Foundry/Metalcasting Experiments (Fall 2020)

Following experiments with a homemade plastic injection molding machine, the zeitgeist led me to construct and experiment with an aluminum metalcasting foundry.

image

Inspiration:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Propane-Tank-Aluminium-Smelter-No-Weld/

Summary:   I had great initial success following the blog as a guide for building a casting foundry, but eventually I ran into far too many issues with the burner.

At first, electric stove burners sound like the perfect option.  They’re cheap, widely available, and work at standard voltages.  But they short out easily and decay very fast under high heat.

See, when a normal burner operates, excess heat to the air, but in a foundry the heat is kept inside where it can only build and build.   The melting/burnout point of these is very close to the melting point of aluminum, making shorts all but inevitable.

Rarely would a burner last more than a few castings, which eventually led me to purchase a ‘professional’ crucible.

If/when I get back into this project, I would very likely use a propane-based burner for speed and simplicity.

Here’s some shots that cover the process and build over the course of about a couple months:

IMG_20201003_1208310
IMG_20201004_1353571
IMG_20201006_1351184
IMG_20201006_1354211
IMG_20201006_1424019
1
2
22
30
IMG_20201018_1029597
IMG_20201018_1055544
IMG_20201011_0938259
IMG_20201018_0853498
IMG_20201115_1305306
IMG_20201018_1120598
IMG_20201024_1058030
IMG_20201024_1156093
IMG_20201025_1313366
IMG_20201025_1614544
IMG_20201101_1211456
IMG_20201107_1406053
IMG_20201107_1407141
IMG_20201107_1412583
IMG_20201114_1404575
IMG_20201115_0902469
IMG_20201129_0917443
IMG_20201129_1316213
IMG_20201127_1024032
IMG_20201129_0906310
IMG_20201129_0906500