The International Hobby Metal Casting ezine.
Brought To You By:
Col Croucher, administrator of: www.myhomefoundry.com
Australia.
Number: 70. September 2009.
Would you believe that this ezine is number seventy, hard to imagine that we have produced so many ezines, does this call for a celebration? I guess we should, but to be honest I haven’t planned on one, maybe by the time I get through editing this issue I might have a brain storm and come up with something? Dont go away just yet.
This whole online adventure has been just that, an adventure, and if you have been a long term subscriber like Chris Spees (USA I think) & Paul Nuttall (Of NZ) and several others who have been subscribers since the ezine was launched I hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as I have, and if you have just joined recently I hope you can pluck up the courage and conviction to have ago at metal casting yourself... as the old saying goes "You will never know unless you have a go" anyone who decides to try their hand at metal casting usually does so for some special reason, and that is exactly why I started all those years ago. (In the early part of the "80s)
Why get Involved With Hobby Metal Casting.
Often times you just develop a real need to create something special that cant be sourced at Bunnings (Aust) Wal-Mart (USA) eBay, swap meets, or flea markets, and other large hardware store chains scattered across the globe, the rewards you receive for making your own pattern, ramming the moulds and pouring the metal are quite special, it is hard to explain to someone who has not experienced a successful molten metal pour.
The Future.
Thankfully there are many father & son teams who are jointly involved in metal casting, I can also remember about three years ago when we demonstrated metal casting at the Echuca Steam Rally (Aust) just how much interest there was in the craft, every time we did a pour which was about one each hour, the number of interested onlookers just grew each time, and amongst the crowd were plenty of young blokes who were fascinated by the process, they came up to me afterwards with their dads and fired away with questions galore, so will the art of hobby metal casting die out?... I don’t think so, not unless big brother and government red tape force the issue, but hey Mr, we are only having fun! Aren’t we allowed to do that anymore?
The Ezine.
Can you guess how many subscribers there were when the first edition was published way back in 2003? Not sure, well have a look at the broadcast screen capture below!
 |
Would you believe the ezine began with only ninety five subscribers, and the date, 11-10-03, there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and now the ezine goes out to a few thousand people scattered around the globe.
Casting Masters 2009 Event.
We've been a little disappointed with the number of entries sent in for the casting masters 09 event.... normally I would have elided to close it of by now and select the best entries, but surely there are a few more people out there who must have a foundry project nearly there, so if you have please put some photographs and a short article about your project and send it in, even if you entered the event last year you can still enter this year... as long as it's not the same project of course.
There's couple of extra little projects we have for you to look at in this issue, I’m sure you will enjoy them, more on that below. In the southern hemisphere we are heading into spring and then summer, so while the weather is still cool I have some small foundry projects to complete (Car Parts) I will share them with you in a future ezine issue, an example of how you can save BIG dollars with car restorations projects when you know how to cast replica parts... even resell them at a nice profit and help to make your hobby foundry pay.
How many times have you set out on a mission to achieve something, only to get part of the way along the journey and you suddenly find you are back where you began, lost, bewildered, and not sure what to do next... sound familiar?
Want Some Help Through The Maze?
Totally FREE.
Learn More >>
Hobby
Metal Casting.
You Can; Just
Experiment: Build Special Projects: Create Things You
Cant Buy: Cast Things To Sell: Amaze Your Friends: Get Really Serious:
Reproduce Many Things.
What Would You Like To Make?
Below are a few things
that other people have made, but the list is endless.
Coconut 0il Press.
Build something to help humanity.
Drilling Jig.
Build something for the workshop.
Stirling Engine Parts.
Reproduce obsolete parts for restoration projects.
Cast Name Plate Plaques.
Make name plates for
your property and for other people.
The above images
are some of the entries submitted to the casting masters 2008 event,
they are all unique in their own special way.
Kevin Gallagher. Australia.
Kevin is an Aussie ebook client of ours, and he has built a a very professional tilting furnace to carry out his metal casting hobby. Back in April of 2008, while holidaying in Kevins home town of Port MacQuarrie NSW I was fortunate to be present for the initial firing up of his new tilting furnace.
This I must admit was quite a thrill & honor, as it is not generally possible to be present at such an event, simply because we have a huge number of ebook customers spread all over the world.
Kevin has documented the project through video and stills during the entire construction, below is a link to the video which he has posted on youtube, so if you have a few spare moments head over there to take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmiettNSUk
Kevin has a background and qualifications in engineering and it certainly shows in this project, good work Kevin.
Bronze Casting: Ancient And Modern.
Derrick Davis.
I've been casting now for about 5 years. I started with pewter in soapstone molds, then learned to use Delft clay, and later lost wax casting. My wife has worked jewellery for years and we decided to sink some funds into some modern equipment. We acquired an electric 'burnout oven/furnace' for lost waxwork, an electric melting furnace for small pieces (2000 F for any alloy up to bronze), and a centrifuge.
My wife and I are 'living historians' as our hobby, and we have a special interest in Bronze Age technology. With an emphasis on Viking and Saami tools and techniques we have turned our backyard and workshop into a casting playground. We have a large fire pit, a brick-smelting furnace, bellows, dung-and-clay cylinder/cupola furnaces, and the oxy-acetylene rig. We have cast over 300 coins for a local historical group's King and Queen; we cast over 100 coins for another historical group's tenth anniversary. We are casting Bronze pieces (broaches, keys, combs, tools) based on the finds in Gotland and Hebedy.
With our continued studies, we have increased the size and complexity of our bronze pieces, not 'art', but practical casting with an aesthetic touch. We are working on historically accurate bronze keys, daggers, and axe heads. Spears and swords will follow soon. I'm still working up to a larger crucible, and much larger cope-and-drag boxes for oiled sand work.
My wife taught a class in September on Bronze casting, ancient and modern. She asked me to transport our modern workshop to the site and give the practical casting demo. One of the students took this video of me (in 10th century Viking garb) setting up and casting bronze using a modern centrifuge, melt furnace, and burnout furnace.
Hopefully, this coming weekend I will be able to get someone to video record some pewter and bronze casting from a double-bellows powered coke-and-charcoal furnace. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY9_UBMAPo0
This is certainly a new slant on metal casting involvement, the ancient metal casting process is a fascination to me, it never ceases to amaze the incredibly high quality bronze castings produced with so liitle in the way of metalurgy technology. I suppoes one can only assume that certain methods were followed that they (The ancients) knew would produce the results they were after, in other words tried and proven methods.... very much like the hobby metal caster.
Thanks to Kevin Gallagher & Derrick Davis for sending in these articles and videos, I am sure that many people will enjoy them.
The Customer Contact Form.
On our web site we have a page with a contact form where customers and web site visitors can make contact with us, as you can imagine we get all kinds of different requests from people around the globe, some are quite straight forward, others a bit on the humorous side, and others can be quite serious, each email request below has been dealt with on it's own merits and help or referrals provided where required.
I have selected some to share with you, these are unedited and the names and email addresses have been changed or altered for privacy reasons, I hope you enjoy the read.
Col.
====
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On myhomefoundry.com
Message from: Eric W------d
Subject: need help
E-mail: e-----lu@yahoo.com
Message:
Hello. I need someone to make me a cast iron part for an old lamp. I do not have a duplicate, but I have drawings of it and a minurature version cast out of bronze.
Can you point me in the right direction?
Time: 7:40:44 on 24/09/09
======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: Simon K--g
Subject: Membership
E-mail: m----------eamer@hotmail.com
Message:
Hi,
i just purchased on paypal the ebook and would like to set up my account to enjoy your ebooks on home foundry.
Regards Simon.
Time: 7:55:34 on 10/09/09.
======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: Davey O-----ra
Subject: Foundry
E-mail: R------------actics@yahoo.com
Message:
Hey! I saw a foundry set, online, for around $350 US dollars. It was a small, propane forge, tailor made to be used as a small foundry. Is it worth the price, or is it easier/better to make one myself? I could probably make the whole thing, but I\'m not sure about burners. I\'d really appreciate your insight.
~Davey
Time: 7:37:30 on 5/09/09.
========
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: james b----tt
Subject: Silicon Carbide Crucible
E-mail: jl-------rrett@yahoo.com
Message:
Can I make my own Silicon Carbide Crucible? How?
Time: 12:56:55 on 5/09/09
=======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: ABJ--ef
Subject: stick wax
E-mail: am-----ph@yahoo.com
Message:
Hi, I\'m looking for a source for stick wax for investment casting. I will appreciate any help. Thank you.
Time: 9:36:42 on 3/09/09.
======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: James L----z
Subject: beginner
E-mail: r-----32v@aol.com
Message:
so far your site has been very helpful. i am just in the proses of setting up a small foundry in my garage. i was wandering if i could use any type of aluminum even aluminum foil to melt down. im basically using it to make my own throwing stars and knives just to save me money. what im trying to say is would aluminum be good for a blade both for the edge and its strength . thank for your time
Time: 11:38:32 on 1/09/09.
=======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: Ray G----ys
Subject: members area
E-mail: l------an.one@verizon.net
Message:
Hi,
I cannot log onto the members area. I have made numerous attempts. Could you help me out?
Thanks
Ray
Time: 11:59:52 on 30/08/09
======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: pramod b----ne
Subject: I have no credit or any card
E-mail: pr-------ne@yahoo.com
Message:
Time: 3:55:00 on 29/08/09
=======
Message Sent Using The Contact Form On www.myhomefoundry.com
Message from: Leo M-------ty
Subject: Sodium silicate -quick setting
E-mail: le---------a@cancerboard.ab.ca
Message:
HI
I wish to fabricate some very quick setting patient positioning devices to stabilize our patients for radiation treatment. The material needs to be light and rigid. I was thinking about trying a small garbage bag that contains popcorn or styrofoam beads (or some other very light material) and place the bag while shaping it for support around the patient. If I was to pass co2 gas into the bag and have it exit out a orifice. Do you think that the Styrofoam beads would go hard and allow the bag to hold its shape.
If Co2 would not work is there a non toxic chemical that would make the bag go hard quickly. I have tried playing with some sodium silicate that I purchased at a pottery shop and it took hours to turn hard. I used a small rag with sodium silicate on it, which I placed in a plastic bag that contained Co2 I have been looking for a quick setting adhesive that has no odor and is very cheap and safe to use for several months and then I read your article about core making
Thank you
Leo M--------ty
Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Calgary Alberta
Canada
Time: 1:08:18 on 31/07/09
====
Now please do not respond to us about the above requests with your ideas, we are not looking for solutions, because they have already been dealt with, we just wanted to share with you what questions & requests that people have.
Now, to wrap this edition up, don’t forget about the casting masters 2009 event, we will hold it open for a bit longer, if you have something worthy to send in for the comp then please do. You might have a casting, pattern you have made, or perhaps some equipment you have built.... as long as it has something to do with hobby foundry you can send it in.... OK, now lets see what transpires, if you have not got your entry in yet then we look forward to receiving it soon. Get your photos together, write a short article about your project and email it to us.
Till next time, have fun, be careful.
Col.