Found Dreaming

Hi all, I'm thinking about doing a cast iron melt, what would be a good starting point temp for pouring, not to sure when I'll get to do this as my shoulder is still playing up and I go under the knife 2nd Sept

Mike

It depends on how thick a casting your doing. For a thick casting, over an inch, you would need about 2625 F. For a thin casting, you would want a higher temp, maybe around 2700 F. Let's see that's 1440 to 1480 C.

Thanks Jammer...About 10 to 15mm, I want to cast an old cast iron tractor seat

Mike

luckygen I think is the name he shows up every now and then on AA, I think he's downunder and does a lot of Cast Iron casting you may look him up seems like a friendly dude.

DA

Thanks Dave

your welcome, hope you have a crucible that you can dedicate to strickly iron pouring as you won't want to put anything else in it after you melt some iron in it, stuffs not like aluminum where you can reach in and pull all the dross and slag out after it cools.

dallen wrote:your welcome, hope you have a crucible that you can dedicate to strickly iron pouring as you won't want to put anything else in it after you melt some iron in it, stuffs not like aluminum where you can reach in and pull all the dross and slag out after it cools.

I'll be getting a crucible just for cast iron.

I had a look on the members list on AA and couldn't find a luckygen , I'll post my original question and see what turns up

Mike

Ever get your iron melt Mike? I melted iron once but never made a mold to cast, I can say it is way different animal from aluminum. As I recall much more liquid or thinner I should say and of course the heat was something that let you know you werent in alcoa anymore dorothy... I mean it is hot.

I had also used a home made refractory crucible which I would not advise as it was about to its own soft point. The carbide crucibles are expensive but dang they are nice and they dont have the slow heat up necessity of clay graphite.

Saw you mentioned some surgery early in the thread but that was two years ago, hope all went well for you buddy.

Harry wrote:Ever get your iron melt Mike? I melted iron once but never made a mold to cast, I can say it is way different animal from aluminum. As I recall much more liquid or thinner I should say and of course the heat was something that let you know you werent in alcoa anymore dorothy... I mean it is hot.

I had also used a home made refractory crucible which I would not advise as it was about to its own soft point. The carbide crucibles are expensive but dang they are nice and they dont have the slow heat up necessity of clay graphite.

Saw you mentioned some surgery early in the thread but that was two years ago, hope all went well for you buddy.

Not yet Harry but I do plan to go down that road, every time I mention cast iron in front of the wife she starts to, well you know what wife's are like when their loving husbands decide that they want to do something that they consider to be extremely dangerous .....I also want to smelt my own iron, for no other reason then to say that I've done it, but she seems to think the bitchy neighbor that we have will only go running to the local council AGAIN I aslo want to smelt my own copper, but I want to do both the way that they were done in the bronze and early iron age

Yeah I dont get that level of concern around here, The Wife rarely comes out to the shop. Heck my biggest concern is that any injury isnt too great to make it back into the house because I am pretty certain after a day or two she would come check on me

Iron is a bit of goal here also. Not interested in the smelting part as its just so cheap to pick up scrap. Well worth the investment for a good crucible though.