Cincinnati Shaper

[dallen]

sure I'll cast them I think I have all my burner problems sorted out. I wish that I had the money to make this pattern in something like walnut, or the bubinga from africa right, it would make one helluva conversation piece to lay about on the coffee table.

I would think that HT1 could do it, brass is about all he works with. then theres that caster up in Pa that does a lot of art sculpture. I don't think that it would be a hard pour, just your going to have a lot of metal to deal with not only in the mold but in the crucilbls also, I helped SVSeeker do his propeller blades and that was around 75 pounds to fill the mold and half of that was gating for the shrinkage.

I cut the segments the way I did because I don't have a bandsaw, also by using 12 segments instead of 6 or 8 really norrowed the thing down, the shell before I put it in the lathe the segments were 1 inch wide I turned it down to a half inch and there will be some more come off of it when I cut the draft on it. I'm looking at a serious desire for a jointer at the moment to do the gussets that or a big wide belt sander, but I don't have either one, but I think I have a game plan by using my neighbors table saw to first cut the draft then cut the gussets out.

its a shame about the monarch yount getting it running yet, one thing about it was you got one hell of a buy on a machine that you can never wear out.

just send me the pattern or a drawing and I'll do the counter weights for you.

gotta run have to go look at a mill that a guy I know busted a pin off in while trying to take the head apart.

DA

[scavenger]

thanks for the info on the silicon, do you end up with what looks like white sand in your crucible after melting iron and using the FeSi?

The core I put in this part I'm not to worried about it if its a little off center as the part gets a 1 inch hole thats threaded in it. That runner on the first batch that i poured did have some white iron in it but for the most part the iron in the actual casting machined great it was just as full of holes as a swiss cheese.

hoping to pour tomorrow, will have to wait to see what tomorrow brings thou.

DA.

Dallen, I do not recall seeing too much white stuff in the crucible after pouring. Mostly I have a layer of dark slag that I just leave. What are you using as flux? I use about half a cup of borax. It liquefies the slag. Be careful to keep as much of the borax off the crucible as it will eat it up pretty fast.

Justin

[dallen]

when I flux I use limestone powder, or flurospar to liquify the slag but neither one has left this white stuff I'm seeing the last couple of melts. been out of town all day just got home will post a photo later, Jammer may know he's worked in iron before. what I'm seeing actually looks like silica sand but I know that its not that.

DA

[scavenger]

Another thought on the sand looking stuff.... How old is the scrap you are using? In other words, could the scrap be covered in lead based paint which is leaving the residue?

[dallen]

lead shouldn't be around at that temp not in the crucible, the iron I'm melting is clean stuff that I have already melted and made into ingots when pouring other stuff.

[dallen]

think I got the burner straightened out, anyway I tested it today and in about fifteen minutes I burned close to half a gallon of diesel.

[dallen]

got the photo of the sand looking stuff in the crucible, I know its not sand cause its courser then the sand I use.



here's the rest of what I did today minus the other pattern that I made
I got around this morning after mowing the damn grass



then I started in working on making gussets for the flat belt pulley, well the thing snapped apart at the glue line between the pine and the masonite that my neighbor gave me, I wasn't really a happy camper when this happened


so it was off to town for some 1/4 inch ply in birch found a quarter sheet for 13.00 dollars


got all cut as you can see in the photo above then mounted them up in the lathe and turned em round cause I can saw worth a damn. and then it was back to the glue


here you can see that with the two layers of 1/4 inch ply I will end up with a 1/2 inch thick web in the pulley, with the masonite if it had of worked I would of ended up with 3/4 inch web. I might of been able to of thinned it down but I think it wouldn't of been worth the work.


DA

[mite5255]

Hey Dave, no photo of the shop monster

[dallen]

heres a new one

[scavenger]

I see the white stuff inside the crucible. I do get some of that at times and never really thought anything of it. My guess is it is oxide from the cast iron. I notice it happens more when I melt more previously melted cast iron. Fresh iron does not do it as much. I do not worry with it. I just throw in more iron and burn baby, burn!