Metal Casting Zone

Our shop recently went through the OSHA program for safety. I installed a new eyewash station in the lab, but it left a nasty looking drain opening in the floor. I decided to cast a cover for it.
I made a form out of blue foam and cut letters out with the hotwire cutter.

Molded it up in greensand. Using deep sprue and riser for some head pressure.

The pour was very smokey and my cameraman is still in school.
And I was sloppy as usual.

The shakeout.

Final piece. You can see the wire cut to the center and even the pencil line I drew under the letters for the arch.


Has anyone experienced this with lost foam, strange little flash off of the corners. The sand may have cracked apart of something.

thats very clear for sand cast! you always get some small sand marks. its part of the character of sandcasting. some like it some dont. cant please everyone.i give you ten brownie points! brownie points arent easy to get!!!

Very nice, Jammer! Foam rules for rapid prototyping and one-off jobs. I think it must be trapped gas, I have had that problem lately with lost foam myself. The pieces that I have been casting in foam look quite rough. Either the gas from the vaporizing foam isn't venting fast enough (I'm using greensand as well) or the superheat is allowing the pressure to overcome the surface tension and the aluminum is forcing itself into the little spaces between the sand grains. Doesn't really bother me, the parts I am making aren't for show, they are for use and clean up fairly well with a litle elbow grease.
I might just have to build one of those foam cutting tables for myself, I have a job that requires copying a particular font in a particular size and my skill with a scrollsaw (and the quality of the scrollsaw in question) aren't up to the task. It's for the number plate on the front of that boiler I am casting parts for.
Oh, and where is that nice steel flask that somebody sent you? I'm still waiting for action shots from the others that have recieved them, I think you are the only one who has shots of them in use.

Ah! Nucor Steel? I'm beginning to see a pattern here.
Did every one here get bit by the casting bug because they work in machine shops/welding/or metal companies?

Firestix wrote:
Ah! Nucor Steel? I'm beginning to see a pattern here.
Did every one here get bit by the casting bug because they work in machine shops/welding/or metal companies?it helps!

well ... I do have a way of getting ductile iron. When contractors are putting in waterlines, all the valve boxes and valve covers are made of iron. Either cast iron or ductile iron. I understand that ductile iron has graphite in it. I wonder if this will pose a problem when trying to melt and cast in it.
.... LOL ... here I am talking about casting ductile iron and I haven't finished building my furnace yet.

OddDuck wrote:
Oh, and where is that nice steel flask that somebody sent you? I'm still waiting for action shots from the others that have recieved them, I think you are the only one who has shots of them in use.

It's heavy, I need to put wheels on it.
Really, I just need to get a molding bench set up.

I brought the cover in and put it in place. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. I've got a few brownie points but not from anyone who matters.
My supervisor likes it. I made it out of Aluminum canisters we use for sending samples from the furnace, kind of like a bank drive-in. I used 6 canisters so we decided the cover cost about $600 . Maybe now he'll decide to let me make some canisters, we go through about 3 a month. The guys upstairs are hard on them. I'd make them a little stouter to hold up.
I polished the letters some, still a little rough.

Looks good and serves the purpose. I give you 7/10 brownie points.

Thanks, can I have a raise???