collection of my projects

[dallen]

I had poked a wire all over where I thought the pattern was at before I pulled the thing apart to find that I was off by like that riser much. That what looks like a vent was actually suppose to be the sprue, but when I pulled the thing and I knew what had happened when I pushed it in and felt it hit the pattern but I thought that I had put enough wire vents in that it would work.

and YES the runners were way too small, they were about 3/4" wide but only about 1/2" inch deep. another problem is that I am still fighting this sand I need to get back to work on the Muller so I can work the sand, this stuff drys out about as fast as you can ram it here in Oklahoma, specially when there's no humidity to help keep the moisture in the sand.

And not to list all the problems that keep cropping up, what I'm ramming up on isn't the most stable so thats another project to complete. But for now its off to Tulsa and Wholesale Tools for some Therapy, (man I gotta get inside a tool store before I go nuts).

If I get back in time tonight I will try it again, one thing about this hobby you can make your mistakes go away where people can't find them, that for sure.

Thanks for the INPUT guys, I still gotta find the half with the pin boss on it. that lil' suckers hiding for sure.

[Harry]

That was a big part of my problem in using greensand, every time I wanted to cast something it was dry and wetting it up to use it meant it was not properly tempered. My understanding is that the sand is best a few days after wetting it up so that takes planning which means it is out the window for me.

[dallen]

I don't really have any problems with using greensand, the problem that I have right now is no muller, which I need to get my ass back in gear on building, sorry for no pictures yet. Today for sure, I made my mad dash to the therapy store in tulsa, damn place didn't have what I went for, so I bought me a surface plate.

I find that if the sand is kept damp constantly that it works better, I think that what I need to start trying is to get a spray bottle and keep it out there so when I flip the flask, or remove one half of it, or pull the pattern that I can spray a fine mist on the sand. I really wanting to try mixing some of the plumbago that i got from you with Alcohal which would keep it damp while working on the sand, then burn off the ethonal right before I close and pour. But things haven't turned out that way.

Lots of stuff to be learned,

Anyway its like a hundred today so if an when it cools down I will give it a try agian.
P.S. I got to get a good one of this side cause I still haven't found the one with the pin boss on it.
David.

[dallen]

you still selling petrobond? also can you resend me a list of the stuff that your handling, I know a guy in Oregon that might want some flux and degasser. which reminds me I gotta break them big Azz tables up into something smaller that is useable in a 5 pound crucible.

And after last night in the dark I have thoughts of a top hat style furnace running thru my gray matter. for some damn reason I'm thinking I need another furnace. Would really like to build a cupola, in a 12 inch bore size range. I can get the tank for the body for a couple dollars but man thats a lot of Refactory, and you gotta make it out of stuff that will take a licking, and stay in the fight. I watched a pretty good size one fire at the local collage OU two years ago, last year they were so unorgnized it hurt, they missed their pour time by a couple hours cause they were not hot.

David.

[Harry]

Yes i still have the supplies I was offering on the other forum. I just need to get the list and prices back together and post it here. Will do that soon.

[dallen]

well i tried to pour that flask pattern again today, it didn't work, I vented with a wire in about 8 to 10 places it still didn't pour. so next time I will vent with two 3/8 inch vents on the off side from where the sprue is, I dug the runners almost an inch deep up to within about a 1/4 inch of the pattern.

There are a couple pictures I've loaded up in a new album on photobucket here's the link

http://s1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd4 ... 7%2061811/

you will have to excuse the cat pictures he was running at me in what looked like he was going to attack, the camera was all I had to shoot him with. probably peod that I wouldn't pet him, but he did look interested while I was pounding sand.

Enjoy,

[Nudge]

I would almost say that you were pouring too cold.
Next time wait until the alli is just molten then give it about another 3 to 5 min to heat up

[dallen]

sorry my homemade flask isn't big enough to pour it from one end,
I plan on trying again this morning before it heat up which it already is, but the sand should be a little better this morning, it worked pretty good yesterday, but the weather was killing me, not just an expression, can't take the heat anymore like I used to before heart sugery.

I'm sorry for not takeing out the cat pictures but the little guy comes over and help out around here and doesn't bitch too much about being over worked. so he's in the album.

I hope to have my second sheave tomorrow for the drive the muller, its in kind of a state of limbo at the moment. I am still trying to make up my mind if I want to turn the end of the shaft down to fit the sprocket, or bore the sprocket to fit the shaft, if I do the latter I gotta get a 1/4" broach to cut a key way in it, which I need just because its a standard size. I could cut it on the shaper (I have a 7" Delta that I rebuilt) but its not really big enough to get the sprocket on there correctly.

Anyway guess I better getup and go see it how it is outside and carry in that hunk of granite I bought yesterday. Saved a bundle on shipping by picking up a surface plate while in Tulsa yesterday, although Wholesale Tools is getting to where they don't carry hardly anything you ask for when I go up there.

David

This is for Harry since he's into roasting own coffee beans, I did another roast yesterday, plus I let the beans cool in the roaster to see if I could so if you want to watch its here

[dallen]

Hi its been a couple of days since I been here, been working at staying cool.

Anyway here is a picture that shows some progress, I wasn't expecting to get the sheave I needed untill like monday but it came in yesterday so I got a little done last night after it cooled off. Electric motors monted now, and I had to re cut the keyway in one of the shafts so that pretty much shut things down till after today. Damn Weather man says its going to be triple digits all this next week.

Anyway heres a picture to prove that I did at least get the motor mounted.



I also did a little work on that pattern that I been trying to get poured, or more like work out a pouring setup that would let it fill all the way. I took some pictures of the part after I dug it out of the sand,

http://s1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd4 ... sk%20pour/

and lo and behold as my ole granny used to say, I got one that filled all the way, not pretty enough to use for a pattern, but good enough to clean up and keep till I get seven more of em so I can bolt em together.

From the looks of the casting the sand might of been just a tad to moist, it wasn't sticking to my hand, but the parts surface is kinda pitted, it also may be from sand that was loose in the mold, I tried to blow it out, but didn't get the compressor out. as you can see from the photos one vent filled all the way, I pushed the vent tube in kinda deep the other bearly filled but was enough to give a full pour, so I'm happy now if it would just cool off. hundred degree weather and molten metal just don't mix.

[Harry]

Looks like it will be a muller that will last a lifetime.

Nice on getting the flask side worked out. I like that style, someone else posted a picture of a pattern like that not too long ago. I have been working on a pattern for a handle that was cast from a piece of 1 x 3 steel channel about 4" long. I sanded some draft onto an aluminum cast of it that will be used as a pattern. Will post some pictures soon.

As far as using the side you have as a pattern, you can use bondo to help in cleaning it up, if your intention is to eventually make an aluminum pattern from the master I would do it at the beginning so all the flask parts you make of that size/stlye have the same number of shrinks to them.

I hear you on the heat, we are moving into the dog days of summer here also. I am so glad I put the roof over the foundry and the big cooler gets a workout on hot days. If you can arrange your foundry into a shaded or covered area it makes a world of difference and the big plus with a roof is not having things get ruined when the rains come.