Pouring cups

[Harry]

Made a small cone shaped pattern and a tool for pressing the sand in around it. I think I will make more of a cone but really this works great. Using a 1/2" piece of brass tubing from the hardware store it makes a choke that works pretty good for pouring most of the stuff I do.

Pattern for the cup inside of a 3" tall piece of 3" thin wall pipe.

Toss in a little sand to pack down around the pattern.

Packed in with a little tool I made, just knock it on the side of the molding bin to clean it out.

Topping up with a quick smash from the trowel. I like to leave the sand a little high from the pipe so it can get a real good bond to the sand in the mold.

Poking a hole with 1/2" brass tube. Then it is lifted while the other hand on the tube hold the pattern inside down to the molding board.

And a finished cup ready to go, while pouring I keep the cup about half full and when it starts to rise I know the mold is full. There is enough room in the cup to catch it before it over fills. Since I have been using these I have not had an overflow at all. They also work great for a little extra head pressure, just make sure to add plenty of weight to the mold.

[Nudge]

That is a real slick Idea, a lot cleaner than the tin can idea with a hole in it

[Harry]

The large cup also gives you a little bit of reaction time when you see the level coming up.

[HT1]

alot of people claim that round pouring basins should be avoided becuase they can cause the metal to swirl, especially in a tall cope. I was taught to cut puoring basins triangular .

[Harry]

Could you expound on that HT1?

I could see where swirling would be a problem if it created a vortex that could suck air into the metal stream but as long as the cup is full (choked well enough to allow keeping up with pouring speed) I wonder does it matter if the metal is spinning.

In my gating I will often make a large round bob at the part and enter the bob with the feed on a tangent with the purpose in mind of getting the metal spinning to try and trap debris in the bob. I havent a clue as to if this really works but it makes for some pretty gating

[HT1]

Could you expound on that HT1?

I could see where swirling would be a problem if it created a vortex that could suck air into the metal stream but as long as the cup is full (choked well enough to allow keeping up with pouring speed) I wonder does it matter if the metal is spinning.

In my gating I will often make a large round bob at the part and enter the bob with the feed on a tangent with the purpose in mind of getting the metal spinning to try and trap debris in the bob. I havent a clue as to if this really works but it makes for some pretty gating

I'll do this in reverse, whirl gates are used with heavy metals and parting gates(part in cope, part in drag) . whirl gates collect dross, slag, sand from erosion ect. I believe it is an outdated way of keeping mold contamonents out of your casting . I was taught in the early 90 that placing the runner in the drag, and the gates in the cope with proper runner extensions is as effective for keeping contamonents out of the mold. though I will admit poor, or difficult risering situations can partially negate that becasue the loose sand will come from the risers, rather then the gating system

liquid, of any typoe will start to rotate when it falls in a stream, the longer the fall, the more the swirl, swirling can cause erosion, and bring sand into your casting. your two important variables, is the distance of the fall, and the amoun t of metal going down the hole. if you have a VERY big pour(several hundred pounds) dropping 18 inches+ you can actually start to erode sand off of the side of the sprue. I kn ow this probably does not become a concern for any of us, but it is the princaple. if you are making raised pouring cups, try a skim basin http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/machiner ... art-3.html it is the "industrail" standard. though I do not care for the one in the pic, but it illustrates the process and concept

V/r HT1

[Harry]

I see what you are getting at now, I think as you mentioned the size of castings most of us are involved in has a bit of a different set of rules or at least some aspects of the rules are minimized to the point where adhering to them is not so critical. It is very interesting stuff though and who knows, any of us might be doing 100 lb+ pours at some point down the road. I know I keep thinking of how to handle large molds and a means of pouring which I may well have when I build my new scrapper.

That was a good link BTW, I need to buy some more books.

[HT1]

handling big molds: Rigged for two man lift (see the secomnd and third pic) http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/mechanic ... oulds.html I know in my youth we handled 36 X36 with 12 in cope and drag. not the whole mold, just the cope. or 48 X 48 X 8 . But I definately would not want to do that anymore.

If you got some lifting gear, and flasks with trunions http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/machiner ... lasks.html you can go that route with a pair of slings. a three ton cherry picker could get you most everything you want. though I know I would be a little scared

[Harry]

I am a little more inclined to think along the lines of am overhead beam with a trolley and electric winch.

Back to the pouring vups, I forgot to add that since I have been using them I have gained a great appreciation for them. The little extra head never hurts but the big thing to me is the well in the cup. There is enough volume there that my reaction time in seeing it fill to stopping the pour I never spill over. Everything is contained in the cup and I lift those off after I put the crucible back int he furnace and charge it, they pop right off at the top of the flask and turning them over and tapping the sprue fall out of the cup and the sand is returned to the shakeout bin. The metal from the cups then goes right back into the furnace while it is still 5 to 700*

[HT1]

I am a little more inclined to think along the lines of am overhead beam with a trolley and electric winch.

Back to the pouring vups, I forgot to add that since I have been using them I have gained a great appreciation for them. The little extra head never hurts but the big thing to me is the well in the cup. There is enough volume there that my reaction time in seeing it fill to stopping the pour I never spill over. Everything is contained in the cup and I lift those off after I put the crucible back int he furnace and charge it, they pop right off at the top of the flask and turning them over and tapping the sprue fall out of the cup and the sand is returned to the shakeout bin. The metal from the cups then goes right back into the furnace while it is still 5 to 700*

Sounds like you are a little better shopped up" then most of us