Thanks Julian. The alignment brackets work better than they seem here with only one free hand. Looking forward to my greensand thawing out enough to actually use the new flask. My Mom might like these castings, not a super exciting project for me... but I was experiencing severe molten metal withdrawl!
Thanks to HT1's flask tutorial the parting faces are hopefully flat enough I can use more match plated patterns with it, without getting runouts or a lot of flashing. It ought to work well enough, and hopefully the 2X4 lumber will take a few more pours than the thin stuff I used last time before the parting line burns all the way off both halves... Hopefully my sand will thaw out enough soon to actually try using it and have a chance to prove out the alignment hardware design!
Nah, those are just cheap fireplace log grabber tongs. But they work great as 2-in-1 liftout tongs and pouring shank for crucibles about this size (#6), and although I have not felt the need to do so, they could easily be modified to fit even better with a little careful bending and maybe a little heat. No need to fabricate crucible tools or trust my own terrible welding... Or worse, pay what they are asking for "real" crucible handling tools that are available commercially. Maybe you will get lucky and can find some at a garage sale or something. I got mine at the local hardware store's wood stove and fireplace aisle. I've seen them online going for a lot more than I paid, so do shop around a bit.
Haha, nope, you must be thinking of some other guy. Strictly DIY for me. I have had way too much fun, learned way too much, and saved way too much money by building all my own furnaces, burners, and other foundry equipment myself. Those tongs are the one exception - got'em from the wood stove and fireplace aisle at my local hardware store! :)
Dean, I thought you were talking about my crucible tongs at first, but it occurs to me you probably meant the ingot tongs. Those are just a cheap pair of pliers turned backwards and welded onto rebar handles :) Considering I'm not a blacksmith, I'm pretty happy with how they worked out!
Good point, it's usually possible to pour without skimming the dross off first if you are careful and don't pour too hard (ie. fast), and a lot of people who just know and/or copy what they have seen on youtube may not realize that. I skim anyway. For one thing, this way I can start pouring harder if I need to in order to keep the sprue choked, without risking a blob of dross ending up in my mold. But mostly I do it because I like to try and keep the leftovers as clean as possible when I pour it all off as ingots for re-melting. Makes cleaning out the crucible afterwards easier too. Disturbing the surface of the melt to skim does introduce new oxide films into the molten metal, that's the only disadvantage I can think of to doing it. But I believe if you are careful not to stir or splash, a gentle skimming can remove a lot more floating oxides and junk than it introduces, so this is the process I have gotten used to. You may have noticed I skim while the crucible is still in the furnace; that is to keep from losing very much heat before I can pour. IMO that could be another disadvantage of taking the time skim off dross, but only for those who skim after pulling the crucible. If there is some other good reason not to skim that I am overlooking, please let me know - I've learned a lot as a very avid hobbyist over the past 6 years, but there's definitely still a lot left for me to learn!
Thanks. When I pick up this kind of cheap styrofoam junk to use for lost foam casting patterns, I find it's a lot more interesting and fun to modify them and sort of turn them into something semi-original to cast.
nice! and great flask alignment hardware!
Thanks Julian. The alignment brackets work better than they seem here with only one free hand. Looking forward to my greensand thawing out enough to actually use the new flask. My Mom might like these castings, not a super exciting project for me... but I was experiencing severe molten metal withdrawl!
That flask looks professional Jeff! Nice work as always brother!
Thanks to HT1's flask tutorial the parting faces are hopefully flat enough I can use more match plated patterns with it, without getting runouts or a lot of flashing. It ought to work well enough, and hopefully the 2X4 lumber will take a few more pours than the thin stuff I used last time before the parting line burns all the way off both halves... Hopefully my sand will thaw out enough soon to actually try using it and have a chance to prove out the alignment hardware design!
nice fine sand. sweet
The finer the better, it makes a big difference. Thanks for watching
Really love those 3-prong tongs you're using. Your own design?
Nah, those are just cheap fireplace log grabber tongs. But they work great as 2-in-1 liftout tongs and pouring shank for crucibles about this size (#6), and although I have not felt the need to do so, they could easily be modified to fit even better with a little careful bending and maybe a little heat. No need to fabricate crucible tools or trust my own terrible welding... Or worse, pay what they are asking for "real" crucible handling tools that are available commercially. Maybe you will get lucky and can find some at a garage sale or something. I got mine at the local hardware store's wood stove and fireplace aisle. I've seen them online going for a lot more than I paid, so do shop around a bit.
I could swear you had a Devil Forge ? What happened to it my friend ? The tongs you are using are great !
Haha, nope, you must be thinking of some other guy. Strictly DIY for me. I have had way too much fun, learned way too much, and saved way too much money by building all my own furnaces, burners, and other foundry equipment myself. Those tongs are the one exception - got'em from the wood stove and fireplace aisle at my local hardware store! :)
Dean, I thought you were talking about my crucible tongs at first, but it occurs to me you probably meant the ingot tongs. Those are just a cheap pair of pliers turned backwards and welded onto rebar handles :) Considering I'm not a blacksmith, I'm pretty happy with how they worked out!
everyone skims the dross. i find it floats and doesnt want to come out anyways. it kinda clings on like that mosquito in the coffee cup.
Good point, it's usually possible to pour without skimming the dross off first if you are careful and don't pour too hard (ie. fast), and a lot of people who just know and/or copy what they have seen on youtube may not realize that. I skim anyway. For one thing, this way I can start pouring harder if I need to in order to keep the sprue choked, without risking a blob of dross ending up in my mold. But mostly I do it because I like to try and keep the leftovers as clean as possible when I pour it all off as ingots for re-melting. Makes cleaning out the crucible afterwards easier too. Disturbing the surface of the melt to skim does introduce new oxide films into the molten metal, that's the only disadvantage I can think of to doing it. But I believe if you are careful not to stir or splash, a gentle skimming can remove a lot more floating oxides and junk than it introduces, so this is the process I have gotten used to. You may have noticed I skim while the crucible is still in the furnace; that is to keep from losing very much heat before I can pour. IMO that could be another disadvantage of taking the time skim off dross, but only for those who skim after pulling the crucible.
If there is some other good reason not to skim that I am overlooking, please let me know - I've learned a lot as a very avid hobbyist over the past 6 years, but there's definitely still a lot left for me to learn!
Nice I like you un design br
Thanks. When I pick up this kind of cheap styrofoam junk to use for lost foam casting patterns, I find it's a lot more interesting and fun to modify them and sort of turn them into something semi-original to cast.