hey guys, what is a good casting material for aluminum?
would bentonite clay be good?
investment: Silica sand and plaster, the proportion can be from 1:1 to 2:1.
Clay probably would work too if it is fired.
Generally your mold has to be absolutely free of water. Otherwise you will turn all the water in your mold into steam. The consequences range from a bad cast to molten metal flying all around you.
Final test of Jake von Slatt’s waste oil foundry furnace. Aluminum is melted, last year’s turkey fryer oil is burned.
Duration : 0:8:40
My grandmother had two cooking pots that were heavy cast aluminum made long before teflon was invented. Does anyone know where I can buy this sort of thing new? I have scoured antique and resale shops and can’t find them used either.
Aluminum pans without the coating are certainly a rare commodity these days. The only line I know of offhand is Calphalon One, which can be found at LNT or Bed Bath & Beyond. But be careful what you buy…the line comes both coated AND noncoated, and they look otherwise identical.
Though your choices are few, luckily this line is excellent quality. I have a piece and it’s fantastic. Cook’s Illustrated gave it a superior rating for even heat distibution and searing ability. So save those coupons, these’ll run you about $100 a pop.
I have found it is best to use a release agent any time I’ve used polyester resins.
What type of filler would work best on cast aluminum that is subjected to moisture constantly?
…or also another product called either Liquid Metal or Liquid Steel, squeezes from a single tube, cures rock hard when fully cured.
Hello,
http://www.casting-source.com/casting-chart.htm
This seems like a fair list of methods for casting and it seems like a fun, good way of making things that I wish to produce. I am looking into making a kiln that uses propane, charcoal or used motor oil. The kiln isn’t the part I don’t really grasp yet, it’s the molding process, and maybe the aluminum itself. I feel a little over whelmed when it comes to the number of choices for aluminum alloys.
Anyway, I am considering any method of molding that is easily accomplished at my home, in my garage or something like that. Some of these methods suggest they yield rough results but I am sure I can smooth out the rough parts. I am working on making a box out of aluminum that can hold a fluid without leaking. It sounds like a very easy task but it’s certainly not a snap of the fingers.
Thank you.
Dude fun? It’s very hard hot work dealing with material at extremely hot temperatures, I doubt you’d be able to pull this off working from your garage. Plus to make the molds needed to pour this aluminum into takes a lot of skill. If you are serious about this you should ring a foundry around your area and ask if you can watch them pour, saying your doing an assignment, it’s like standing in an oven.
I worked on a industrial estate and had a foundry next building, the first time I walked into the place while a pour was happening shocked me. I know you’re not going to be doing anything of that scale, but dude this is not for the inexperienced.
HEAVY CAST ALUMINUM COOKWARE?
bed bath and beyound
If they are aluminum, there is a good chance they were cast, from a casting alloy. While some castings can be somewhat brittle, the strength is often sufficient for the application and casting is a popular way to shape aluminum. If strength were critical I’d expect steel to be used. If it is a weight critical application, and cost is not the controlling factor (for example aircraft) the bolts may be forged or machined from bar stock, but that would be more expensive than casting, so lacking any more information, I’d say a casting alloy is likely.
Aluminium and copper foundry. The furnace is fed by charcoal and wood.
home foundry, lost foam, cast aluminum,