Metal Casting Zone

When I was just starting out casting I made a mistake that could of cost me dearly.
I was attempting to make a brass alloy by melting aluminum alloy and copper together. I had heard somewhere that you could use magnesium as a flux, so, like an idiot I added boric acid (epson salt) to the melt. I use a home made, propane/forced air fed foundry that has about a one foot by 2 foot interior and a large crucible. I had about 10 lbs of each metal and the epson salt in the foundry and had cranked up the fuel till it sounded like a jet engine. I was working in the parking lot of my shop and had just walked about 15 feet from the foundry when all of a sudden I heard a "whoomp" noise and up from the foundry shot a mushroom cloud of white sparkly debris that was about 30 feet high. It nearly blew the heavy top off the foundry and sprinkled the surrounding area with brass alloy. I keep the pie shaped piece of brass alloy from that melt on my desk as a reminder to never take the power of my hobby for granted again. Does anyone else have a screw up story to share?

wow!!!! i dont doubt it a bit. one of my concerns is the "thermite" effect. thermite is one big factor when working with aluminium.i think you made copper thermite! copper thermite is made by mixing copper shavings and aluminium shavings together. then using a blowtorch heat them up! once ignited they cant be extiquished!! party sparklers are coated in thermite.likewise never put a rusty piece of steel into molten aluminium. rust and aluminium equal thermite!!!!!!

just wondering if this happened!

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