Love Casting » metal casting

Which sort of torch for small metal working?

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:24:16 +0000

Keep in mind, that I’m new to metalworking and so I’m sorry if I’m not using the correct terminology. Well, anyways, I decided that it would be interesting to get into small soldering or metal casting and try and recreate small foot-tall sculptures. Based on your experience, what would be the best sort of small torch to do this with? I have a teeny bit of experience with MIG welding and simple soldering, if that helps any. Thanks in advance!

Check out The Little Torch. Look at jewelry supply sites like Rio Grande Jewelry Supply.

Can you use clay for metal casting?

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:54:58 +0000

Hey I was wondering if you can use clay as a mold for poring hot liquid metal to make things like brass knuckles.

Sure, but it has to be the right clay and baked dry or fired. If you are really using brass it can only be ceramic/pottery clay as any other will melt/burn at the roughly 1900F it takes to melt brass. And depending on the way you make the mold, you will have to do a little bit or a LOT of filing to make it smooth – open face will be the worst. You might want to learn about investment and lost wax casting which is much more precise. http://www.mikegigi.com/metalctr.htm

how many different kinds of metal casting techniques are there and what are they?

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:22:20 +0000

Half a dozen?
Die casting is done with lower melting point metals and involves a metal die into which the metal is forced – like plastic injection molding. Metal bodied electric tool cases like hand drills and kitchen mixers are made this way.
Simple pour molding into reusable molds is done with low melting point metals up to aluminum. Short run toys for example, lead soldiers, bullets for home reloading.
Simple pour molding into non-reusable molds – aluminum into sand molds for making address plaques, etc. is done this way.
Enclosed sand casting with poured metal with two or more part molds and perhaps cores, venting and sprues to get the metal in. Iron/steel/aluminum engine blocks, heavy duty basic castings for construction equipment – further machining being done for bearing mounts, etc.
Lost wax casting with solid investment – rings, fine art. Bronze, brass, silver, gold. Mold is heated to melt out the wax and set the investment which is then chipped away from the poured metal.
Lost wax casting with ceramic investment – wax is dipped in liquid then silica flour and then back and forth to build up a thick coating – a dewaxing oven burns out the wax and fuses the silica to a hard shell into which, while still hot, the metal is poured, the shell then being chipped/blasted off.
Lost wax casting with sling molding – a single item mold is made up usually with investment and is heated and mounted on an arm in a device which has a place for melting metal with a torch, a heavy spring drives the mold arm in a circle and the metal is released to forcefully fill the mold like injection casting but with much higher temperature metals, up to platinum in jewelry making.
I probably missed one or two.

what is the main similarity among all dental casting metals?

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:00:16 +0000

there are many casting metal are used in dentistry. But all of them have a criteria in common. I want to know what is that?

Well, there are a few. You need biocompatibility, (which is not the same as being totally inert), you need a degree of strength and wear resistance to withstand all the occlusal forces, you need a small grain size, not too high a degree of corrosion,…whew! That’s a bunch!
Here’s a link to an article that discusses the subject in greater detail:

**Hope this helps!

Can a cast metal outside doorhandle that snapped in two pieces be repaired?

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:12:03 +0000

specifically the cast metal door handles on the 66 chevell/elcamino. I can’t buy just one, it has to be a pair and its 50 bucks at best not including the shipping… gawd..

How does metal casting make use of the different characteritics of liquids and solids?

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:08:20 +0000

. . . The question is not very clear . . .

It’s the second time !

I keep seeing made from cast metal; What is cast metal?

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:16:09 +0000

Under the description boxes for certain types of jewelry and collectible swords and daggers I keep seeing "accented with silver/gold/bronze cast metal". What is cast metal? What is in cast metal? Is it a mixture of metals or is like a coating or a plating of some kind?

"Cast" metal is cast into place, or "Poured" into place compared to hammered out of a piece of metal. Many times, cast is not a very high quality metal and not very durable compared to a solis metal forged object.

Small metal casting supplies?

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:26:10 +0000

I’m looking for lead-free casting metals that will provide great detail at a reasonable price. I’m out to make miniatures as a hobbyist, not as a professional. So I need a low temp melting pot or furnace or whatever it’s called that’s affordable. I keep finding these $500-$2000 machines. All I need is a small melting pot. For my alloys I looked at Pewter and Aluminum. If anyone knows better casting alloys or cheaper ones that’d be great. Aldo can you shoe me a link to the product you find? Thank you so much
I meant to say bismuth and tin alloys. Aluminum melts high. haha i made a mistake. but all of you gave good answers. Still waiting for more though. Thanks!

You should be able to melt both pewter or tin either on a stovetop or using a small crucible and a propane torch. I would guess even a plumbers torch would be sufficient. It think for either you need to reach about 500 Fahrenheit (260 Celsius) which should be within reach of cooking stoves.

Go to the next thrift store and look for cheap small cookpots. If you find any cast iron ones, they will be probably the best.

The main part of the deal will be making a good mold in order to get good detail. I think there are some high temperature silicones which can be used with low temp metals.

Maybe you should look into polymer clays (if it doesn’t need to be metal) or precious metal clays, there is bronze, but there might be also some other metals.

How does casting affect the metallic structure of the metal which is being cast.?

admin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:16:03 +0000

How does typical processing methods such as casting, hot and cold rolling affect the structure and behaviour of metals, polymers, composites ceramics and smart materials.

This is far too much to ask in a single question. There are entire books and college courses devoted to how different processing methods affect materials.

A very, very brief summary that mainly applies to metals (probably ceramics as well, but not polymers): Typically the goal is to try to affect the grain structure. When a metal is cast, it cools from the outside in, which, depending on the cooling rate and shape of the material, can result in large, irregular grains on the outside and smaller grains on the inside. This leads to poor properties. So different heat treating and plastic deformation methods are used to reshape the grains. Heat treating can also be done to cause a phase change. Steel, for example, has several different possible Fe-C phases that can be present depending on processing conditions, and they have different mechanical properties. Cold processing can also be used to work harden a material, which makes it stronger, but more brittle and harder to process.

Ceramics usually aren’t processed as much. They’re brittle, so most deformation processing methods aren’t practical. They often melt at extremely high temperatures (2500+ C), so they aren’t usually cast. They’re usually produced using a powder, clay, or slurry, then pressed into a shape and sintered together.

How would I go about casting a metal pistol slide from a plastic one?

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:14:05 +0000

I have an airsoft gun that the slide broke on and I want to cast a metal one but I can’t figure out how to make the mold for it.

IDK! Let me know when you figure it out !