Nice demonstration and you're correct. The smaller end is designed to give less force when working with a small/delicate pattern and the larger end will work best with larger more robust patterns. Hope you show the sticker I sent someday. Most will get a chuckle out of it.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Sand, I should have unwrapped it first as that way I would have seen the card and I definitely would have shown it in the video😊. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well it worked and I will be using it, but some things like rapping the corners of the mould which I do on a lot of work with my steel bar will still need then bar so I will use either as appropriate. Thank you... Martin

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 , happy to help.

I have a friend who was on a repair ship in the navy during the Korean war. He as helped me a lot with my foundry. He told me stories about them pouring parts at sea. I really enjoy your channel.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Rocky, Yes, its actually amazing just how far the US (and the British) navy got into on service repairs particularly during war times. Glad that you like the channel.. Martin

I've been watching sandrammers channel for awhile, he he is old school but other than the sprue and gating system that developed through Campbell's work he's a great guy, I enjoy listening to him sometimes he'll get side track and make a hour long video, he's definitely passionate about his work and that's one of the keys of being a good foundry man. I enjoy learning from people like you and him, thank you for sharing Martin.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Ray. Passing knowledge on is my pleasure as I am sure it is Sandrammer's too. You are right, you have to be passionate and being a little OCD helps too 😊… Martin

An old pal was a pattern maker on a submarine tender in uncle Sam's fishing club. They'd actually custom cast copper buss bars to incredibly close tolerances for the battery banks, among many other jobs.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Lud, I wonder if they managed to cast the copper properly - nobody, but NOBODY on YT that I have seen has ever managed to melt copper properly - they all delight in filling it up with gas 😢… Martyin

@ludditeneaderthal

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 oh, most definitely they did. Those busses carry thousands of amperes of current. His favorite story was a young fresh out of school jr officer who decided he was best suited for doing the custom measurements in the bank well. Bob deferred, the green gentleman called out the numbers, Bob wrote them down. When the buss arrived, not a single battery terminal or mounting point lined up, lol. Forward from that day, young Capt Nemo let Bob do his own job, lol

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 , copper is world famous for its' ability to absorb atmospheric hydrogen. Hence the reason for designing gating systems that minimize turbulence and reduce the chance combination of hydrogen and copper (in copper based alloys), aka dross. One method that's used to minimize gas absorption while making pure copper castings is to melt the copper in a vacuum.

Less a gesture and more a sharing of a useful tool. I knew he had plenty of people who watched his channel so knew that this tool might be adopted by those who needed it. After all, I didn’t invent the tool I just show it to those who might need it.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Sand, Steve, Both a sharing and a gesture and a nice one at that - it is indeed a useful tool that works well... Martin

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 , Glad you are finding the tool useful. Got your package, thanks!

Good to hear from you again Martin.I have been thinking about how nice it would be if someone sat down with you for an interview so you could tell us about yourself and your life as a foundryman. It would be great to hear stories about the oldtimers that you must have worked with years ago and how you were tought this wonderful trade. I was a machinist all my working career and have many stories about the old shipyard machinist that I was privileged to work with. I never worked in the shipyard but 2 of the gentlemen that I worked with did during WW2.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

JacK, OK, I will play interviewee now we need a good interviewer. 😊 Interview might be a bit blue 😱 if I get started on some of the A holes 🤬 I have had to work with... Martin

@jackphillips8771

4 жыл бұрын

:) I've worked with, and for a few of those myself. ha ha. I try to forget them, makes life more fun.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Jack, Hmm, some people have a funny idea of fun 😏...Martin

Great to see another video friend! I appreciate your stories and information, the birds are a plus!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Louie. Yep, the birds are a constant either that or divorce and I like my home cooked meals and a warm bed 😊… Martin

I’ve been tinkering with casting for a few years and have recently come across your channel. I’ve watched many of your videos and I just wanted thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have learned a lot from your videos. One tip in particular i will be using is the slotted hole on one side of the flask to prevent the pins from sticking. I’ve cast two small flasks to use in my foundry and i’ve been having this exact issue. Now i know how to fix them. I’ve been watching closely and pausing on good shots of your flasks to get a better look at them, trying to decipher the the details in their construction and how they are used in different ways. Could i suggest of you to do a video on them, or spend a few moments explaining them in a future video would even be helpful. I can’t wait to see more from you. Thanks again. Blaine

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Blaine, thank you for your comment. If you manage to get some value from my videos I am well pleased. Now to the flasks, I do not know why more people do not use the hole one end slot the other as it works very well indeed. Flasks are interchangeable (within the one size of course) and the accuracy needed is much, much less than with holes at either end unless of course you have very sloppy fits😊. Now to the good news I have already started two videos on flasks. The first will be a retrospective on my journey through moulding boxes. It stretches back to about 1964, and will cover the flasks I tried what was wrong and what was right with each of them and how my ideas developed - a good bad and ugly sort of thing. The second video (probably a multipart effort) will take the best of the good from a few of the designs and combine them to make a particularly versatile box that I think is well suited to the hobbyist. I will make such a box during the video(s) using a minimum of equipment (just a drill press drills a couple of readily available thread cutting taps and maybe a reamer or two a bench grinder and or/an angle grinder). A lathe or a mill while possibly making the job easier and quicker will NOT be necessary. At the end I will probably give the flask away to someone who is prepared to pay the postage 😊 I don't need anymore flasks myself as I have about 60!.... Martin

Glad to see you back!!!!!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Dale, Never really went away just hiding a little 😊 … Martin

Good to see another video from you Martin. This tool makes me think of a double ended tuning fork, if such a thing exists.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Mark, Yeah, sort of does look like that but I don't think they exist... Martin

Love these videos! Hope you're still well on the mend!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Net, Slowly getting better I think (well, I hope!) Working on a few more videos... Martin

I go away for a few days and this is what happens! A new video. And a great recommendation to boot. Thanks Martin.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Mark, No Problems, the video just sat there and patiently waited for your return 😊...Martin

@KravchenkoAudioPerth

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 The Navy book is fairly easy to find and download. The mini book not so easy.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Mark, I think I got my "Mini" from www.aspect-design.net/product-page/mini-casting-handbook-2nd-ed … Martin

@KravchenkoAudioPerth

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 That Mini Casting book is a difficult thing to find! I did indeed order it from Great Britain. Should be here shortly. Thanks for the heads up. Nothing better than getting the missing information to bring up the quality of work that I can do. Thanks Martin.

Hi there Martin. Hope all is well with you. Waiting in anticipation for your upcoming videos. Have you ever thought about writing a book about moulding and casting aluminium? As a foundry artisan for the last 25 years I have found many people asking many questions and unfortunately the books available to the foundry novice are very limited. I have helped friends set up small home foundries before but cant seem to get the time to do that these days. a E-book would be great with nice photos of your work. I'm sure it will be a good seller especially coming from you. Keep up the good work and cant wait to see the new videos. Greetings from a sunny New Zealand.

I subscribed to your channel because sand rammer recommended it.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Pat, Welcome aboard and Bless Sandrammer!... Martin

Oh, another book to add to my collection. And a tool to make when I get around to it.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Ask, As long as you read them mate! And as long as you use the tool 😊…. Martin

@askquestionstrythings

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 I've got lots of books in my collection, many are reference materials that I only read a little when I need information on a specific topic. The complete casting handbook, Foseco Ferrous Foundrymans Handbook, Foseco NonFerrous Foundrymans Handbook, the 1957 navy foundry manual, the 1973 Navy patternmakers manual, The redbook feeding and risering guidelines for steel castings, probably all fall into that category of things I reed for specific information. It's that Mini casting handbook that I need to consider adding to my collection (along with a better book for feeding and risering guidelines which apply to non-ferrous metals and maybe a bit more material covering investment casting). Hopefully, in the next two years I'll move and have more of the space for equipment I want. This year has been a number of moments of saying no to things I would have said yes too if it wasn't for space and time. (besides passing on a couple of foundries; I just passed on a deal for a commercial grade HF AC/DC TIG welder I couldn't justify storing and couldn't use since I lack 240v outlets in my garage)

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Ask, Campbell's Mini book is good in that it does not go over the head with too much technical stuff while his larger works tend to do at times - they can be a bit of a hard read in places. I have shelves of books! collected over many years starting way back in 1964. one of the earliest of these is literature review "The running and gating of sand castings" R W Ruddle IYT introduced me to the concept of small tapered sprues and I have used them ever since. Much in the book has been improved upon (largely by Campbell) but if you can find a copy its worth getting. I have a basic but interesting book on investment in mind but I have loaned it Out (foolish) and can not remember the exact title -when I get it back I will relay the title to you. Remember you do not know what the next two years will bring - get what you can when yuo can and do what you want without delay. My last 3 years were unexpected and I have missed doing a lot of things that I wanted to do because I kept putting them off and I now (for the moment at least) struggle to do them - Don't delay… Martin

Where did you get pattern for tapered sprue and the male/female modern pouring basin. Enjoyed your video Rapping tool From Sandrammer. Thank you!!

@olfoundryman8418

Жыл бұрын

pickwiz, I turned the tapered sprues on my lathe. The one I use most are 100 mm long, 13 mm diam at the big end, and 8 mm diam at the small end and. The male/female pouring basin models are 3 D prints. If you send a email address to olfoundryman@gmail.com I will send the 3 D print files to you.... Martin

oooh love that tool. i'm going to have to make one.

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

Don't forget to make yourself a Round2It file card indexer, so you can list all those jobs that need doing especially the ones for any She Who Must Be Obeyed!

@joandar1

4 жыл бұрын

@@markfryer9880 Just need to make a round tuit. lol Cheers from John, EC Australia.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Joan, No, no my friend you do not "make a round tuit" you "get a round tuit" 😀… Martin

@joandar1

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 I already have a round tuit, it was given to me so now I can make one because I have got a round tuit. lol, your point is duly noted Martin. John.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

joan, But now that you have one you don't need to make one! Oh I am so confused its a Bex a cup of tea and a good lie down for me 😊... Martin

Hi ! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! I love your videos. We are on the same hemisphere ;), living in Argentina now. My idea is to start my hobby foundry. Do you recommend an elerctric furnace or waste oil one ? Melting Al is my objetive, and keeping the cost down. Thanks, Juan

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Juan, Electric or oil - good question. Electric is clean and quiet and easier to work with in that there is less waste heat heating you up so its usually more comfortable to work with. Also with no furnace gases - which contain water vapour to worry about so you should be able to get lower gas level metal. Electric is much easier to control BUT electric is slow, oh so very slow, the problem is that with oil or gas you can produce a lot of heat very quickly and quite cheaply (compared to our electricity prices ) and slow melting is not good for the metal its best to melt quickly and pour without delay. Waste oil is very messy, I tried it years ago and gave it away as a bad joke. These days I burn diesel fuel but I do have a proper burner and blower set up. Aluminium is easy to melt and in you place I would start with whatever is the easiest for you to get up and running - later if necessary you can easily change it for another method. Incidentally LPG which many people use is about 3 times the price of diesel for the same heat value. While gas is easy and convenient it isn't cheap.... Martin

Cool! Thanx for the info! Nice gift from an American bloke! :D

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Captain, Not too bad a gift at all, and one that works well too...Martin

Hey Martin, are the sprue pattern and pouring basin patterns 3D printed? Are those design files available somewhere on Thingaverse or somewhere?

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Wallitron, Send me an email address that I can send the files too, we have just modified them to be a little bigger and we believe better (I answered this yesterday but my reply seems to have vanished?) The sprue is not a 3D print it is turned from aluminium bar stock - its small diameter is 5/18 inch (8 mm) it is 150 mm long and tapers at 1.4 degrees per side... Martin

@handsofrhythm3415

4 жыл бұрын

Hello Martin, I am also interested in a copy of the basin pattern files. I am just having s hard time finding a way of contacting you via email. (I know it's me)

Great tools :)

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Matthew, Yep, it works well.... Martin

Sir can you help with some information, Im trying to find some levers that are used in snap flasks for pressuring and realising the flask. Im trying to make some flasks and I cant find those pieces. I can send you a picture. Thank you in advance

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Agustin, I have never used or made snap flasks so I am not in much of a position to help you. It may just be a case that you will have to make these parts yourself either by machining or casting (in a reasonable bronze). I understand why some people do try snap flasks but I feel they have too many disadvantages that make their use problematic. Its more difficult to weight the moulds, for example as you only have sand to support the weights, also you can't have the cavity go very close to the edge of the mould (as I sometimes do) because the metal will break out. Thus your moulds have to be bigger and therefore weigh a lot more and they are heavy enough anyway. You need more sand too. I prefer just to have enough boxes to cast a reasonable days work - for me that's about 10 boxes of any given size. However if you send a picture (or two) to mmwestuppercasehotkey.net.au I may be able to suggest how you could make them.... Martin

I have one of a bit different shape, just single ended and made of pine, it use it all the time and it makes removing patterns a piece of cake, and being pine, you can use it to tap on patterns without damaging them.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Chirpy, Obviously I am no expert with these devices but would a pine one have the heft and strength to do then job? Martin

@ChirpysTinkerings

4 жыл бұрын

yea, you dont need to beat the crap out of patterns to get them vibrated loose, and if I need more heft than mine will do, I just give it a few taps with the sand rammer, but in all honesty, its pretty rare that I'd need to do that. I've been using mine for years and have never had any problem with it. the pine actually has some spring to it, so that helps too.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Chirpy, I sure have had some patterns that just want to hang on and I have had to bash quite hard - that big piston for example, but you are right usually it doesn't take much to loosen them... Martin

jarlenfos, I got notified of your comment but it does not appear under this video - a bit of a mystery - so I will just answer it here and hope that you get to see the answer. You should be able to email me at mmwestuppercase2hotkey.net.au substitute "@ " for "uppercase2".... Martin

Yes, have the Navy casting book. It was a good start. I did not add the wheat flour to my green sand though. 😉

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

You don't need to unless you need more collapsibility. In other words the sand is too strong to allow the metal to shrink properly and cracks are showing up after the casting is cool.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Fire, I did try wheat flour as an anti expansion defect additive but I found it tended to stain the surface of the casting. These days I use corn flour (0.5% max) for this job but it too will stain the surface if a higher percentage is used. Wood flour is traditional for this at up to a 2 or even 3% addition. Problem is wood flour is hard to get! Don't recall ever having had a cracking problem through lack of collapsibility even with straight silicate cores which are notorious from absolutely no collapsibility at all. The alloy I work with (mainly 601 356 LM25) is resistant to cracking problems though - good clean metal helps a lot with such issues... Martin

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 , if you are getting a staining effect due to sand additives, try using a mold wash. It will not only act as a barrier between the additives and the metal but if you have any bumpiness caused by the sand grains, the mold wash will fill in the gaps and make the surface smoother.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Sand, I do use a couple of different washes on a few jobs but generally I have found them to worsen my finish - probably because I use such a fine sand anyway. So I tend to use them only on cores (Shell and CO2) but there I find that washes are hard to apply smoothly - I have tried dipping, painting, and spraying and I have even resorted to sanding (or rubbing back) the dried wash coat this works well on a simple core but its a real bother. Ah, how we suffer for our art 😏 .. Martin PS All hatches batterned down for the coming storm I assume- stay safe!

very nice! although i must admit i do like watching how you do it with just a bar haha

@smallcnclathes

4 жыл бұрын

Satchmo Feeney, I must agree, his rapping with a single tool shows remarkable fluidity of movement. I guess it is one of those actions that becomes natural after years of practice.

HI any idea where I can get those books. Tried ebay amazon au and amazon usa no luck.

@pd4954

4 жыл бұрын

Found mini-casting-handbook here www.aspect-design.net/product-page/mini-casting-handbook-2nd-ed Navy Manual could be this one, has a different picture on the cover though www.amazon.com/Foundry-Manual-United-States-Navy/dp/1410109003

@subverted

4 жыл бұрын

This appears to be the full book in PDF form from the US military's Defense Technical Information Center: apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a956386.pdf And here it is reproduced in a webpage form by another website: maritime.org/doc/foundry/index.htm

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

@@pd4954 Thanks for sharing the links.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Rodney, PD has it right. That's where I got my mini casting handbook from and I think it was amazon that I got the navy book from but too long ago to remember that for sure.... Martin

So you needed an unwrapping tool to get at the rapping tool?

@smallcnclathes

4 жыл бұрын

Matthew Leigh of course, that was rapping paper.

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

Warning the Dad Jokes are coming thick and fast.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Matthew, Yes I got all wrapped up in unwrapping the rapping tool and I was rapt!... Martin

That navy book is excellent at bedtime. It will put you to sleep faster than counting sheep! ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

World, Yeah, fair enough, I guess its hardly in you sort of line is it? Mind you Campbell's bigger books will put you to sleep with a headache - but its a good headache 😊…. Martin

Vacuum packed Rapper for your sanitary protection, eh? ☺

@sandrammer

4 жыл бұрын

Hey, you don't know whose hands have been on that package while it traveled half way around the world...

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Beach, Well, you know the Navy - can't have too much protection 😏… Martin

@BeachsideHank

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 1970: 20 year old sailor boy here is assigned to his first ship: a “tin can”- what’s a tin can the boot asked the Chief? A destroyer lad, we calls ‘em a tin can ‘cause they ain’t got no armor- speed, why that’s all the *protection* you really need when the shootin’ starts…later; South China Sea, Yankee Station, gun fire support, surface raids up north, mining Haiphong Harbor- I call bullsh*t on that old man, gimme some friggin’ armor plating- we ain’t faster than artillery. I’m willing to bet nothing much has changed since then. ☺

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Beacjh Ah Ha! I was right with an avatar like that I figured you for an old salt - never served my self but a brother was a rear admiral in the Australian navy (two rowboats and a rubber dingy) but did spend some time seconded to the US navy. Only thig faster than artillery is the SR71 and you were in the wrong service for that 😊... Martin PS. If slow and no plate weave a lot!

@BeachsideHank

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 "...weave a lot" Exactly what we did; the old man would scurry from shell hit to shell hit while we retired from counter battery return fire figuring they wouldn't drop on the same location twice- must've been the right strategy, we weren't hit- I guess that's why they made him the captain and me a black gang snipe. ☺

I think my email is playing up again so this is the message I sent you (OOOOOH yes I did see this two weeks ago and the sad fact is you can use portions of some ones video without permission. That guy is a first class alarmist and snake oil salesman. )

No thanks. I'm going to wait for the "Oldfoundryman casting and metallurgical magic" book to go up for sale. (title subject to change)

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Amalgamous. The idea has crossed my mind (quickly) it is a very big project and I should live so long. However the main problem is that I am not a big project person. Being an impatient sort of fella I like to start and finish quickly and a book would take years, I could not stick at it. I know that one kind soul is downloading all my videos and putting them into a personal library in lieu of a book! Anyway any book I wrote would pale into insignificance besides the great works of John Campbell - I have not the temerity to even try. Nice of you to suggest it though... Martin

The tool has the right action, but its asthetics as a casting make me cringe. And the things that look the worst look bad because they lead to structurally unsound castings. Good patternmaking for casting will eliminate sharp corners anywhere they are not needed. Sharp inside corners on the pattern leads to stress risers,and potential shrinkage flaws in the casting; and sand easily knocked loose in the mold. Inside the arms of the U-shapes, the corners can be radiused the same as the rod being rapped wihtout interfering. The outside of the same corner can be radiused concentric, making the arm constant thickness instead of having a thicker section in the middle of the run. I'm just a throwback I guess. The flowing lines of old castings I love are a result of design for the limitations of technique. With modern techniques, casting structurally sound angular hideosities is feasible.

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

Verdant, For obvious reasons I can not say much but 100% in agreement. "hideosities" what a wonderful term - I shall usurp it and make it my own 😊... Martin

@verdantpulse5185

3 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Own it and use it! As a creator I've never felt bad seeing my inventions having lives of their own.

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

Verdant. Done and thank you... Martin