New Neighbors

[Jammer]

We've got some new neighbors last week. We went over and meet them and it was just a little strange. They have many of the same interests as I do. He works at the Lodge foundry where I was planning on working when we moved here. He collects old cast Iron and has a bunch of patterns he bought from a foundry he used to work at that closed. They are still packed up, I think it's some small stoves and some miniature stoves like salesman samples. I showed him my furnace and told him I can melt some Iron. Maybe we'll start casting some stuff. He knows a lot more about Iron than I do, my background is all Steel. He said I can come down and hang out at the foundry sometime while it's running. I took a tour last spring, but it was shut down for the tours. I thought they used resin bonded sand, but he told me it's all green sand. They have a machine that rams the sand and makes mold after mold all auto, I would really like to see it running. It's hard to explain, there is no flask and it's all vertical casting. All they make are skillets, griddles and pots. I guess they are the last manufacturer in the states.
The only problem is with a job like that, he's almost never home. He works 10 to 12 hours a day and sleeps, then goes back to work, like I did for 17 years. Not much time for hobbies.

[dallen]

a new well of information that will have to be tapped, well I can only say we will have to have pictures.

Check out the shaper thread I have the new casting in the middle of being machined, its a little on the hard side but its working out, if I have to redo it I'm thinking about using one of the riser cups you sent me, I almost didn't melt enough iron to fill the mold yesterday, I forgot to check the volumn of aluminum that I used when I poured it in Al.

I use the 99% silicon I have in this instead of the Ferro Silicon wonder if that had anything to do with it being a bit on the hard side. I have some Manganese I could throw in a pinch of that but don't want to use it if I can help I only have a little bit. next melt I am going to pitch in some LImestone dust I have five gallons of that

DA

[Jammer]

He was telling me they shoot for a high Phos to help fluidity, some where around .8 %. The highest we were allowed in the Steel was .040%. The Carbon is around 3.5% and the Silicon is 1 to 2 %.
I put a few pictures of the foundry in the Old Industry thread. From the tour I took in April.

[dallen]

problem I have is that I don't think I have the funds to put in a lab to check the small dabs I melt. now with that said I wonder if brazing rod with a high Phos content would work. I know the silicon is suppose to help with the the carbon content, and also that if I throw in too much it can cause problems with the iron when it cools. but then again i'm up against the problem of melting small amounts.

The part that I poured yesterday has some issues but its machinable so far. I have one hole left to put in it and some milling to do on a couple spots.
Here's what its looking like so far.


This stuff should be cutting like butter and have a gray color to it, instead of being shiny as a mirror. Anyway hope to try some again in a few days when the weather gets back on the warm side.

[Jammer]

Do you allow the part to cool in the mold? I'm not sure how much effect a little annealing would have on cast but I don't think it would hurt. Or maybe put it in the furnace and let it cool down slowly.
I picked up some high phos brass rods for some brass melts. You would be talking about a tenth of a pond for a 10 pound melt. You could toss in some Lead just before you pour to help with machining. Just watch the fumes. I'm trying to find some of my books, they should have something about helping machinability.

I'm hoping my neighbor can hook me up with the lab guys at the foundry. I would like to get some analysis on a few samples just to get an idea of what's going on with melts. I would have to be careful not to abuse the privilege.

[dallen]

10 pounds is about what I melted to make the part if the photo with, I'm thinking that I will recast it as the part where the ratchet pin goes is going to stick out about a 1/4 inch or more farther then it needs to. it is also where I have found the worst of the hard spots. So I may with the weather doing what it is drag out the kiln and see about doing some heat treating, to this one.

I did leave it in the sand for around and hour, which I would think would of been enough time, but then again what do I know about this other then you get it hot and liquid and pour it in the sand. Another thing I'm thinking is that I need to add some courser sand to my mix, I haven't really done anything except use it since I mixed the stuff up. So that means a trip down town to the sand place for a bag.

I'll have to check into getting some High Phos brazing rods, do you think that adding copper would help, from what I have read they throw in to and I quote ( Copper is added in the ladle or in the furnace, on the order of 0.5–2.5%, to decrease chill, refine graphite, and increase fluidity.) I have some copper electrical wire that I got from when I took a short course in wind generators.

any thoughts you may have will be welcome.