How to Make Crucible Tongs for Safe Aluminium Casting
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2016
- I'm back!!! I hope you all are doing well! Sorry for no uploads in a while. :( I'll try to get back on it. I have a huge stock pile of videos that need piecing together. I just need to get editing and uploading them again. I probably will not be able to make much new content for a while as I am now attending Penn State Behrend in Erie Pennsylvania. But I will try my best to work through some of the older content that I have stock piled. This summer I was taking summer courses so I did not have a whole lot of time to edit videos. I'll try to squeeze some out now and again. Thank you all for sticking around! means a ton to me! :) Now back to studying! :P
Keep exploramenting and thank you for watching! Don't forget to subscribe for more! ua-cam.com/users/makerj101... - Наука та технологія
Hey parents of this kid , good job raising him. Never lose this work ethic or curiosity . Failure is the greatest teacher .
Best design ever. 2 tools in one. Greetings from Greece. I will throw away my set I have made yesterday.🎉
After looking at numerous lifting and pouring tong designs on the internet, I like the design you came up with that does both jobs with one tong!
Honestly I've been highly considering making a single piston engine like you did. Its perhaps one of the coolest things I've ever seen someone, especially as young as you (no offense of course) make on UA-cam. I have extreme amounts of respect for you.
maker j101, You have an interest, imagination, curiosity and a drive to do things. You are making it in this world. I feel fortunate to watch what you learn.
Thank you! :) I will try to keep posting more video so ya'll can keep watching me learn! :)
Great job! Glad to see that you're still making videos.
Great to see you back!
Your DIY spirit will serve you well. I am very impressed and will be using your tong design. Thanks for sharing!
dude ... I have been waiting for a video for soooo LONG please upload a little faster
you awesome Keep up the good work :))
Always great stuff when you make something. You have an engineer mind. Keep it up.
Best one I've seen so far, well done!
As soon as you said it was heavy, this video really showed it's value. I really like that design, but I'd make it so the crucible didn't hang so low below the handle. It would make pouring a lot easier. Good stuff though. I'm going to make a pair.
That turned out great, nicely done! Thanks for the video, I'm totally going to make a set of tongs like that!
He's back boys
Great work there. I've got a feeling once you have used it a few times we might be seeing a few modifications, just to fine tune the pouring, as you didn't sound 100% happy with it.
Personally I would have the T-bar on the end going up/down rather than front to back. That way, when you pick it up, your wrist is at a better angle to initiate the pour. But never having done it, I could be totally wrong. But the setup now looks safer and easier to use. Looking forward to see what's coming next.
maybe try making a locking mechanism for the tongs so you don't have to concentrate on keeping a lot of force on the lever while pouring? also to prevent mishaps in general.
That's not a bad idea. I think a ring that I can slide up the lever would be simple and work pretty well. Thank you!
its amazing what you can do. for someone your age. I'd love to try some of the stuff you do one day.
Good to see you back ! I'm very glad you still have all your limbs - no more coffee-can smelting right ? Looking forward to more stuff, keep it up.
Very good. Way to think it through before welding. That's a nice welding set up too.
nice job and welcome back! Just a heads up, if you haven't already done it, heard it or thought of it, but you're going to want to paint that whole set of tongs. That shiny steel all over will corrode, especially at that weak point where you reworked the metal for the stop-bolt.
Thank you! Maybe I should clear coat it cause I kinda like the metal look of it.
The day he came back finaly came!!!! YES!!
Yeah man, that's how you do it. I would be proud of it. Your shop has nice toys like mine. Necessity is the mother of all inventions. It is fun to make your own tools that work huh. I gave you a like.
Nice to see you back
nice to see you back ❤
Very cool and nice work man! Laughed when I saw a fellow barefooted DIYer as well!
If you make handles or just hold the contraption closer to the crucible it won't feel as heavy. Good job! I think you're supposed to weld in short bursts instead of keeping it on the whole way across the weld so you don't heat up the metal too much, but I guess for this project warping probably won't matter.
Very nice!
Next, you should weld together a small trolley, so that you can rest your tongs on a stable and mobile platform - it shouldn't matter too much for aluminum, but if you start casting bronze or anything heavier it will dramatically improve your control.
Keep it up and stay safe!
Thanks for video, seeing this helped my design.
I welded the parts wrong way and ended up with a lefty version but apart from that works well. Im going to change mine to suit a few different size cruicibles, by swapping different grabber plates.
oh that turned out really nice!
Thank you!
Your profile picture is unique ;)
Great design. How are you coming along in school?
If you got a bit of RHS maybe 2 sizes up from your handle. You could then slide that over the clamping mech, which would then give you greater control. The lock nut is a great idea as that means that u can adjust to different sizes. And maybe clamp your crucible a bit closer to the center which should help with pouring technique. After watching this i am going to finish the set i started last week, thanks for the clip and the extra ideas.
I like your design there. good work!
Nicely done. I was going to suggest a preload spring, but a simple slip ring might work as well so long as it doesn't slip off while you're pouring. Dropping that crucible would be dramatic to say the least :)
Nice setup and Tongs :) its about making it work
Finally a video
Nice work young man
Good video. Just a comment: the Navy Foundry Manual recommends against letting unused melt cool in the crucible. On the reheat, the metal will expand and can crack the crucible. Thank you.
These tongs are awesome! The ones I use are for fire logs and even tho I make it work its still very difficult. What are you hoping to do after Penn State?
Nicely done!
great stuff!
Good build. thanks 4 sharing!
man this is awesome.
Thanks!
hey im streaming
.... aweeeeesome build.
You should use the magnet to get tack welds in place and then remove the magnet. Otherwise it will cause your arc to get a little haywire the closer you get to the magnet with it. Just a tip.
New subscriber cant believe I haven't seen your channel before. Thanks and I hope you don't mind if I copy your design on tongs. Now I just need to go back and watch the rest of your videos.
Perfect job
So are you still using this set of tongs and if so, have you modified it in any way? I like the set up you did with it.
Good job and nice medal cake
Omg i bought the exact one yesterday!
hey I notice your graphite crucible appears to have a glaze coating - does it fall off after a couple melts, or is mine dodgy? cheers.
Good concept but as you noticed and stated its "heavy" and "awkward" that is because the handle is well above the centre of gravity of the crucible.
it is a bit difficult designing one tool to do too many actions.
it is best to have one tool to extract the crucible from the foundry and another to pour the crucible.
to fix the "awkwardness" the handle needs to be lowered to closer to the center of gravity. If it is lowered to about one third the distance from the top of the crucible it would be better balanced and pouring would be a lot easier.
keep experimenting and improving. cheers
I was thinking the same thing, pouring brass will make it a lot harder to pour.
nice!! are you going to be at Pittsburg maker fair this year?
I am planning on it! Really depends on how much school work I have though.
Awesome! Graphite crucibles are a huge improvement over steel. Just yesterday I received a #6 from Amazon. I previously purchased a #6 from McMaster-Carr. The size difference is enough that I may return mine. I was wanting to use the same tongs for both new and old. How tall is your new crucible? The description said it would be 7" which is close to the McMaster version and the dimensions typical of a #6. The one I received is s bit over 8" tall. It more closely matches the dimensions of the #8 version. Thanks for the video and ideas on tong fabrication. :)
Thank you! Well I'm 90% sure Amazon screwed something up. I am pretty sure this is a 4KG #3 crucible. From all the things I have cast out of aluminium, 8lb is the most I have been able to cast which is about 4KG. Also I directed my friend to the exact(I went in my Amazon history and copied that link to him) one I bought and his is a lot bigger. Which makes sense. So I think they labeled and sent me the wrong size. Derp Amazon. Any way... the top OD is 5.25 inch on mine. Height is about 7 inches.
+Makerj101 +Makerj101 It seems like you got the correct sized #6: www.budgetcastingsupply.com/mobile/Product.aspx?id=37567 I am pretty sure the mass capacity is listed for red metals which would be more dense that Al. Looks like me and your buddy got a bigger crucible for cheaper. Unfortunately, I need the smaller #6 to fit my tongs. I like the McMaster-Carr (pretty sure they just resell budget casting supplies' crucible) version better because it have the size stamped into the clay on the inside rear of the crucible. A reorder #6 from Amazon should arrive today. I'll let you know whether I am 0 for 2 later today.
+Makerj101 here is a picture of the two side by side. instagram.com/p/BJgMEFLBWb9/
Nope. I got another #8 crucible. Called Amazon and they fixed it for me. Sounds like they verified #8s are packaged in #6 boxes at the fulfillment center. I guess its a problem with the seller Five Star Savings. I may order directly from PMC Supplies website (the manufacture of the crucibles sold by Five Star Savings and fulfilled by Amazon)...wow that's confusing. I could always order from McMaster too.
excellent work
Nice work.
I have a really nice handled poorer but the only thing I have to move the metal from the crucible to the poorer is a fire place log mover. Any advice?
add a counter weight to the handle end to balance the holder when holding a full load. The center where you clamp the crucible should be the balance. off set the weight to the pouring side to help with tipping to do the pour pour.
Finally a new video since I subbed. I think there might have been 1 video uploaded since I subbed a few months back. What kind of saw is that at 2:50?
Sorry about that. Thank you for subscribing! It's a really old power hacksaw. It's made by Sawmaster. I recently rebuilt it so it'a a lot quieter and cuts much faster now. All the bronze bushings were worn out.
im gonna build one just like yours. good job. so i guess i know what my next video will be. lol
That awkward moment when you live in PA.... Awesome job tho :). A quick question, how many cans (I'm assuming you used cans) did you use to pour that metal?
LOL Thanks! Nope, I've never melted down cans. For one, my family doesn't drink soda. Secondly you have to melt hundreds to get a useful amount of aluminium. I used screen door frames and aluminium from hard drives and other things that I've taken apart.
Makerj101 Ok thanks. I was just wondering if you used aluminum cans as well as the other things.
Awesome!!!!
That's why the one you found on google has that "T" piece, so you get better leverage for pouring. Should be easy enough to add
I"M FREAKING WELDING!!!
Wow bro you've been gone for a hella long time
Thanks for video :)
Clean my room. By the way great video!
Shiny muffins looks great but they're bad for your teeth! :D
Great first project and good luck with Penn State Behrend!
Why did you decide to add the vertical bar that separates the tongs part from the handle? As soon as I saw that I immediately saw that that was going to be super awkward because it lowers the center of gravity by a lot. It also means that you had to add more force to the crucible holder part because the longer lever arm meant less force on the crucible. (I do not know how much force was required in the first place though.
There is a good reason that I did that. Because was kind of planing ahead. I want to eventually make a proper propane powered foundry. Those generally have higher walls so that's why I put that extra length of tube on there. I probably could have angled the handle more to give it a higher center of gravity. It's a little awkward but it's not too bad. If it was a bigger crucible it would be a big problem. Thank you!
Yeah I have seen his video. He did an amazing job on it! Well propane was what I was thinking at the time. I'd certainly consider electric now that he has that great video up. But personally I still think I lean towards propane as I could do it anywhere. I could take it to the Makerspace I'm a part of for a casting day. I could take it to my grandmas farm to cast some ant hills etc. Just my thought tho. I'm always open to suggestions. Thanks!
Oh and actually I am pretty sure this is a 4KG crucible. I think Amazon messed something up. From all the things I have cast out of aluminium 8lb is the most I have been able to cast which is about 4KG. Also I directed my friend to the exact(I went in my history and copied that link to him) one I bought and his is a lot bigger. Which makes sense. So I think they labeled and sent me the wrong size. Derp
Amazon has a pretty good refund/return policy. If you are happy with the size I would see if they will refund you for difference in costs between the 4kg and the 8kg crucible, because it is a screw up on their part. you have the package on video so you would be able to prove that it was the wrong size.
True. But I already used it and that was like a year ago. IDK if they would still do that even after a year.
hi have you tried turning the hack saw blade around
anyone know where to buy some good tongs for a #3 4kg crucible? i need to be able to lift it vertically of the forge. dont care if i have to use a different pair to poor after that. would also appreciate insight on a pooring pair
It works good
what kind of camera do you use. specificly
Sony a6000
Wow great job! Now cast an aluminum piston for your I.C. engine!
Zero Negativity yeah why didnt he use an aluminum piston
nice shinny ingots 👍
Not a bad design! I see a few places for improvement, but the comments have already spoken about the majority.
Watching the video, but don't graphite crucibles have a pouring life? Number of pours?
on amazon rly i can't fins one that ships to my country ao i had to make a credit card that works with ebay but im geting one soon now
Dude you need to make a proper forge and burner for that thing
Maybe shorter tong arms with a sq handle lower close to the pot your pouring from might be easier to pour with. Otherwise very job!
Where can I buy this crucible?... thank you
Nice
what are you doing at penn state.
MET
its actually not mig but GMAW Gas metal arc welding process because you are yousing not fully inert gas but inert gas and active gas blend and during this project you set up with straight active gas, next time try use co2 and argon blend will be much hotter arc
With my headphones I have that car alarm sounded like my car in the driveway going off. xD It really scared me.
As soon as i saw the picture on instagram i just kept checking
Wow! Such dedication! :)
I have that same welder and I don't know what I'd do without it. Not weld I suppose.
hey you're back.
Is it possible that you could get a p.o box because you could do like a fan mail series
That'd be cool to do eventually. I have to pay for a PO box in Pennsylvania. If I remember correctly it is about $90 per year or maybe for 6 months. For now people can just contact me personally via my email if they have something they want to send me.
Nice man. Really like your videos I can tell slot of hard work goes into them. Hopefully it will pay off soon
should be easier to pour if you shorten the tong section so that the weight is closer to the center access great job otherwise.
where can I buy this
Thumbs up :)
I'm pritty sure you had 60000 subs before
nop
socialblade.com/youtube/user/makerj101/monthly
No, I never had that many! Net subscribers has decreased recently but has never gone negative.
oh ok. just glad to have you back making vids
Bro that’s trick !!!
I like it, can I copy your plans?
Nicely done! Get some good leather boots for safety's sake.
nice cupcakes
Graphite dosnt melt so it can melt anything if it gets hot enough. Also you shouldn't smelt aluminum in a clay graphite crucible or any crucible that you want to keep because the aluminum will seep into the crucible and make it into an alloy and it'll ruin the crucible
You still use the same tool to scrape off the dross or slag same tool year ago
nice job, that is part of life with school and also check out my channel and my new videos on my local tractor/antique show, also my waterpump rig i put together
its way uncentered that why you struggle to tilt it but i need MOAR IDEA
what 20 dolars at my coutry it woud cost les than 5 dolars
ohn mine goad
LOL Yep, I'm back!