jaime, No more secrets, Ha! You would be surprised! You cannot put a life time into a few 30 minute videos - there are lots of little subtleties and things I do without even thinking to yet be revealed 😊.... Martin
Thank you SO much for making these videos. For those of us playing and learning casting at home, It is difficult to describe what a treasure trove of information they are. Even a minor aside, that you probably barely think about, can be such an "Aha!" moment for me. Someone willing and able to share so many years of experience is incredibly rare to find. You benefit many, many people every time you post a video. Thank you.
James Interesting that you should mention the "minor aside". It came up in a recent discussion with another foundry man that there are a lot of things - just little things usually - that I do automatically and that I have probably never mentioned. So I plan on doing a video where I deliberately show these little things. Some will be so little as to be almost silly but all will be a part of the process. They will be quite personal tomy experience and thus may not apply to everybody who pours metal but I hope that everyone will get something out of it. A few months away yet though... Martin
Very informative, concise and straight to the point. Exceptional volume of information. I'm extremely grateful to able to have the opportunity to view this content.
Thank you for sharing your knoledge , love the videos . I think i may experiment with this meathod for some up coming projects just to learn more about it . Cant wait for part 2
Wright, It's well worth keeping this method in mind for when you want a lot of castings and/or a very good casting as it is known to produce a mechanically better and more accurate product... Martin
Back in 1965 I worked at Aluminum casting and engineering in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I poured turner pipe benders, 3 sizes in steel scissor molds, with a foot operated core puller where the handle threaded in. To make my job quota I had to pour at least 40 per hour from each mold! That almost Thousand a day. The run lasted 3 days. All the complex casting machines, were injection type to make evinrude and mercury outboard motor parts., and other thin items. The furnace was an above flame, horizontal open bath, with dip ports on the side. The furnace held about 100+ gallons of Aluminum. Look into gravity molding as the one I worked on was hand and foot operated and put out an excellent product. Thanks Martin for the excellent videos, and encouragement to move on in casting.
rick, So if I have this right you ran three dies at once and poured 40 castings per hour in each of them giving a total of 120 castings per hour total or 960 in an 8 hour day - although I do note that allowing for die prep etc. its common to only get 6 to 7 hours actual casting in an 8 hour shift. Giving a total of perhaps 840 or so castings per day - all I can say is WOW! And I a glad that I did not work in that shop! Being that close to such a big furnace to do the dipping out at least 4O times per hour must have been fun too! I hope that you had lots of fans blowing on you.... Martin
user, Thank you for your comment. As it happens both my parents were born in Canada - Dad in Agassiz and mum in Winnipeg although I was born here in Australia - small world ... 😊Martin
Being that you aren't a professor, and I live almost halfway around the planet from you, I find myself extremely appreciative that you take the time and effort to make videos like this. Passing knowledge along to younger folks interested in the trades is, unfortunately, almost entirely a thing of the past in most modern nations. You're harnessing the power of the internet to teach many "apprentices" eager to learn. Thank you for that!
elitearor, Passing on information that I believe/understand to be correct is why I got onto You Tube as I found a lot of the information presented by others was incorrect and I vowed to try and correct that... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 It's great to see you back in any capacity. You're a font of Foundry Wisdom ! Nice of smalley to do the graphics work. Good on yer both !
Great information mate, good to see another Aussie into the foundry work, Many years ago I made a permanent die to gravity die cast Aluminium pistons which I am happy to say were great success. Your simple die casting machines and jigs are really awesome, your video work and audio also excellent. Glad I found your channel. Keep up the good work.
Col, Yes, there are a few of us Aussies into foundry stuff. It's been my life in fact. I have done a couple of different pistons including the one I have a video series out for, but all were done in sand as the quantity was not there to justify any sort of die. I am curious though did you use a metal core piece(s) with your die for the pistons or did you use sand cores with a permanent outer? It is just about impossible to buy the correct piston alloy here in Australia unless you buy 1 ton lots 😰 😱 I was lucky when a fellow "conspiritor" managed to get a few hundred kilos of the right stuff. Piston alloys are difficult to cast properly and are prone to gas pickup and do not degas all that easily. The Brush piston with its great thickness (to equal the weight of the cast iron original) proved almost impossible to get the gas out of and to my annoyance we had a little fine well dispersed and barely visible gas porosity showing up in the machined product....Martin
@@olfoundryman8418, Martin, the set of pistons I made (This was decades ago) I made up a multi piece steel die, I was lucky enough to get to know an old Italian engineer immigrant who worked for Mercedes Benz way back when, and he showed me how to make the die using a lathe and an angle grinder...it was hard work and took an untold number of hours to make. The aluminum I used was other old pistons remelted to cast, the melt was de-gassed, fluxed, before the pour, I had remarkable success with them. I did most of the machining work on the piston and then I knew of another engineer bloke who had an old Repco piston grinding machine who did the final finish for me. This project was one hell of a challenge, was also told that I was mad, that it would never work...but it did, and the reaction of disbelief from the people who said it couldn't be done, was very satisfying. Just a side note, I started casting back in the mid 80s, but I don't do much these days, but its nice to fire up the foundry every now and again to make something that you simply cant buy.
@@olfoundryman8418, I did write several ebooks on hobby foundry work, the piston work I left out of it because it is beyond most backyard foundry guys, but I was going to (One day) document how I made the die and did the casting work, as well as the machining, it would have been masterclass kind of stuff, but then I wondered just how many people would be interested in making pistons? And that's as far it got.
col, I did a bit of a search but was unable to find any ebooks of yours - do you have a link to them please? How you made the die would be most interesting so get busy and document it 😊. How many people would be interested in making pistons - you would be surprised it does seem to be a common aim.... Martin
Memory's of a lot of your old videos Martin, loving your renewed enthusiasm, keep up the energy lol. Spoke to Nigel the other day, he passed on your message, speak to you soon. Andy
gwhey, Gravity die casting is a bit unique in that everyone tends to make there own "machines". Simple is best as they are quickest and easiest to operate - some of the silly machines one sees on YT are horrid - slow, difficult, and labour intensive. I try to design mine to be easy and quick to set up and use. The easier it is the more castings you can make in a day (within limits).... Martin
Mark, Good to hear from you again. Yes, I am back but only sort of severe backpain on standing means I cannot do much as I cannot stand for more than a minute or two at a time - it sort of limits my "at the bench" abilities to about zero! Part 2 in about a week - it's done just want to let part 1 play out first... Martin
I just learned of you from a mrpete222 interview with Clarke Easterling / Windy Hill Foundry. Both said you were the best. It only took one of your videos to make me a subscriber. They were right you are the only professional metal caster I have seen on UA-cam. Not only is your content is an excellent source of information but your replies to all the comments are equally informative. Thank you for all you do! And now i have a lot of binge watching to do in order to catch up.
Steven, Binge watch away! 😊 Thank you for your comment and thank you for letting me know of the mention by mrpete and Clarke - I had missed that one. I have put a thank you comment on that video.... Martin
Well, I'm a little smarter. And so many ideas floating around in my head right now! Thanks Martin! Great to see you making videos again. And what a series this is going to be!
Rudy, You asked and you got - your word is my command! 😊. I had actually shot the video back in mid 2018 it's just that it has taken some putting together and some nudging to get me doing it - thank you.... Martin
Richard, I do have it in mind to do some sort of video on proper ramming of sand moulds as the videos out there that show this are largely in error - including, I might add, one with well over 1M views and that got so many bad comments that they turned comments off ! 😱 Obviously any video that I do on this subject will include info on what I believe to be the correct ramming tools and how to use them. It may take a while because its a little down the list so just stay tunned.... Martin
Headstock, I cannot claim any credit for the mechanism, it is way older than I am but it works extremely well, not only for closing dies but also in reverse for pulling out cores and ejecting castings on bigger work. The power multiplication factor at the flick over point is very high.... Martin
I have been thinking of setting up a small die-casting rig to make gearboxes for custom tools. I was not really sure where to start until now. Thank You for this very valuable bit of information. I look forward to the next video. Cheers!
Thank you Sir!! The nut & bolts of this subject is the info that seems hard to find, not just the way you do things but the reasoned all important why. I remember the piston you were casting as I have interest in that application. I have been watching videos from our Pakistani contributors and also Egge parts in California for their piston production.
@@olfoundryman8418 haha, yes!!. I am interested in the construction of the gravity molds with the multi piece or expanding inside. I would like to reproduce a Cat piston from the 30's with a steel or ductile insert for the rings. And of course what alloy?, until then my armchair will do.
Stephen, You have set yourself quite a challenge there! Those multipiece expanding cores are quite a machining feat - your armchair had better be connected to Fusion 360 AND a CNC mill 😊. You might like to contemplate using a gravity mould outer and a sand core - particularly if it is a restoration as against an engine working hard project. British alloy LM13 (US A336) is one commonly used for pistons. NOTE the insert must be rust free and preheated, would suspect that steel insert not too good use the ductile iron, you should be able to buy this as bits of continuously cast bar and machine to size...Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Martin, I can use the continuous cast dura-bar. I do have an Alexander 3D pantograph and a Fadal that needs serious attention. Plus all the common machine tools. Getting the mechanism worked out from watching a camera pan quickly around on a video isn't ideal but workable. There is a outfit down your way that was making some pistons, from memory it was JP. This will probably end up being a retirement project at the rate I'm going, as I have plenty to do already. Thanks again for your channel, I have made a few patterns for repro parts moulded by my foundry buddy but would like to get into doing it myself. The fun for me is in the puzzle.
Stephen, "A fadal that needs serious attention" Oh dear sounds like my Dyna Mechtronics 4400 when I got her. She was built in 1985 and uses a strange programing code - no postprocessors available so I have to write and put in all programs by hand , I should get a conversion done to G code and if Iwas younger and fitter I would. Re mechanism if you need some still photos I can do them for you just come to me at olfoundryman@gmail.com. JP still exists, they are in South Australia (I am in Victoria) their catalogue is huge but I don't know what they actually make! We also had a division of Repco here in Victoria that made pistons OE for local car manufacturers - when we had some! I worked as foundry metallurgist for a sister company - Brake and Clutch (commonly referred to as "broken crutch") That dura bar in an SG version would be the go for sure - I used to be able to buy locally made con cast grey iron and it's what I used for many of my dies but it's not available so much anymore. Watch that retirement thing - I had all these plans for things to do when I retired at 75 but at about 73 things started to go downhill and I can do very little now. This video was actually shot in mid 2018 and I was in trouble back then, unable to do much I was forced to retire by age 74 and could not do the things I planned - it's a cautionary tale - so don't wait too long 😰... Martin
Good to see you creating regular videos again Martin 2 in about a month 😁 excellent Very enjoyable and interesting, The experience you have had over the years in casting show I bet the repetitive work sets of doing job lots sets up muscle memory so that you can get quite quick in doing numbers, that is unless someone interrupts you and throws your rhythm in disarray. Do you make the various moulds so that you can use the lever action devices on many moulds or do you Or do you have to create a new lever action for each mould? Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Tony, How are things in Quokka land? I have four of the lever action devices. I made one long ago and it is to big heavy and cumbersome although I did use it early on. I was given the two "sideways" ones but have only used them for the jobs that came with them. The fourth is the newest and it incorporated my thoughts on how to make it better. I endeavor to use existing machines for any new job as it saves time and effort but you can't always do this as jobs vary greatly and can require something quite different in a machine. So I guess the answer to your question is "yes" and "yes" Most gravity die shops I have ever been in seem to have slowly collected quite a variety of machines. I do try very hard to fit jobs into the hydraulic machine that appears in part 3 .... Martin
@Olfoundryman not bad Martin, just experiencing the remnants of winter Arthritis but as it warns up the joints start to ease a bit 24c right now so it won't belong before we will be complaining about 45c this year way. It's a shame that you can't just have one hydraulic machine but as you said some are specific to the job you are doing. I imagine you can end up with a huge one use only pile of metal laying around taking up space, unless it is made of aluminium grin. Looking forward to the other parts of this series, you always make your videos with excellent information and explain the process of what you are doing so well. How have you been over on your part of the continent? Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Tony, No, I have never been to WA. In fact I have never been just about everywhere. I do have a daughter-in-law that came from there. If I did visit I would be a bit worried about catching BigStackD disease -😊still, the money he makes - sigh - it's just not fair.... Martin
Thankyou for showing this. I thirst for this type of information. I have been watching for a long time, please pass on anything that can be done on the cheap to help before stepping to the more expensive release agents and sprays. I have parts ready to make your sand fluffer, as it will take up less room than a muller. Many thanks
cameron, I appreciate the need for cheap alternatives as some of the sprays can be quite expensive - one release spray I use based on boron nitride cost me over $200.00 for a America gallon - its good stuff but for a hobbyist? I have never tried making my own sprays up and would need to experiment before I made an specific recommendation. However you could experiment yourself and I would start with 1/4 talc, 1/4 iron oxide (cement pigment), 1/4 fine (200 mesh) silica or alumina or some other refractory and 1/4 sodium silicate approx. 30 % solution. Add enough water to make a very thick cream. Before use dilute 1 spray 4 water spray on a hot (200 deg C plus) die to form a thin coat. Play around with the ingredients and the ratios. Yes I think the agitator is a better choice than a muller. I have never had a muller but regularly use the agitator in lieu. Even people with mullers will aerate/agitate their sand after mulling (if they want nice sand)... Martin
Thank you for your knowledge and generosity kind sir. 1. Have you done any work that involved casting thin and deep fins with not a lot of spacing between them? Like in a cylinder head for example. How did you solve the challenges that come with that? 2. Also can you tell us a bit about the various alloys, and their properties wrt casting, like their fluidity, propensity to defects etc. 3. Can you tell us a bit about the design of risers, sprues, gates and pouring basins that you use and how you calculate and design them Thanks again
Sunil, I talk about one such casting towards the end of the third video in this series - it will be released in 2 or three weeks. Basically I hate such castings as they are most difficult to make. This video is interesting ua-cam.com/video/sBfFpcdyd5Q/v-deo.html Its from 1942 and probably uses old fashioned oil core sands -it is skilled work and uses lots and lots of wires to reinforce the sand areas between the fins. Modern core making materials would have made their life a lot easier. NOTE that they smoke the mould with acetylene flame this has an almost magical effect on how far the metal will run - 3 to 5 times as far in fact, and no one really knows why but it has to be acetylene. The first thing is whether to cast in sand in which case the mould needs to be a very low moisture type - shell sand for instance as I saw you use in one little video. Or in a gravity die - in this case the die must be designed to allow easy application of die coats to the finned area and good venting at the tip of the fins. This means the die must be segmented and easily and quickly taken apart to allow die coat application particularly but not only to where the fins are thinnest and then reassemble so casting can start. This is not easy! For the casting I show in part 3 each of the die segments between the fins was a separate piece, they were removed from the die to allow careful spraying and then reassembled, all with the die and the segments hot. I guess it's like anything once you work out how to do it everything is Ok but it can be a battle to work it out Various alloys - well there have been books written on this subject! For gravity die work I use three alloys US alloy 356 for general work, British alloy LM6 for thin work and DTD5008 for support blocks. The first is not the most fluid but cast easily and is easy to feed. It is heat treatable an d machines very well when heat treated. The second alloy is very fluid but is subject to gross shrinkage defects at hot spots. It is not heat treatable and machines poorly The third alloy naturally ages over a week or so after casting it machines very well indeed and has a nice white colour. BUT it is difficult to cast having low fluidity and problems with feeding and hot shortness For cylinder heads US alloy 319 seems often used, it is heat treatable and I believe that it casts quite well but is not the most fluid it machines quite well. Gatting design etc. This is way too big a subject to fit in here. There have been books written about this too and I refer you to those written by John Campbell, he does it far better than I could. To be honest I rarely calculate any of this stuff now, I sort of eyeball the casting and use my experience to guide what I feel I should use in the way of gating feeding etc. Not very helpful I know but study Campbell's work and you can't go wrong......Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Wow! Thank you for taking the time and effort to write a detailed reply. I look forward to seeing your videos in the next few weeks I have another question which I hope you won't mind answering; The cross hatch pattern that is in some gravity die cast parts, especially on the inside. What purpose does it serve?
Great content! Very informative. I came across this gem of a video just when I need to make permanent dies for casting aluminum bronze worm gears with cast iron cores. I will try to read up on the books you recommended in the "Possibilities" and look forward to watching next part to this video. Thank you.
Soheyl, I did my "apprenticeship" in gravity die as the foreman in a shop casting mainly small aluminium bronze work. With the right gating it casts quite easily.....Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Actually I am a bit worried after I heard you say it is one of the most difficult alloys to cast known to man. Do the same principles of basin and sprue design you talked about also apply here? Also thank you for taking time to answer my comment and everyone else's. That's very generous of you.
Soheyl, To be a bit more specific aluminium bronze is regarded by many as being one of the most difficult of alloys to cast for two reasons;- 1 It is very prone to oxide skin formation particularly at points in the gating system where turbulence occurs. It is common to see skins on the surface and right through the metal down stream of these areas. 2, The alloy has a very short solidification range, this means that it is prone to shrinkage at any hot spots and that shrinkage or anywhere else in the casting will likely be a fairly massive hole. These problems can be overcome with good gating and attention to proper feeding and my experience has been that good castings can certainly be achieved. I have no fear of casting these alloys - in fact I have worked regularly with three of them. However, I would not recommend them to inexperienced hobbyists. With alloys like these the principles of good basin and sprue design are particularly important. Small tapered sprues that run full are an absolute must. A pouring basin well radiused to the sprue is important and a generous radius where the sprue joins the runner is also important. All gating should be designed to avoid turbulence. The gravity die shop where I was foreman used a simple 91% copper 9% aluminium bronze. Most of our castings were small builders hardware but some were things like borehole pump guides quite heavy and quite complex. The gating we used was very simple - usually a curved tapered sprue that started off vertically but entered the casting horizontally. We did not have a pouring basin as such - the sprue flared out at the top to give a reasonable target. In truth this was not really technically perfect gating but with careful pouring the metal slipped down the sprue and into the casting in quite a smooth manner. I would not recommend this simple approach with sand casting as technically correct basin and sprue designs are necessary there to ensure success with sand work.... Martin
Thank you for all these videos. Why is it ok to pour directly into these gravity cast moulds but in your sand casting videos you make the effort for the special basin and tapered sprue to avoid turbulence/ air entry/porosity? Is it a big cost to have metal gravity moulds made? Did a CNC shop make them? Thank you.
I’m guessing your preferred material for casting is 356? Great videos, for passing on the nuances and knowledge from experience, that are otherwise lost.
George, Yes, like most foundries I prefer 356 both for sand and gravity die. I do however also use 413, DTD5008, AB3 bronze, CMA1 bronze, Silicon bronze, and Ezda 12.... Martin
Great vid! The old school technology of, keep it simple, stupid. I've something that needs to be done & know the hot pour into a 2 part clam mold would suite my needs. But! All shown here (YT) is everybody pouring either lead or aluminum. I need to know what material / metal permanent mold would suffice for poured stainless steel / end product? Somebody, please advise please... . Thanks.
Don, I am totally unfamiliar with the pouring of stainless steel. I have never heard of it being done as a gravity die process. But I do know that some carbon steel railway wheels are gravity cast into water cooled copper moulds - exactly what sort of technology is involved I do not know. I am tempted to suggest that stainless steel parts, particularly if they are on the small side, might be best made by investment casting ..Martin
Good to see another post Martin. Any news about getting your back repaired? Or are you still in the queue to get an appointment so you can be put in the next queue?
dfross, Repair is no longer possible - too much damage and scaring from past work and just plain age related degeneration. Pain mitigation is the only possibility - it's a 50/50 shot and the only queue is me deciding whether to undergo it or not. I am a bit over the idea of more surgery but I am a bit over the bloody pain too. In truth I have decided to bite the bullet and we are just waiting on paperwork. Should be done within a few weeks.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 I hope it goes well for you Martin. Living in pain, unable to do anything is no life at all! In the meantime, edit lots of videos for us 😉!
Great to see you back! Always love your content. Very info-dense. I was looking for the final entry in your casting box series, about fitting the pins. Am I blind or did you not post that one?
Uberintj, Well, I am sort of back but I can't yet do some of the more physical stuff that I would like to. This unfortunately includes the pins in the Moulding boxes - I have had a box sitting on the table of my drill press for the last 18 months but I cannot stand up for long enough to get it done - I hope to try again soon so, no, you are not blind 😊..... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 OK. Well, I hope you get to feeling better. Wishing you the best, and many thanks for sharing your experience with us amateurs. I'll take 'em as you can make 'em!
THS, The white layer (die coat) that I use is a propriety coat made by Foseco - it is called "Dyecoat 14 ESS". I do not know what it contains other than that the "ESS" stands for "Extra sodium silicate" so we can at least be sure that the binder in it is sodium silicate. The "white" is no doubt some sort of fine refractory - alumina, silica, or perhaps talc or some mixture of them, or even any of a multitude of other common refractories. Once it was common for die foundries to make up their own coats but the formulations used seem to have got lost in the mists of time. Sorry that I could not be of more help.... Martin
Just getting into all this and have watched several other videos but seem to have learned the most here on your videos. Thanks. Do you have any videos on making cores?
Robert, Thanks for saying so. There are a few videos of mine that cover shell cores and CO2 cores. Here is a list ua-cam.com/video/-NKiCf2aCcg/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/WHz9vnNZxzs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/8TqCK7pD4FY/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/lNxwrSzm9q8/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/nQM2slvPTQM/v-deo.html Enjoy.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 I hope you don't mind but I have some questions about using waste oil for fuel. What mix do you use, is it inducted air, and is it as hot as propane? I thank you for ALL the info as I'm hopping to learn the best way to do this, is it smelting or is it called something else? Keep up the videos because their almost as relaxing as doing it myself. THANKS.
As I’ve probably missed it, would you mind restating what your typical draft angle recommendation would be for a permanent mold? Also, is it realistic/ feasible to cast 6061? Thanks in advance.
George, Draft angle - most foundrymen will answer that with "as much as possible". Seriously though it depends on whether it is inside or outside. If outside you can actually have none and just rely on the contraction of the casting to free it up. I have done this but do not recommend it, 1 degree would be preferable to none, 2 degrees would be nicer .😊 Inside is a different story as the casting will contract on and 1 degree would seem to be to be the absolute minimum and even then only if you use a good lubricating die spray like ZYP's "Release coat blue" (expensive). It depends to on if it's a core than can be pulled early in the cooling process or if it is a solid block that has to be ejected off. Ther latter will require a greater draft angle than the former. To be honest if people start to talk 1 to 1.5 degrees I start to mumble and politely suggest they go somewhere else. Unless it's a short distance the draft is over I prefer to start talking at 2. 6061 Hmm, Well, you can melt it and pour it into a mould but it is not an alloy designed to be cast so what you get may be disappointing. I am assuming that you have access to (lots) of 6061 scrap - I hope it's not swarf (chips) worst possible casting feed stock. Melting 6061 is not something I would ever even contemplate - my advice - take the scrap and sell it to a scrap dealer and with the money buy some decent ingot. In short feasible yes, realistic or smart no.... Martin
Thank you so much for sharing this I Got inspired by one of your old videos and now I'm about to make a diy from aluminum to pour aluminum .. I have a question about the core paint ... what kind of paint is that and is't good for surface quality ???
Bobo, This video ua-cam.com/video/lNxwrSzm9q8/v-deo.html shows the making of the cores for the runway light and it mentions the two types of paint I use on these cores. It does improve the surface finish.... Martin
Cerebral, Not sure what you mean by "collar" if you mean the die then they can be quite expensive - this one took about a week to machine. if you mean an actual casting then I can't say because of commercial confidentiality..... Martin
When you're pre-heating the die, is that only to remove the water? So you only need to pre heat it to above the boiling temperature of water? Or is there any other purpose to pre-heating?
From my experience of bullet casting. It is a compromise. You want to have the metal freeze as quick as possible but without defects. Freezing too fast (in a bullet mold) can cause ripples on the surface, the mold not filling completely. Just like pouring temperature, you don't want it too hot and not too cold.
Sunil, Two reasons for the preheat:- The die needs to be hot enough to cause the coating to flash dry when its sprayed on - 200 deg C plus The die has to be hot for the metal to fill the die and for the casting to feed properly - 200 deg C to 350 deg C Actual operating temperatures depend on the job and the rate of casting, you sort of work this out as you learn to work with a particular die .... Martin
Hi! Thank you for great channel. Maybe i've missed out because i'm not a native english speaker, but what material are you using for the mould except steel? What is the concrete-look-a-like material for permanent moulds? Best regards Alfred
Alfred, I do use mild steel for some parts of my gravity die moulds but I prefer to use grey cast iron which I buy as continuously cast large bar. The iron is easier to machine (if a bit "dirty") has higher thermal conductivity that some steel used for dies and holds the die spray well. Its life is more than adequate for the dies I have made. I am not sure what you mean by "the concrete-look-a-like material". There is a white spray coating that is applied to the dies new every day - this a commercial die coat called 14ESS and it is made by Foseco. Or there is the white insulating board that I use to make pouring basins on my tilt casting machines, this is a hard insulating board typically used in the base of furnaces between the refractory lining and the floor - It is made by Morganite but I do not know what it is called - I was given what I have. Are either of these materials what you are referring too? If not, give a time in a particular video where this material appears.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Thank you again! Are the moulds shown at 4:15, 5:10 and 8:30 made from grey cast iron (the insides of the moulds/casting surface)? Best regards Alfred
@@MrDaglivs , 4.15 mould is cast aluminium, it's cast to size. 5.10 mould is again cast aluminium - it's actually machined from a piece of continuously cast 357 aluminium ingot. Note that these two moulds are used for lead castings. 8.30 circular base plate is mild steel two die halves are cast iron..... Martin
Look up die casting machines. There are lots of automatic machines. CNC is not a term used, they do have programmable parameters. ua-cam.com/video/-arnumu7enQ/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/eaL4RRRo8pQ/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/6Dp62Ccvvzw/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/ox7AtzRPL3M/v-deo.html
Zum, Yes, In the pressure diecasting area there are many fully automatic computer controlled machines. In the gravity die area there is some tendency to use robot pouring when the production demands it - the one robot often serves two or more gravity die machines... Martin
Bobby, You have good eyes! Probably two sources for the bubbles the casting is hollow underneath and water wil displace some of the air caught under the casting in its hollow. But mostly they are from the water boiling. While initially cold and therefore boiling is over very quickly as the day goes on and many castings have been quenched the water gets very hot and will boil with each casting form many seconds. I have to change much of the water three of four times a day.... Martin
Mr. Greens, Ah stainless steel - Hmm, never done it myself. The sort of fuel fired furnace that everybody uses will not get anywhere near hot enough to melt stainless steel. You need an induction furnace for that (expensive!) Worse still there are contamination problems - even a little carbon pick up will ruin a stainless steel badly affecting its corrosion resistance amongst other problems. My advice would be to sell the stainless scrap and use the money to pay a proper stainless steel foundry to cast what you want. May not be economic but at least you should get a useable casting.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 yeah that what I thought too. We do get stainless steel casted in China, as we get lots of stuff from China. I will let the boss know. A couple of us have told the boss just to use aluminium.
Teh, Yes you are right. I had forgotten that you(?) Americans have a dislike for the letter U. It's a bit like the old aluminium , aluminum debate, neither are right nor wrong, it simply is the way it is and as both of us understand what the other is saying it matters not.... Martin
Stop, Yes indeed I could have picked a better thumbnail, but I do not believe in click bait so I was restricted to getting one from the actual video. This is a bit limiting but what did you have in mind?... Martin
This is my favorite casting channel, it's a firehose of practical information Thank You!
Chris, Thank you for sating so... Martin
That's a very accurate way to put it :))
with you, the mold makers, we will have no more secrets! merci beaucoup !
jaime, No more secrets, Ha! You would be surprised! You cannot put a life time into a few 30 minute videos - there are lots of little subtleties and things I do without even thinking to yet be revealed 😊.... Martin
Thank you SO much for making these videos. For those of us playing and learning casting at home, It is difficult to describe what a treasure trove of information they are. Even a minor aside, that you probably barely think about, can be such an "Aha!" moment for me. Someone willing and able to share so many years of experience is incredibly rare to find. You benefit many, many people every time you post a video. Thank you.
James Interesting that you should mention the "minor aside". It came up in a recent discussion with another foundry man that there are a lot of things - just little things usually - that I do automatically and that I have probably never mentioned. So I plan on doing a video where I deliberately show these little things. Some will be so little as to be almost silly but all will be a part of the process. They will be quite personal tomy experience and thus may not apply to everybody who pours metal but I hope that everyone will get something out of it. A few months away yet though... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Please do, looking forward to that video.
Very informative, concise and straight to the point. Exceptional volume of information. I'm extremely grateful to able to have the opportunity to view this content.
Ditto! Enjoyed watching, thanks.
Woody, John, Thank you very much for your comments I hope that you find the upcoming parts 2 and 3 as enjoyable.... Martin
Thank you for sharing your knoledge , love the videos . I think i may experiment with this meathod for some up coming projects just to learn more about it . Cant wait for part 2
Wright, It's well worth keeping this method in mind for when you want a lot of castings and/or a very good casting as it is known to produce a mechanically better and more accurate product... Martin
Back in 1965 I worked at Aluminum casting and engineering in Milwaukee Wisconsin. I poured turner pipe benders, 3 sizes in steel scissor molds, with a foot operated core puller where the handle threaded in. To make my job quota I had to pour at least 40 per hour from each mold! That almost Thousand a day. The run lasted 3 days. All the complex casting machines, were injection type to make evinrude and mercury outboard motor parts., and other thin items. The furnace was an above flame, horizontal open bath, with dip ports on the side. The furnace held about 100+ gallons of Aluminum. Look into gravity molding as the one I worked on was hand and foot operated and put out an excellent product. Thanks Martin for the excellent videos, and encouragement to move on in casting.
rick, So if I have this right you ran three dies at once and poured 40 castings per hour in each of them giving a total of 120 castings per hour total or 960 in an 8 hour day - although I do note that allowing for die prep etc. its common to only get 6 to 7 hours actual casting in an 8 hour shift. Giving a total of perhaps 840 or so castings per day - all I can say is WOW! And I a glad that I did not work in that shop! Being that close to such a big furnace to do the dipping out at least 4O times per hour must have been fun too! I hope that you had lots of fans blowing on you.... Martin
Fantastic video mate, very interesting and informative as always.
Wilkus, Glad that you liked it .... Martin
hello sir. I live in southen Alberta Canada just so you know i love watching all you do. Your a master
user, Thank you for your comment. As it happens both my parents were born in Canada - Dad in Agassiz and mum in Winnipeg although I was born here in Australia - small world ... 😊Martin
Being that you aren't a professor, and I live almost halfway around the planet from you, I find myself extremely appreciative that you take the time and effort to make videos like this. Passing knowledge along to younger folks interested in the trades is, unfortunately, almost entirely a thing of the past in most modern nations. You're harnessing the power of the internet to teach many "apprentices" eager to learn.
Thank you for that!
elitearor, Passing on information that I believe/understand to be correct is why I got onto You Tube as I found a lot of the information presented by others was incorrect and I vowed to try and correct that... Martin
Great to see you back on the tube, another informative video😊
Wes, Well I am sort of back... Martin
I'm so glad your posting again! Thank you for sharing your knowledge it is much appreciated.
Jerred, Yes, it is good to be posting again.... Martin
Your videos are always interesting and educational. Thank you for all of your time and hard work that goes into making them
Robert, You are right, it does take quite some time to do a video but comments like yours make the effort worth it. Thank you.... Martin
Watched 3 minutes so far and immediately liked, subscribed and saved.
Love this!!!
Walter, Thank you for your comment and your subscription too... Martin
Marty's back ! yay ! A font of superb information. Happy days !
aga, Well, sort of back - can't do much but can supply information.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 It's great to see you back in any capacity. You're a font of Foundry Wisdom ! Nice of smalley to do the graphics work. Good on yer both !
Good morning Martin, from Spain. Nice to see you again.
Great exhibition of foundry art.
Pedro, Greetings from Melbourne Australia.... Martin
Hail Uncle Martin! So glad to hear your voice again teaching the art of casting.
Rich, Good to hear from you nephew 😊... Martin
Whenever Martin posts a video if feels like Christmas Morning.
CNC860, Merry Christmas 😊. More presents to unwrap in the next couple of weeks with parts 2 and 3.... Martin
Great information mate, good to see another Aussie into the foundry work, Many years ago I made a permanent die to gravity die cast Aluminium pistons which I am happy to say were great success. Your simple die casting machines and jigs are really awesome, your video work and audio also excellent. Glad I found your channel. Keep up the good work.
Col, Yes, there are a few of us Aussies into foundry stuff. It's been my life in fact. I have done a couple of different pistons including the one I have a video series out for, but all were done in sand as the quantity was not there to justify any sort of die. I am curious though did you use a metal core piece(s) with your die for the pistons or did you use sand cores with a permanent outer? It is just about impossible to buy the correct piston alloy here in Australia unless you buy 1 ton lots 😰 😱 I was lucky when a fellow "conspiritor" managed to get a few hundred kilos of the right stuff. Piston alloys are difficult to cast properly and are prone to gas pickup and do not degas all that easily. The Brush piston with its great thickness (to equal the weight of the cast iron original) proved almost impossible to get the gas out of and to my annoyance we had a little fine well dispersed and barely visible gas porosity showing up in the machined product....Martin
@@olfoundryman8418, Martin, the set of pistons I made (This was decades ago) I made up a multi piece steel die, I was lucky enough to get to know an old Italian engineer immigrant who worked for Mercedes Benz way back when, and he showed me how to make the die using a lathe and an angle grinder...it was hard work and took an untold number of hours to make. The aluminum I used was other old pistons remelted to cast, the melt was de-gassed, fluxed, before the pour, I had remarkable success with them. I did most of the machining work on the piston and then I knew of another engineer bloke who had an old Repco piston grinding machine who did the final finish for me. This project was one hell of a challenge, was also told that I was mad, that it would never work...but it did, and the reaction of disbelief from the people who said it couldn't be done, was very satisfying. Just a side note, I started casting back in the mid 80s, but I don't do much these days, but its nice to fire up the foundry every now and again to make something that you simply cant buy.
Col, Nice to hear from someone who gives things a go. Hmm, "lathe and an angle grinder" pity you did not video that - would be interesting... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418, I did write several ebooks on hobby foundry work, the piston work I left out of it because it is beyond most backyard foundry guys, but I was going to (One day) document how I made the die and did the casting work, as well as the machining, it would have been masterclass kind of stuff, but then I wondered just how many people would be interested in making pistons? And that's as far it got.
col, I did a bit of a search but was unable to find any ebooks of yours - do you have a link to them please? How you made the die would be most interesting so get busy and document it 😊. How many people would be interested in making pistons - you would be surprised it does seem to be a common aim.... Martin
Memory's of a lot of your old videos Martin, loving your renewed enthusiasm, keep up the energy lol.
Spoke to Nigel the other day, he passed on your message, speak to you soon.
Andy
Andy, I know I owe you an email (or two) I will get around to it but am a bit behind - way behind -sorry.... Martin
DON'T apologise for being busy, I know you're probably enjoying it.
Glad to see you back!! Thanks for the great video
Acat, My pleasure and its good to be back... Martin
Great to see you back.
Corbin, Good to be back even if not completely... Martin
Thank You so much for this video and the channel! Educational. Intelligent. With good sense of humor. Can't wait for the next part! Excited!
Andrey, Thank you for your nice comment. Part 2 is not that far away - you won't have long to wait.... Martin
Priceless! Thank you. Kind regards from John Spargo in Cape Town
John, Regards, from Melbourne Australia... Martin
Always a pleasure watching your work.
Mr greens, Thank you - it's always a pleasure getting comments like yours... Martin
Glad you are back posting again……. I’ve missed you…
Steve, I missed being here - can't do the more physical videos but I have a few more less demanding ones in mind.... Martin
Genius little machines for die casting; Thanks for posting this information.
gwhey, Gravity die casting is a bit unique in that everyone tends to make there own "machines". Simple is best as they are quickest and easiest to operate - some of the silly machines one sees on YT are horrid - slow, difficult, and labour intensive. I try to design mine to be easy and quick to set up and use. The easier it is the more castings you can make in a day (within limits).... Martin
Nice to see you back at your work bench again Martin!
Looking forward to Part 2.
Mark from Melbourne
Mark, Good to hear from you again. Yes, I am back but only sort of severe backpain on standing means I cannot do much as I cannot stand for more than a minute or two at a time - it sort of limits my "at the bench" abilities to about zero! Part 2 in about a week - it's done just want to let part 1 play out first... Martin
I just learned of you from a mrpete222 interview with Clarke Easterling / Windy Hill Foundry. Both said you were the best. It only took one of your videos to make me a subscriber. They were right you are the only professional metal caster I have seen on UA-cam. Not only is your content is an excellent source of information but your replies to all the comments are equally informative. Thank you for all you do! And now i have a lot of binge watching to do in order to catch up.
Steven, Binge watch away! 😊 Thank you for your comment and thank you for letting me know of the mention by mrpete and Clarke - I had missed that one. I have put a thank you comment on that video.... Martin
Well, I'm a little smarter. And so many ideas floating around in my head right now! Thanks Martin! Great to see you making videos again. And what a series this is going to be!
Mark, I can see speaker parts being made by the hundreds in a series of gravity dies any day now 😊.... Martin
Looks good. And more to come! I'm glad I asked.
Thanks Martin for the work you put into this.
Rudy, You asked and you got - your word is my command! 😊. I had actually shot the video back in mid 2018 it's just that it has taken some putting together and some nudging to get me doing it - thank you.... Martin
Always interesting. Thanks for putting the effort into these great videos!
Phreadrick, Thank you for saying so - the effort is my pleasure... Martin
Thanks for sharing 👍 and good to see you again.
Craig, Good to be seen!.... Martin
Glad to see you back sharing your valuable knowledge. Hope the world around you is treating you right . 👍
Bill, Good to be back even if only sort of. World treating me right - eh, not so much .😏... Martin
A video on the tools used like the sand punches and such would be a great value. Thanks for all your info it’s really helped b
Richard, I do have it in mind to do some sort of video on proper ramming of sand moulds as the videos out there that show this are largely in error - including, I might add, one with well over 1M views and that got so many bad comments that they turned comments off ! 😱 Obviously any video that I do on this subject will include info on what I believe to be the correct ramming tools and how to use them. It may take a while because its a little down the list so just stay tunned.... Martin
Thx for the continued education and sharing your knowledgeable experience.
Warped, I hope that it is of use.... Martin
Excellent Martin,like the over centre locking mechanisms. simple but clever.
Headstock, I cannot claim any credit for the mechanism, it is way older than I am but it works extremely well, not only for closing dies but also in reverse for pulling out cores and ejecting castings on bigger work. The power multiplication factor at the flick over point is very high.... Martin
Excellent work martin, thanks for effort in passing your knowledge along .
Link, I guess passing the knowledge on is why I am here. I am happy that I am succeeding and that you find my efforts worthwhile.....Martin
Good to see you back again to educate us trogs
Lancer, It's good to be back and if I can manage to pass some InfoMation I am well pleased.... Martin
Marvelous! Love all the videos.
John, Thanks for your comment - I appreciate it.... Martin
Thank you for a great Video Very well made and a great source of info I now need to improve my Dies thank you again
Bill, I am glad that it was of use to you.... Martin
Glad to see you back.
Lunky, Its good to be back even if only partialy... Martin
I have been thinking of setting up a small die-casting rig to make gearboxes for custom tools. I was not really sure where to start until now. Thank You for this very valuable bit of information. I look forward to the next video. Cheers!
Cyrus, I am glad to have been of some help, and I hope that I have inspired you to give it a go.... Martin
Great to see more content mate! Many thanks
Jb, Mate I gota million of em! Well, no not really that many but there are some more in the works.... Martin
Thank you Sir!! The nut & bolts of this subject is the info that seems hard to find, not just the way you do things but the reasoned all important why. I remember the piston you were casting as I have interest in that application. I have been watching videos from our Pakistani contributors and also Egge parts in California for their piston production.
Stephen, Pakistan and Egge - two ends of the spectrum of piston casters 😊 I know whose pistons I would rather use .... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 haha, yes!!. I am interested in the construction of the gravity molds with the multi piece or expanding inside. I would like to reproduce a Cat piston from the 30's with a steel or ductile insert for the rings. And of course what alloy?, until then my armchair will do.
Stephen, You have set yourself quite a challenge there! Those multipiece expanding cores are quite a machining feat - your armchair had better be connected to Fusion 360 AND a CNC mill 😊. You might like to contemplate using a gravity mould outer and a sand core - particularly if it is a restoration as against an engine working hard project. British alloy LM13 (US A336) is one commonly used for pistons. NOTE the insert must be rust free and preheated, would suspect that steel insert not too good use the ductile iron, you should be able to buy this as bits of continuously cast bar and machine to size...Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Martin, I can use the continuous cast dura-bar. I do have an Alexander 3D pantograph and a Fadal that needs serious attention. Plus all the common machine tools. Getting the mechanism worked out from watching a camera pan quickly around on a video isn't ideal but workable. There is a outfit down your way that was making some pistons, from memory it was JP. This will probably end up being a retirement project at the rate I'm going, as I have plenty to do already. Thanks again for your channel, I have made a few patterns for repro parts moulded by my foundry buddy but would like to get into doing it myself. The fun for me is in the puzzle.
Stephen, "A fadal that needs serious attention" Oh dear sounds like my Dyna Mechtronics 4400 when I got her. She was built in 1985 and uses a strange programing code - no postprocessors available so I have to write and put in all programs by hand , I should get a conversion done to G code and if Iwas younger and fitter I would. Re mechanism if you need some still photos I can do them for you just come to me at olfoundryman@gmail.com. JP still exists, they are in South Australia (I am in Victoria) their catalogue is huge but I don't know what they actually make! We also had a division of Repco here in Victoria that made pistons OE for local car manufacturers - when we had some! I worked as foundry metallurgist for a sister company - Brake and Clutch (commonly referred to as "broken crutch") That dura bar in an SG version would be the go for sure - I used to be able to buy locally made con cast grey iron and it's what I used for many of my dies but it's not available so much anymore. Watch that retirement thing - I had all these plans for things to do when I retired at 75 but at about 73 things started to go downhill and I can do very little now. This video was actually shot in mid 2018 and I was in trouble back then, unable to do much I was forced to retire by age 74 and could not do the things I planned - it's a cautionary tale - so don't wait too long 😰... Martin
Another very informative video! Thank you.
Macwhirter, I am glad that you liked it... Martin
Good video, very informative. Views seem to be travelling nicely. Looking forward to part two.
Small, Part 2 on its way, in about a week.... Martin
Very interesting video, many thanks Martin
Jason, Thank you for saying so.... Martin
always a good when the ol' foundry man posts a video!
wwsoft, Its good to be appreciated - Thank you... Martin
Production work is where the real magic happens
John, Yes, to get a die just singing along and producing good part after good part is most satisfying.... Martin
Thank you for shearing your wisdom
Canoflage, My pleasure.... Martin
Good to see you creating regular videos again Martin 2 in about a month 😁 excellent
Very enjoyable and interesting,
The experience you have had over the years in casting show
I bet the repetitive work sets of doing job lots sets up muscle memory so that you can get quite quick in doing numbers, that is unless someone interrupts you and throws your rhythm in disarray.
Do you make the various moulds so that you can use the lever action devices on many moulds or do you
Or do you have to create a new lever action for each mould?
Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Tony, How are things in Quokka land? I have four of the lever action devices. I made one long ago and it is to big heavy and cumbersome although I did use it early on. I was given the two "sideways" ones but have only used them for the jobs that came with them. The fourth is the newest and it incorporated my thoughts on how to make it better. I endeavor to use existing machines for any new job as it saves time and effort but you can't always do this as jobs vary greatly and can require something quite different in a machine. So I guess the answer to your question is "yes" and "yes" Most gravity die shops I have ever been in seem to have slowly collected quite a variety of machines. I do try very hard to fit jobs into the hydraulic machine that appears in part 3 .... Martin
@Olfoundryman not bad Martin, just experiencing the remnants of winter Arthritis but as it warns up the joints start to ease a bit 24c right now so it won't belong before we will be complaining about 45c this year way.
It's a shame that you can't just have one hydraulic machine but as you said some are specific to the job you are doing. I imagine you can end up with a huge one use only pile of metal laying around taking up space, unless it is made of aluminium grin.
Looking forward to the other parts of this series, you always make your videos with excellent information and explain the process of what you are doing so well.
How have you been over on your part of the continent?
Tony from Western Australia 🇦🇺
Tony, No, I have never been to WA. In fact I have never been just about everywhere. I do have a daughter-in-law that came from there. If I did visit I would be a bit worried about catching BigStackD disease -😊still, the money he makes - sigh - it's just not fair.... Martin
Interesting topic, thanks Martin!
Jeff
Tobho, Keep it in mind, it is a powerful technique when numbers or quality requirements demand it..... Martin
Thank you Martin it gave me lots to think about cheers Mate
Bill, I am glad that you found it interesting.... Martin
Thankyou for showing this. I thirst for this type of information. I have been watching for a long time, please pass on anything that can be done on the cheap to help before stepping to the more expensive release agents and sprays. I have parts ready to make your sand fluffer, as it will take up less room than a muller. Many thanks
cameron, I appreciate the need for cheap alternatives as some of the sprays can be quite expensive - one release spray I use based on boron nitride cost me over $200.00 for a America gallon - its good stuff but for a hobbyist? I have never tried making my own sprays up and would need to experiment before I made an specific recommendation. However you could experiment yourself and I would start with 1/4 talc, 1/4 iron oxide (cement pigment), 1/4 fine (200 mesh) silica or alumina or some other refractory and 1/4 sodium silicate approx. 30 % solution. Add enough water to make a very thick cream. Before use dilute 1 spray 4 water spray on a hot (200 deg C plus) die to form a thin coat. Play around with the ingredients and the ratios.
Yes I think the agitator is a better choice than a muller. I have never had a muller but regularly use the agitator in lieu. Even people with mullers will aerate/agitate their sand after mulling (if they want nice sand)... Martin
Nice vid. Very good advice.Thanks.
Ron, My pleasure.... Martin
Great work My Friend
Oliver, Thank You.... Martin
Wow! That was very informative. Thank-you!
Dillon, Thank you for saying so.... Martin
hay, happy watch you again.
Grez, My pleasure... Martin
Thank you for your knowledge and generosity kind sir.
1. Have you done any work that involved casting thin and deep fins with not a lot of spacing between them? Like in a cylinder head for example. How did you solve the challenges that come with that?
2. Also can you tell us a bit about the various alloys, and their properties wrt casting, like their fluidity, propensity to defects etc.
3. Can you tell us a bit about the design of risers, sprues, gates and pouring basins that you use and how you calculate and design them
Thanks again
Some of your questions answered here: ua-cam.com/video/m6W71s-cd_0/v-deo.html
Sunil, I talk about one such casting towards the end of the third video in this series - it will be released in 2 or three weeks. Basically I hate such castings as they are most difficult to make. This video is interesting ua-cam.com/video/sBfFpcdyd5Q/v-deo.html Its from 1942 and probably uses old fashioned oil core sands -it is skilled work and uses lots and lots of wires to reinforce the sand areas between the fins. Modern core making materials would have made their life a lot easier. NOTE that they smoke the mould with acetylene flame this has an almost magical effect on how far the metal will run - 3 to 5 times as far in fact, and no one really knows why but it has to be acetylene. The first thing is whether to cast in sand in which case the mould needs to be a very low moisture type - shell sand for instance as I saw you use in one little video. Or in a gravity die - in this case the die must be designed to allow easy application of die coats to the finned area and good venting at the tip of the fins. This means the die must be segmented and easily and quickly taken apart to allow die coat application particularly but not only to where the fins are thinnest and then reassemble so casting can start. This is not easy! For the casting I show in part 3 each of the die segments between the fins was a separate piece, they were removed from the die to allow careful spraying and then reassembled, all with the die and the segments hot. I guess it's like anything once you work out how to do it everything is Ok but it can be a battle to work it out
Various alloys - well there have been books written on this subject! For gravity die work I use three alloys US alloy 356 for general work, British alloy LM6 for thin work and DTD5008 for support blocks. The first is not the most fluid but cast easily and is easy to feed. It is heat treatable an d machines very well when heat treated.
The second alloy is very fluid but is subject to gross shrinkage defects at hot spots. It is not heat treatable and machines poorly
The third alloy naturally ages over a week or so after casting it machines very well indeed and has a nice white colour. BUT it is difficult to cast having low fluidity and problems with feeding and hot shortness For cylinder heads US alloy 319 seems often used, it is heat treatable and I believe that it casts quite well but is not the most fluid it machines quite well.
Gatting design etc. This is way too big a subject to fit in here. There have been books written about this too and I refer you to those written by John Campbell, he does it far better than I could. To be honest I rarely calculate any of this stuff now, I sort of eyeball the casting and use my experience to guide what I feel I should use in the way of gating feeding etc. Not very helpful I know but study Campbell's work and you can't go wrong......Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Wow! Thank you for taking the time and effort to write a detailed reply.
I look forward to seeing your videos in the next few weeks
I have another question which I hope you won't mind answering;
The cross hatch pattern that is in some gravity die cast parts, especially on the inside. What purpose does it serve?
Thanks for the insight!
Christoph, I hope that you find it useful... Martin
Fantastic moulds there👏
HP, So far it's only the easier Moulds - the better ones come later in part 3.... Martin
Great content! Very informative. I came across this gem of a video just when I need to make permanent dies for casting aluminum bronze worm gears with cast iron cores. I will try to read up on the books you recommended in the "Possibilities" and look forward to watching next part to this video. Thank you.
Soheyl, I did my "apprenticeship" in gravity die as the foreman in a shop casting mainly small aluminium bronze work. With the right gating it casts quite easily.....Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Actually I am a bit worried after I heard you say it is one of the most difficult alloys to cast known to man. Do the same principles of basin and sprue design you talked about also apply here? Also thank you for taking time to answer my comment and everyone else's. That's very generous of you.
Soheyl, To be a bit more specific aluminium bronze is regarded by many as being one of the most difficult of alloys to cast for two reasons;- 1 It is very prone to oxide skin formation particularly at points in the gating system where turbulence occurs. It is common to see skins on the surface and right through the metal down stream of these areas. 2, The alloy has a very short solidification range, this means that it is prone to shrinkage at any hot spots and that shrinkage or anywhere else in the casting will likely be a fairly massive hole.
These problems can be overcome with good gating and attention to proper feeding and my experience has been that good castings can certainly be achieved. I have no fear of casting these alloys - in fact I have worked regularly with three of them. However, I would not recommend them to inexperienced hobbyists.
With alloys like these the principles of good basin and sprue design are particularly important. Small tapered sprues that run full are an absolute must. A pouring basin well radiused to the sprue is important and a generous radius where the sprue joins the runner is also important. All gating should be designed to avoid turbulence. The gravity die shop where I was foreman used a simple 91% copper 9% aluminium bronze. Most of our castings were small builders hardware but some were things like borehole pump guides quite heavy and quite complex. The gating we used was very simple - usually a curved tapered sprue that started off vertically but entered the casting horizontally. We did not have a pouring basin as such - the sprue flared out at the top to give a reasonable target. In truth this was not really technically perfect gating but with careful pouring the metal slipped down the sprue and into the casting in quite a smooth manner. I would not recommend this simple approach with sand casting as technically correct basin and sprue designs are necessary there to ensure success with sand work.... Martin
Thank you again Martin, if you are interested I will update you on the results of what would me my first attempt to cast aluminium bronze.
Soheyl, Yes, please do update me.... Martin
Very interesting, Thanks
Gr eg, I am glad that you enjoyed it.... Martin
Quality as always
Gafrers, Thank you for saying so.... Martin
Thank you for all these videos. Why is it ok to pour directly into these gravity cast moulds but in your sand casting videos you make the effort for the special basin and tapered sprue to avoid turbulence/ air entry/porosity? Is it a big cost to have metal gravity moulds made? Did a CNC shop make them? Thank you.
I’m guessing your preferred material for casting is 356?
Great videos, for passing on the nuances and knowledge from experience, that are otherwise lost.
George, Yes, like most foundries I prefer 356 both for sand and gravity die. I do however also use 413, DTD5008, AB3 bronze, CMA1 bronze, Silicon bronze, and Ezda 12.... Martin
Great vid! The old school technology of, keep it simple, stupid. I've something that needs to be done & know the hot pour into a 2 part clam mold would suite my needs. But! All shown here (YT) is everybody pouring either lead or aluminum. I need to know what material / metal permanent mold would suffice for poured stainless steel / end product? Somebody, please advise please... . Thanks.
Don, I am totally unfamiliar with the pouring of stainless steel. I have never heard of it being done as a gravity die process. But I do know that some carbon steel railway wheels are gravity cast into water cooled copper moulds - exactly what sort of technology is involved I do not know. I am tempted to suggest that stainless steel parts, particularly if they are on the small side, might be best made by investment casting ..Martin
Nice 🎉
Thanks 🤗
Good to see another post Martin. Any news about getting your back repaired? Or are you still in the queue to get an appointment so you can be put in the next queue?
dfross, Repair is no longer possible - too much damage and scaring from past work and just plain age related degeneration. Pain mitigation is the only possibility - it's a 50/50 shot and the only queue is me deciding whether to undergo it or not. I am a bit over the idea of more surgery but I am a bit over the bloody pain too. In truth I have decided to bite the bullet and we are just waiting on paperwork. Should be done within a few weeks.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 I hope it goes well for you Martin. Living in pain, unable to do anything is no life at all!
In the meantime, edit lots of videos for us 😉!
Great to see you back! Always love your content. Very info-dense. I was looking for the final entry in your casting box series, about fitting the pins. Am I blind or did you not post that one?
Uberintj, Well, I am sort of back but I can't yet do some of the more physical stuff that I would like to. This unfortunately includes the pins in the Moulding boxes - I have had a box sitting on the table of my drill press for the last 18 months but I cannot stand up for long enough to get it done - I hope to try again soon so, no, you are not blind 😊..... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 OK. Well, I hope you get to feeling better. Wishing you the best, and many thanks for sharing your experience with us amateurs. I'll take 'em as you can make 'em!
I really admire the knowledge given, and I want to ask what is the composition to make the white layer containing alumina and sodium silicate ?
THS, The white layer (die coat) that I use is a propriety coat made by Foseco - it is called "Dyecoat 14 ESS". I do not know what it contains other than that the "ESS" stands for "Extra sodium silicate" so we can at least be sure that the binder in it is sodium silicate. The "white" is no doubt some sort of fine refractory - alumina, silica, or perhaps talc or some mixture of them, or even any of a multitude of other common refractories. Once it was common for die foundries to make up their own coats but the formulations used seem to have got lost in the mists of time. Sorry that I could not be of more help.... Martin
missed ya.
9th, Well I am sorta back. Can't do everything I would like to but still have a few videos in mind that I can do.... Martin
Just getting into all this and have watched several other videos but seem to have learned the most here on your videos. Thanks.
Do you have any videos on making cores?
Robert, Thanks for saying so. There are a few videos of mine that cover shell cores and CO2 cores. Here is a list
ua-cam.com/video/-NKiCf2aCcg/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/WHz9vnNZxzs/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/8TqCK7pD4FY/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/lNxwrSzm9q8/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/nQM2slvPTQM/v-deo.html
Enjoy.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Thanks.
@@olfoundryman8418 I hope you don't mind but I have some questions about using waste oil for fuel.
What mix do you use, is it inducted air, and is it as hot as propane?
I thank you for ALL the info as I'm hopping to learn the best way to do this, is it smelting or is it called something else?
Keep up the videos because their almost as relaxing as doing it myself.
THANKS.
As I’ve probably missed it, would you mind restating what your typical draft angle recommendation would be for a permanent mold?
Also, is it realistic/ feasible to cast 6061?
Thanks in advance.
George, Draft angle - most foundrymen will answer that with "as much as possible". Seriously though it depends on whether it is inside or outside. If outside you can actually have none and just rely on the contraction of the casting to free it up. I have done this but do not recommend it, 1 degree would be preferable to none, 2 degrees would be nicer .😊 Inside is a different story as the casting will contract on and 1 degree would seem to be to be the absolute minimum and even then only if you use a good lubricating die spray like ZYP's "Release coat blue" (expensive). It depends to on if it's a core than can be pulled early in the cooling process or if it is a solid block that has to be ejected off. Ther latter will require a greater draft angle than the former. To be honest if people start to talk 1 to 1.5 degrees I start to mumble and politely suggest they go somewhere else. Unless it's a short distance the draft is over I prefer to start talking at 2.
6061 Hmm, Well, you can melt it and pour it into a mould but it is not an alloy designed to be cast so what you get may be disappointing.
I am assuming that you have access to (lots) of 6061 scrap - I hope it's not swarf (chips) worst possible casting feed stock. Melting 6061 is not something I would ever even contemplate - my advice - take the scrap and sell it to a scrap dealer and with the money buy some decent ingot. In short feasible yes, realistic or smart no.... Martin
Thank you so much for sharing this
I Got inspired by one of your old videos and now I'm about to make a diy from aluminum to pour aluminum ..
I have a question about the core paint ... what kind of paint is that and is't good for surface quality ???
Bobo, This video ua-cam.com/video/lNxwrSzm9q8/v-deo.html shows the making of the cores for the runway light and it mentions the two types of paint I use on these cores. It does improve the surface finish.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 thunk so much 🙏❤️
👍
Machine, Thank you... Martin
Very nice clean job , kindly any advice about investment casting and what required to start a small shop,
Thanks in advance
Hareth, I have never been involved in investment casting so I am unable to give any advice on that subject - sorry.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Thanks a lot Martin
How much does one of those collars cost?
Cerebral, Not sure what you mean by "collar" if you mean the die then they can be quite expensive - this one took about a week to machine. if you mean an actual casting then I can't say because of commercial confidentiality..... Martin
When you're pre-heating the die, is that only to remove the water? So you only need to pre heat it to above the boiling temperature of water? Or is there any other purpose to pre-heating?
Does it also help the metal from freezing up in the mold ?
From my experience of bullet casting. It is a compromise. You want to have the metal freeze as quick as possible but without defects. Freezing too fast (in a bullet mold) can cause ripples on the surface, the mold not filling completely. Just like pouring temperature, you don't want it too hot and not too cold.
Heating of the mold help to remove moisture, prevent misrun and thermal shock.
@@paultavin3114 so how hot should it be when you pour?
Sunil, Two reasons for the preheat:- The die needs to be hot enough to cause the coating to flash dry when its sprayed on - 200 deg C plus
The die has to be hot for the metal to fill the die and for the casting to feed properly - 200 deg C to 350 deg C
Actual operating temperatures depend on the job and the rate of casting, you sort of work this out as you learn to work with a particular die .... Martin
Hi! Thank you for great channel. Maybe i've missed out because i'm not a native english speaker, but what material are you using for the mould except steel? What is the concrete-look-a-like material for permanent moulds? Best regards Alfred
Alfred, I do use mild steel for some parts of my gravity die moulds but I prefer to use grey cast iron which I buy as continuously cast large bar. The iron is easier to machine (if a bit "dirty") has higher thermal conductivity that some steel used for dies and holds the die spray well. Its life is more than adequate for the dies I have made. I am not sure what you mean by "the concrete-look-a-like material". There is a white spray coating that is applied to the dies new every day - this a commercial die coat called 14ESS and it is made by Foseco. Or there is the white insulating board that I use to make pouring basins on my tilt casting machines, this is a hard insulating board typically used in the base of furnaces between the refractory lining and the floor - It is made by Morganite but I do not know what it is called - I was given what I have. Are either of these materials what you are referring too? If not, give a time in a particular video where this material appears.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 Thank you again! Are the moulds shown at 4:15, 5:10 and 8:30 made from grey cast iron (the insides of the moulds/casting surface)? Best regards Alfred
@@MrDaglivs , 4.15 mould is cast aluminium, it's cast to size. 5.10 mould is again cast aluminium - it's actually machined from a piece of continuously cast 357 aluminium ingot. Note that these two moulds are used for lead castings. 8.30 circular base plate is mild steel two die halves are cast iron..... Martin
Are there any CNC machines that do automatic casting with metals?I know there are plastic injection molds that are computerised.
Look up die casting machines. There are lots of automatic machines. CNC is not a term used, they do have programmable parameters. ua-cam.com/video/-arnumu7enQ/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/eaL4RRRo8pQ/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/6Dp62Ccvvzw/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/ox7AtzRPL3M/v-deo.html
Zum, Yes, In the pressure diecasting area there are many fully automatic computer controlled machines. In the gravity die area there is some tendency to use robot pouring when the production demands it - the one robot often serves two or more gravity die machines... Martin
11:21 can you explain where those bubbles are coming from?
Bobby, You have good eyes! Probably two sources for the bubbles the casting is hollow underneath and water wil displace some of the air caught under the casting in its hollow. But mostly they are from the water boiling. While initially cold and therefore boiling is over very quickly as the day goes on and many castings have been quenched the water gets very hot and will boil with each casting form many seconds. I have to change much of the water three of four times a day.... Martin
Can you do something on casting stainless steel please.
One of my bosses wants to casts some stainless steel, we have tonnes of scrap of 304.
Mr. Greens, Ah stainless steel - Hmm, never done it myself. The sort of fuel fired furnace that everybody uses will not get anywhere near hot enough to melt stainless steel. You need an induction furnace for that (expensive!) Worse still there are contamination problems - even a little carbon pick up will ruin a stainless steel badly affecting its corrosion resistance amongst other problems. My advice would be to sell the stainless scrap and use the money to pay a proper stainless steel foundry to cast what you want. May not be economic but at least you should get a useable casting.... Martin
@@olfoundryman8418 yeah that what I thought too. We do get stainless steel casted in China, as we get lots of stuff from China. I will let the boss know. A couple of us have told the boss just to use aluminium.
@@olfoundryman8418 Thanks again Martin. Great work as always.
Actually, in the USA, is called "Permanent *MOLD* Casting" 😉
Teh, Yes you are right. I had forgotten that you(?) Americans have a dislike for the letter U. It's a bit like the old aluminium , aluminum debate, neither are right nor wrong, it simply is the way it is and as both of us understand what the other is saying it matters not.... Martin
✋🏼🇦🇺👍🏼
Aquila. No worries.... Martin
Hello Martin, can i have the patternmakers contact details please.
Joe, Come to me at olfoundryman@Gmail.com and I wil provide my patternmakers details.... Martin
Sent you an email Martin
You could have picked a better thumbnail
Stop, Yes indeed I could have picked a better thumbnail, but I do not believe in click bait so I was restricted to getting one from the actual video. This is a bit limiting but what did you have in mind?... Martin