cloth measure, 2 1/4 inches to be exact, and four of them equal a quarter and four of those make a yard -terrible system!.... Martin
Mark, We actually started our conversion somewhat earlier than 1972. I remember while studying metallurgy (graduated in 1965/6) that decimal currency began to appear. Todays children who have only had to learn the one system will be vastly better off than my years were.... martin
"Be prepared folks, when the coins begin to mix. On the 14th of February, 1966!" -- Dollar Bill, the dodgy cartoon character of the day, created to explain the change to the confused masses.
@@olfoundryman8418 I laughed way too hard at "you know the whole 9 yards, opps! Sorry make that the whole 8.2296 metres". I probably looked a little like this guy: tenor.com/JIw3.gif
Hi Martin, Recently came across your casting videos ,every single one has been helpful and instructive so I have taken notes and will put the info into good use in my home workshop. I am sure everyone who watches appreciates the enormous amount of time and thought you put into your videos and managing the site by replying to so many comments. You have the skills that get you "master" status in Taiwan!! It is very generous of you to share this knowledge and also incredibly humbling. Back in the 80s I was trained as a toolmaker in the UK- I wonder why this incredibly useful knowledge was not taught to me back then. There are lots of competent metal casters to be found on youtube but you really have done the very best job of all to explain the fundamentals of this skill as well as show us a part of the finesse needed to get a result to be proud of. Thank you very much indeed and good luck with the channel and good health to you and your family.
Bikefarm, Wow, I could take comments like this one of yours all day every day 😀. Receiving a comment like this makes it all worth while - thank you very much for taking the time to make it. If you get some good use out of the information I have provided then I am very happy indeed. They probably did not teach it way back in 1980 because a lot of it was either not known at all then or perhaps to just a few and certainly not believed by many - sadly, looking around at YT and at industry many still do not believe and continue to produce second rate castings using what has been called "6000 year old technology"
Thank you too for your good wishes... Martin
That tilting mechanism you’ve built is pretty ingenious!
John, Its actually very simple. I had to come up with something in place of the large commercial machines that use hydraulics to swing the die. This sort of set up was way to complicated and expensive for me to build. I needed something that was simple, unpowered, cheap and easy to build. To my pleasant surprise this little machine and its mate (I have two and used to run them side by side) worked very well indeed... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 I must agree with John: your tilting apparatus - and its simplicity in particular - is truly brilliant. Well done!
Another great video showing casting techniques you don't typically see on TH-cam. Great explanation of the process and why it's used. Love that machine you built with its simple adjustable throttling valve to control the tilt speed.
Walt, Thank you for your comment. It is a very good process when used properly and is capable of producing excellent castings. It is of course more usual to use cast iron or H13 steel dies in quite large hydraulic machines but that little machine and its mate have served me very well indeed. I even stuck a big die made from a con cast aluminium ingot in one of them and used it to cast 200 or so moulding box sides in a day! As I have mentioned below in my reply to John I had to come up with something within my capabilities to build and operate. While a little(?) rough around the edges these machines built essentially from my spare parts inventory (read junk collection) have worked well... Martin
You are such a tease :-) I thought we were going to get to see metal poured in the mold.
Thoroughly enjoyed the history and explanation. Well done sir
Perry, I love to make you wait! Perhaps another 5 or 6 episodes first before pouring 😀 No, next time I promise I will pour in Part 4 - maybe - 😀. Glad you liked it... Martin
A very instructive and enjoyable video, have watched it multiple times. Thanks again!
Thomas, Keep up the good work! I could use al the views I can get as I think it helps with the algorithm that suggests what to watch to others … Martin
Nice video Martin. Good explanation and I appreciate your understanding of the positioning of the metal feeder versus the die. Makes a lot of sense. Wheels are turning! Thanks for the video again! Mark.
Mark, While the die itself is short life the bit with the feeders in lasts a lot longer. I have replaced some dies 2 or more times years ago as they deteriorated but still kept the same tops. Something to keep in mind as the wheels turn... Martin
I'm listening! You probably know that i'm thinking of applying this permanent die idea to loudspeaker baskets. My guess in that kind of an application is that there would have to be a multi-segment die that could be taken apart. I have a few loudspeaker designs that I have been working on that would be short runs of a couple hundred pieces a year and be perfect for this kind of work. Now I have to set up a proper foundry! Been quite a while since I did that! Why for I keep watching your videos. I watched a few others. But stopped when I saw some pretty suspect methods that could do nothing more than make very porous castings. Which I was quite capable of as a teenager 30 plus years ago!
Mark, These short life dies do have an Achilles heal in that they are only suitable for vey simple parts - anything that as a casting would contract onto the die will destroy it very quickly. For castings that are in this category it is necessary to use stronger die materials I have used brass/bronze but cast iron is probably about as good as die materials get and I have machined quite a few dies from cast iron that one can buy as continuously cast bar stock in a large range of sizes. Of course this means that you have to go down the traditional (and expensive) route of die making. I actually bought an (older) CNC mill in order to make one die - took me a year! (I am no machinist and I had to get the mill running and learn how to program it, hence the year) May have a video on that die being use soon… Martin
Continuous cast iron is pretty nice stuff to machine in some ways. I have worked with it ion some high performance loudspeaker motors in the form of continues cast silicon iron. I'm not a real machinist. But I've done enough machining to know what and where to do it. Albeit much more slowly than a real tool and die maker!But get there I can and will. Appreciate the insights.
@@olfoundryman8418 What do you specifically notice about the die, that makes you say, "It's time to retire this mold"? Is it pitting? Surface finish? Wear? In other words, what makes you produce another die?
It's just amazing! I'm in awe of your skills. Can't wait to see the pour and it's result.
Han, The first run of the die was successful and most important of all the customer was happy! The final video in the series, perhaps 7 to 10 days away, will feature the first and maybe second pour if I get it doe in time... Martin
Thank you for the effort and all explanations, great video!
Ilian. Thank you for saying so.... Martinj
That's just awesome work Martin!!
Just love it!
Mr. Green, Glad that you liked it. It is a process that has served me well... Martin
Thanks Martin, absolutely fantastic explanations. I wouldn't have thought you could do production quality like this in the home workshop but you make it look easy. Looking forward to the pour. (by the way, the videos are looking good as well):-)
Jack, Production quality is just a matter of applying the best techniques that one has learnt and always striving to discover new and better ones. I don't think its the environment that determines the output quality but rather the attitude of the producer. Pour coming very soon... Martin
Thanks for the great explanation on how it works great video as always
Jkay, Thank you for your comment, I hope that you enjoy the final part when it comes out in about a week... Martin
i always look foward to your videos is your facing sand and your back up sand both green sand
Jkay, Yes, they are both green sand. The facing sand is backup sand and new sand mixed about 50/50 and ground a bit finer in a home made "flour" mill. I have video about that "preparation of facing sand" I think it is called... Martin
I've seen that one was curious if you would ever do a video of you making your backup sand would love to see how you make it.
Jkay, I did do a video on reprocessing my backup sand at the end of a casting day, it featured my sand aerator. My sand is a natural sand i.e. it is straight out of the ground and it came from a quarry about 30 Km from where I live. To use this sand I first almost dry it (I leave a little moisture in it to help control the dust) then I run it through my aerator just to break it up and then sieve it through a 0.5 mm sieve (takes forever!) just to remove the few little pebbles and pieces of ironstone that are in it. I then spread it out on the concrete floor and add water stirring with a rake and shovel - similar to the facing sand but in bigger quantity and on the floor. Then I run it through the aerating machine to mix it properly and its good to go. Completely new sands is very strong and a bit hard to work with so I tend to add it to the existing sand rather than replace the existing sand completely in one go. I do have to do some lost foam work in the near future and for that I will be making up a fairly coarse green sand from scratch using paver and or play sand and kitty litter just to see how this works. I have what I hope is an interesting twist on that process and I will try to do a video... Martin
Very impressive, you sir understand foundry work and simplified it geniusly. Keep the videos coming I could use all the knowledge you care to share thank you.
practically a race adjustable knee action shock for a bug-eye sprite, lol... your seat of the pants engineering skills are honestly as impressive as your casting ones are. i can hardly wait for the metal to flow!
Luddite, I had not thought of it in those terms but yes, I guess so. Seat of the pants engineering? - its a bit of an Ozzie tradition. The metal (like the spice) must flow and indeed, it soon will... Martin
Good designe !!! Good the hydraulic system for the melting control . Tank for give you experience .
Luciano, Thank you for your comment. Sharing my experience is my pleasure. I watched your lost foam video - some interesting ideas in it. If I may make a suggestion add 0.5% glucose powder to the sand before adding the sodium silicate it will then wash out in the water when you quench the casting... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Tankyou for glucose tip !!! .
A very interesting video Martin. It would appear that the mould is canted above the horizontal by 5 to 10 degrees when the basin is being filled. I liked the way that you can control the flow rate as the mould tips below horizontal. Wylie Coyote would be impressed. Mark
Mark, The cant rate is supposed to be at least 10 degrees I aimed for about 15 but got I think a little less. Work mentioned in John Campbells " Complete Casting Handbook" suggests up to 20 degrees above horizontal as being close to optimum. Sadly no one I have ever seen tilt cast does this most use horizontal or below and most have oversized basins so that the metal level is way to low and does not start to enter the die until it is well on its way to vertical - a good technique ruined! In truth the very best of tilt casting machines would employ computer tilt control via servos or steppers so that the tilt speed could vary during the pour- a slow start with a speed up in fill rate once the metal has reached the end of the die is said to be beneficial but this sort of thing is beyond a simple old timer like myself... Martin
I think this will work very well. Thank you for the video.
Eddie, Yes, it does work very well. I have already shot part 4 of this video series and in it I pour 166 of the lens blanks so I know it works Ok. I have made other parts by this process and they too have been great successes... Martin
As one person said before, that's true vintage Aussie engineering. That's a great set up I'd love to replicate if you don't mind too much.
Amagamous, Go for it! I put this stuff on YT in the hope that people will make use of it. If you manage to make good use of it I will be well pleased. Do let me know how you get on, and if you need any further info along the way just ask... Martin
Hello! Great channel. I have surface problem in brass sand casting. Can You advice me what I am doing wrong?
kursor, I had a look at your 10 year video - interesting stuff. You and I do things quite a bit differently. Why for example do you use a 28 mm diameter sprue when no doubt the stream of metal that you are pouring down that sprue is much much smaller in diameter? Incidentally I have used shims to hold a mould apart to not only increase venting but in other cases to increase casting thickness. I do not like doing this as it means a lot of flash to cut/file off. Your castings did not look to bad to me (petrobond sand?) but if you send some photos of the defect that is troubling you to olfoundryman@gmail.com I will have a look and see if I can make any suggestions.
What is the source of your brass, do you know exactly what bras sit is and do you add and deoxidiosers to it e.g. phosphorous... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Hi! thanks for fast respond. Ill send@ With defect and ill describe other factors that are corelated with this. And ill just say here about that fat sprue that iam useing for other viewers. I use such big diameter because i noticed that the faster ill empty crucible the bigger chance to get succesfull pour.notice that pouring cup is carved only from half side its because i plus do fast that it create something like g fotce;) My castings are max 3 mm thick. In some surface Ares they are sometimes 1-1,5 mm. So i struggle a lot with Frozen pour cavity filled only partially. That's why i started to use this big sprue. But i have to try your method.
Awesome explanation, I really enjoy your videos, Thank you!
Caltick, That someone enjoys watching my videos increases my enjoyment in having making them - thank you... Martin
Very nice! Thanks so much for sharing this, exceptionally useful information
JB, Glad you liked it - the more useful you find it the more I like it... Martin
On a similar subject, a question on backyard foundry Facebook group came up last week asking about casting using aluminium moulds!
If you have the desire, there’s a link here
facebook.com/groups/975721692468728?view=permalink&id=2112091682165051
great job...
Hector, Glad that you liked it... Martin
I guess that this technique is a more advanced version of the pouring basin and tapered sprue concept. It would seem that when pouring molten aluminium that Haste makes Waste.
Mark, There is a correct fill rate for all techniques. One of the great advantages of this technique is that it completely does away with the sprue and gating system all you have is a feeder less fettling to do better yield and, if done well, very good castings. But with any casting you sure do not want to throw the metal into the mould from a great height at a great rate as that is a recipe for poor quality castings - so yes, unnecessary haste makes waste... Martin
Awesome. thanks
Sarvesh, I am glad that you liked it....Martin
BRILLIANT! Can't wait to see you pour a few hundred of those little buggers.
World, Stay tuned! Bit of a spoiler - first run of die yielded 166 parts only needed 150 so I ingoted the rest of the metal in the crucible, Second run next week some time will be about the same size... Martin
Wonderfull
Thanks to you i might be the first tool maker in lebanon
Thanks matrin
Rabih, An interesting part of the world to be in! Good luck with your efforts... Martin
Very nice machine.
Volcker, It was a quick rough build with what I had to hand but it and its mate - I used to run two side by side with different dies in place - work very well and I have made a lot of castings with them including my current moulding box sides... Martin
You didn't use tilt casting for the landing light bases though?
Donald, No I did not. the tilt casting process wonderful as it is (when done properly and it usually is not) isn't suited to all shapes. The landing light base is a case in point very awkward to tilt cast and in any case the very simple gravity die that I do use was very easy to make and works quickly and well. Its a horses for course thing... Martin
quite cool. Also, a good example that formal education(with experience of course) is a cheat code
Molb, Formal learning , experience, and continued chasing of better knowledge and methods is the most powerful combination there is. Without it one can too easily become stuck in the mire of 6000 year old technology that sadly infests much of the foundry industry amateur and professional alike... Martin
Martin, this is a truly great video I'll be showing my colleagues at work in the hopes that I can convince them that this is superior to our current method! One question: You mention around 3:37 (th-cam.com/video/rEHr9yCvz_0/w-d-xo.html) that smart people have studied the geometry and angles that tend to optimize this process - do you have any recommended reading (papers, books, websites, other TH-cam videos, etc.) that discusses this in greater depth? I'm about to start drawing up roughly 15 mold patterns in 1-2 weeks and I'd like to try and be as informed as possible on the optimal angles between the basin and runner, and between the runner and cavity at the start of the sequence. Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer and again, you've made a really excellent video (and you can be certain I'll be watching the rest of your videos)!
Ben, Send an email address to "olfoundryman@gmail.com" and I will send an article to you that although only a few pages is the best info I have seen. Everyone but everyone I have seen doing tilt casting does it wrong!... Martin
It's weird that you can use an aluminum mold to caste aluminum. How is that possible?
Rv4, Yes it does sound a bit weird. Firstly remember that these are short life dies good for 500or so shots, A cast iron die will last for many thousands of shots. But why does it work at all? Well its a matter of how much heat I am putting in at each casting and how much it would take to melt the die, the die is much bigger and heavier that the casting so a lot less heat goes in than is needed to melt the die. The aluminium of the die is a good conductor of heat so heat flows quickly away from any hot spots thus preventing any slight local melting, Weird, strange, and a bit different but it works... Martin
👍
Ron, No worries mate.. Martin
piece of cake
thats 40 years experience for you.........
Dhc, Yes, I guess that you have a point, looking back over those 40 plus years I would have to admit that sometimes the "cake" was very "stale bread". Frustrating as they are our difficulties are our greatest learning experiences....Martin
Aren't you from Australia? Why aren't your measurements in metric?
junit483 Up until about 1972, Australia used British Imperial measurements and even today a lot of hardware can still be bought in Imperial sizes. Imperial based expressions are still used in conversations.
Junit, Fair question. Reason 1. In my primary school days we only learnt the old imperial system inches roods perches grains scruples gills furlongs nautical miles pecks bushels and nails - you know the whole 9 yards, opps! Sorry make that the whole 8.2296 metres. And we learnt it well so its sorta ingrained. Then at secondary school we were introduced in science at least to the metric system so we had to work in both systems! At tertiary level it was mainly metric and by then we had begun to go metric as a nation with the conversion of our currency (to, in the main, the American system!) So I know and work in both systems but the imperial is the more ingrained and even if working metric I will still at times check it with imperial calculations. However apart from the upper limits of our daily temperatures I am entirely metric (centigrade) with respect to temperature. If someone quotes a Deg F reading I reach for the calculator. As you can see I think in both systems and thus at times use whichever comes to mind first. Reason 2. Probably over half my audience is in the USA and they of course are imperial so I use it for their convenience. I notice though, in email and YT conversations with American friends that many of them use mm and not inches and I can see a defacto metrification occurring in the US - now if only I could get them to use C instead of F 😀
Oh, and a "nail" its old cloth measure, 2 1/4 inches to be exact, and four of them equal a quarter and four of those make a yard -terrible system!.... Martin
Mark, We actually started our conversion somewhat earlier than 1972. I remember while studying metallurgy (graduated in 1965/6) that decimal currency began to appear. Todays children who have only had to learn the one system will be vastly better off than my years were.... martin
"Be prepared folks, when the coins begin to mix.
On the 14th of February, 1966!" -- Dollar Bill, the dodgy cartoon character of the day, created to explain the change to the confused masses.
@@olfoundryman8418 I laughed way too hard at "you know the whole 9 yards, opps! Sorry make that the whole 8.2296 metres". I probably looked a little like this guy: tenor.com/JIw3.gif