I just can't get enough of these videos. Years ago I put together a small hobby foundry setup and always loved casting. Sadly these days between work and family I just dont seem to have time these days to do it anymore.

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

builder, A small foundry is just too useful to not use. The trick is to make time for it - never wait around for the time to magically occur because it will never come. Oh, and have it all ready to go, not tucked away on a shelf at the back, that way when you make the time you will be able to get right in it.Good luck... Martin

@builderofstuff

3 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Your skills are amazing, I hope you continue to share them with us.

@builderofstuff

3 жыл бұрын

What is the exothermic powder that you use? Where do you get it from?

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

builder, The exothermic is called "Ferrux NF" it is made by "Foseco"... Martin

Being a retired US Navy Molder, it kills me when I watch someone pouring their molten metal down a sprew they can fit their hand in. Hope some of those guys listen to your advise!

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Sand, So do I but as we both know foundry is a very conservative industry prone to staying with what it knows rather than trying something new. I my last employment I used to have to fight people to get them to try anything - I faced nothing but stubborn bloody minded opposition from basically ignorant people playing at being foundry engineers but they had never graduated high school. Unsurprisingly perhaps the company concerned has gone under.😊 Martin

@flytrapjohn

5 жыл бұрын

It is a shame that some folk don't want to know about experience or intuition. You get to know a bit of equipment over time. What it will or will not do.knowledge/hunches/experiances often point the way when a new or challenging job comes along. If I knew then...

@stclairstclair

3 жыл бұрын

sandrammer, I'm a retired auto mechanic and have learned to cast at home, Boy would I love to chew your ear off at a bar! I bet you worked on some beautiful stuff.

@sandrammer

3 жыл бұрын

@@stclairstclair , I have made some artistic/decorative stuff but most of the stuff I made was mechanical in nature and made me proud that they came out nicely.

@stclairstclair

3 жыл бұрын

sandrammer To me nothing is more beautiful than a gas burning engine, I was talking about castings for machines used in war.

Always good to watch a Professional at work.

i coud watch you cast stuff all day

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Flying, Please do!😊 I wish more people would...Martin

Fantastic job! That surface finish is almost mirror-like. I am about to venture into casting but I don't have a metalworking shop so your guidance will most certainly be of real help. Thank you and cheers from Canada!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

High, Good luck with your casting endeavours. Greetings back from Australia - I am almost a Canadian as both my parents were! ... Martin

@HighSeasDrifter57

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 : Thank you Martin, you're very kind. The first real project is to cast a brass plaque to act as a grave marker for my sister who passed away a while ago. Her son and I will be making it together and it will be a good and rewarding project. I'll keep you posted. Aussies and Canadians may be on the opposite sides of the globe but we're pretty close in everything else. Eh? ;-)

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

High, Yes, many similarities and thus differences from those south of your border but I have to be careful what I say as my male line got to Canada via the US. They had arrived there in the 1600s In fact there is every likely hood that dad studying in Pennsylvania in 1929 (probation era) left the US for New Zealand to escape the feds - I think dad may have been into a little bootlegging 😊 I have done plaques and they are not that difficult depending on how big you wish to make them. The hard bit is doing the pattern work first. I did it by getting a rubber stamp making man to photo engrave the pattern from my artwork. I then backed the photoengraving with a suitable thickness of wood painted it appropriately and then used it as the pattern. I also dried the green sand moulds in an oven with the result that I got beautifully sharp lettering on the plaque. If you like send me an email address and I will send a photo of some of the plaques....Martin

@HighSeasDrifter57

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Good morning Martin (well..it's morning here..and a chilly one at that!) Thank you for your reply. Yes, our neighbours to the south are a special bunch and though we often are shaking our heads in disbelief, we appreciate their varied qualities. I am what I like to call a Monty Python version of a Canadian - mother's side is a long line of french-canadian lumberjacks and my father and grandfather were Mounties from out west. :-D I would love to see how you made your plaque. My email is: david.frere@gmail.com I have a laser cutter at my disposal and was going to make the model out of MDF. I understand that sharp, vertical edges are ill-advised and was going to smooth out the lettering by hand. I am open to all suggestions. Cheers again and many thanks!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

High, I will email you when I have a little time up my sleeve for now I am embroiled in the annual tax saga and I thus have a headache! 😰 InN a day or two with luck... Martin

Absolutely spotless nice and clean job there, very professional results, across KZread I tend to find the odd one or two golden nuggets of information and you sir are definitely one of those nuggets, you have another great subscriber to add to your watching minions on how to do the job properly. Thanks for showing us this video footage and we really enjoyed and appreciated it. Regards...Phil

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Phil, Showing this stuff is my pleasure and its comments like yours that make it worth while - thank you... Martin

I did just enough of this in high school metal shop and jewelry classes forty years ago to be awed by the ease and speed you show ramming the molds.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Bob, Its a case of practice makes - well, not perfect, but better than before... Martin

I am an avid watcher and great admirer of your fantastically described and presented work - however on this occasion can I, on behalf of all your fans, give a salute to your dutiful and very helpful assistant who it seems also makes a very decent cuppa - we salute her and thank her for her contributions to our entertainment and education. Thank you again ma'am.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Gez, She is of the retiring type and does not like to be seen in the videos I always tell her that I will edit that bit out 😏. I sure would be in trouble without her..Martin

You do so many little details that a lot of other videos overlook. Keep up the good work!

I think that assistant did such a fine job it made the finish better...

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

John, I would be lost without her... Martin

Another great vid that explains mold design. Awesome.

Great casting! I love watching your videos.

Thanks Martin. I appreciate the conclusion discussion. Best wishes as always.

Amazing finish, Martin. Thanks again. 🍺🍺👍👍

Thank you again Martin. More handy tips and some cause/effect to help with future trouble shooting. Wonderfully done and much appreciated...as ever. Regards, Al

Amazing finish

Another great video. I'm still learning with each one you make. Thanks my friend.

Nice video! Keep them coming!

Thanks again Martin. I appreciated this one. Simple yes. But there are still things to learn from the seemingly simple pours. Mark

Another great video Martin, filled with gems of casting wisdom.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Mark, Nice to hear from you again - how goes your own foundry setting up efforts... Martin

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Mark, Can you come back to me please at mmwestathotkeydotnetdotau a few of us would like to send you a private congratulatory message.. Martin

As always, well done sir!

Thank you for sharing your great knowledge with us it's much appreciated

Thank you for sharing. It is greatly appreciated.

They look great, beautiful work as always! Take care, wishing your family a safe and merry Christmas.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Tobho, Thank you for you comments and good wishes - may you and yours be safe and happy too... Martin

Another awesome video thanks Martin

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

JB, You still have not made it over here? Martin

@JBFromOZ

5 жыл бұрын

Not yet mate!! The national project that was meant to be finished by Christmas, hasn’t yet started for NSW, so VIC looks like being March/April next year

I really like your analysis of your casting at end of your video. Thanks for sharing your knowelge.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Slypig, The analysis is me on my soap box hectoring on about what I perceive to be one of the greatest mistakes all too often seen on YT - the massive sized and overly high sprue topped by a stupid funnel it is the worst design possible... Martin

Your customer just wanted a 'Martin Original'. Lucky Aussie!

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Fire, Hmm, Maybe so but maybe not too. He is an extremely skilled old time patternmaker and I have done a bit of work for him over the last few years so he already has some of my originals! His one failing is that he seems to think that I can draw patterns from the sand with almost no draft on them- I can't so its not really his failing its mine... Martin

Very Nice Job!

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

True, Thank you for your comment - it actually opens jars too 😊 … Martin

Hey there buddy, how's the summer going? We had our 2 days of snow this week, even made it to 10cm hahaha. Anyway, something I've been meaning to suggest, but always forget, now I finally get around to typing in your comments: I'm a big fan of multidisciplinary projects and collaborations, and there's another genious craftsman like yourself in Australia who has a modest but slightly larger channel here on KZread. He's into wood like you're into metal. I don't know how near or far he is from you (I know, there are some vast distances down under) but who knows what 2 creative minds can come up with! I'm talking about Pask Makes and his "scrap wood challenge" videos. I often see him add metal on his projects that was clearly bought. Would be awesome if you could do some scrap metal castings for his scrap wood projects. Or maybe have him make something out of scrap wood that you may need in your shop... I'll mention you on his channel too, but since he's the larger channel, I guess first call is yours... Looking forward to your next creative content! You always teach me something :)) Luke.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Luke, How's our summer going - in a word- hot several days above 40 deg. C that's 104 F I recorded a max of 47 here but I think I read 2 to 3 high. Way too hot for lighting up the fiery furnace!😏. I had a look at Pask Makes channel - some interesting stuff rather impressed with his three legged stool with the removable legs very clever and looked very nice too. Iwil time permitting have a bit more of a look. He and I are a thousand miles or so apart ,he is about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up and I am down at the bottom of mainland Australia. It might indeed be interesting if we could find something to do together... Martin

They came out great. Thanks for explaining your pouring basin, runner and gate. Can't beat a good cup of tea!. Cheers

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Rupert, I am an old Tea granny at heart 😊.. Martin

@ruperthartop7202

5 жыл бұрын

Love tea too!!

Thanks for filming and talking , good stuff.merry Xmas to all

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Andy, A merry Christmas to you too... Martin

Say hi to Mrs. Ol' for us. It's good to have a willing hand.

@aubreyaub

5 жыл бұрын

She's not helping. She, who must be obeyed, is the boss. The old man is the Helper.

@MyYouTube.

5 жыл бұрын

That's what she said......

@billharriss4463

5 жыл бұрын

She taught him everything he knows!!!

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Well, you have all found out my secret 😊..Martin

@ronyerke9250

5 жыл бұрын

@@aubreyaub Translation: She who makes life a living hell if she doesn't get her way.

So good teacher, gets very inspired by watching your videos! much knowledge to be passed on! I would love to see more about how to alloy aluminum and how to heattreat it afterwards! Had been interesting to see that! Thanks Kenny Sweden

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Kenny, I have been asked about this before and in return I asked "how much detail do you wish me to go into". The basic process is very simply - just water quench the castings from the sand mould as soon as they are just solid enough to handle, de-gate and fettle the casting, wait 24 hours from casting and then age (heat treat) at 165 deg. C for 8 hours in a fan forced oven, allow to cool naturally. This is for 356 (US) alloy, other alloys maybe different. However what actually happens to the metal to make it harder and stronger is quite a complicated story, the difficulty lies in how much of that story to tell - its sort of an all or nothing situation... Martin

@kengronkengron1711

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the answer Martin! I would love to see a series of your videos where you really go in depth and explain about different alloys and how different alloys react and affect the material! I would very much like to learn more about the metallurgical part of aluminum casting. Maybe too much is requested, but it is difficult to find good information about this .. Thanks Kenny Sweden

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Kenny, Wow, that is a very big subject and to be honest I do not feel competent enough to tackle it. However I would recommend John Campbell's "Complete Casting Handbook" as being the best place to start. It is the most up to date and scientifically correct foundry book there is, most of the others simply regurgitate the same old 6000 year old technology which while it has produced many castings has produced many rejects too. Campbell's approach is a new paradigm for most foundries the adopters of which will prosper the non adopters will in time fade into obscurity. The book is a bit of a heavy read in places but well worth the effort. The first edition (2011) can I have been told found online free, the second edition (2015) can be found quite cheaply on line - about $30.00 I believe. I got the hardcover printed version and it was close to $160.00 from Elsevier don't buy from them as their bookbinding skills are poor - my copy began to fall apart after 2 weeks! I f you are after something more basic try "Metals in the service of man" Its where I started (60 years ago!)… Martin

Very interesting , as usual!! Might I point out that you talk about the temperature again, without telling us what it is! I know you think it's a straight forward thing, but the temperature is not so obvious to the in-experienced! Thanks again, it was very useful!! Regards, Matthew

Thanks for sharing

very interesting indeed- Like the comments about flow and the sprue height

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

Bike, One of my pet hates is the unnecessary use of big high sprues made worse with a stupid funnel on top. These things only serve to increase metal turbulence and thus lower casting quality. There is no advantage in their use - only disadvantage and this casting brings out the value of not using such things... Martin

Happy New Year mate

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Rupert, And the same to you mate. May 2019 treat you well.. Martin

@ruperthartop7202

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks

Thank you for sharing

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

9th, My pleasure - thank you for watching... Martin

Simple part but an Amazing education Thanks -jim

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Skip, Yes, about a simple as they come, but you are right there were lessons there and perhaps all the more so for the lack of part complexity which may have obscured them... Martin

I can hear birds in the background. I could have cnc machined that far quicker! Glad the calcium carbonate parting agent is not talc, that can kill you I have heard. Thank you for the demonstration of exothermic to keep the feeder hot Best casting finish on KZread without a doubt Thank you for a great video

@butdoyou1970

5 жыл бұрын

www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Ingredients/ucm293184.htm

@askquestionstrythings

5 жыл бұрын

But could you cnc 4 or 50 of those faster 😉 (I assume you're just rubbing ribs after the last video discussion on cnc vs cast... ) Some talc has been found to have asbestos fibers. Some talc mines have been shut down because of it. A good supplier of talc should be verifying that their product is asbestos free... but even J&J had a 3rd party supplier fail to certify correctly and some tainted stuff got into their baby powder and other talc products. Plus talc isn't eliminated by the body easily.

Absolutely superb. I reckon I've learned as much watching just a few of your videos as I've learned from the hundreds of others I've watched. You're also the only one I've seen who adds the xo, which for me raises two questions. 1 - Where can I learn more about such details? 2 - Where in Melbourne can I source some and just what do I ask for?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Sir, The spoonful on the top of then feeders is an exothermic compound, its job is to catch fire and generate a lot of heat. This keeps the feeders liquid for longer so they are better able to provide liquid feed metal to the solidifying casting underneath. It is called "Ferrux NF" and it is made by Foseco. This company used to have a branch over towards Dandenong but it now appears to be closed down and you would have to contact their NSW branch. They are combined with /are part of Vesuvius. I also live in Melbourne (outer east) If you just want to try the exo I could stretch the friendship and lend you a cup full. Am in the phone book surname West... Martin

@SirFuseable

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Martin. I really appreciate the offer but don't want to impose. Besides, I'm not eve sure where I'd find a phone book these days and the White Pages web site search doesn't work for me. I'll give Foseco a call after the holidays.

You have fans all over the world

I'm always astounded at the surface finish you achieve. As you say, the fine facing sand makes a big difference but I didn't realize there was such a delicate pressure balance between having enough head to ensure the mold fills completely and having so much pressure that you pick up unwanted detail from forcing the melt against the mold. It's similar to the balance between keeping the flow velocity low enough to remain laminar so air and sand aren't entrained and the mold surface isn't scoured, yet ensuring volumetric flow is high enough to fill the mold completely before thin sections begin to solidify.

@markfryer9880

5 жыл бұрын

Watching some pours on YT you can actually see the molten aluminum pulsing as the pressure wave bounces back and forth within the mold. Now that can't be good for a casting nor the integrity of the green sand. mold.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Mark, Such pressure waves are all to common and they sure aren't good for the mould or the casting.. Martin

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

aclight, To be honest the sand is a big part but I have achieved better finishes with coarser sand (in other alloys) As you say, a non impact type fill is important and its where so many fail as large high sprues cause this problem - on castings made with them its often possible to see where metal has slammed into the mould wall so hard that the metal has penetrated the sand and now black rough half sand half metal patches are present on the casting surface. Internal integrity suffers greatly too, with the generation of oxide films and trapped air bubbles. Generally though providing turbulence is not unreasonable and flow velocities reasonable (true laminar flow is so slow that premature solidification would occur) scouring will not occur and nor will sand pickup. In fact in a decent gating system metal will just roll over any loose sand without moving it. I have for example accidentally had sprues half full of loose sand and unbelievably perhaps it stays there - all through the pour, the pour just took twice as long as it should have (an interesting lesson on just how small you can go with a sprue!)… Martin

@rupert5390

5 жыл бұрын

This is an extremely well worded and eloquent comment - I salute you sir or madam for edifying us all.

Interesting that at around 19 minutes, you can see the reflection of the part being waved around in the part below it on the bench. I think that is a pretty good indicator of the finish!

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

SCL, I will have to go and have a look!... Martin

“Agh a cuppa tea” the sign of a craftsman. seasons best

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

One Man, Thank you... Martin

I love your videos! Id love to see how you go about achieving the right temperature for the aluminum. Is it something you just go with your gut with or do you gauge it?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Isaac, For aluminium castings I always measure the temperature of the metal with a thermocouple - (those silly infrared remote things are unreliable on molten metal) Every different casting that I make has a one page record sheet on which I record, amongst other things, the temperature I poured the casting at. If the job comes up again , as often happens, I refer to this sheet to see what I did last time and if I made any comments on the sheet that may suggest a different temperature or other changes. One of the "tricks" to reliably getting good castings is to keep things constant for any given job. Many things are difficult to control but metal temperature is one that can be easily controlled and checked. These days thermocouples and the instruments to read them are readily and vey cheaply available on "FleaBay"... Martin

Great surface finish and excellent videos. I’ve got motorcycle crank cases to do. It’s a pity that your are 1200 miles (2000 kms) away.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Russ, What's 1200 miles, just jump on the bike and you will be here in no time 😊.. Martin

Nice job! I'm wondering why you coat the inside of the sprues and feeders with parting dust? Does it help prevent sand grains from being eroded by the flowing metal? Regards, Preso

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Preso, Dusting the inside of the sprue and feeders with parting agent is probably a habit peculiar to me! I do it to stop any loose sand (that may blow around during later processing of the mould) from sticking and thus the dusting makes it easier to blow away loose sand just before final closure of the mould. It just makes these surfaces, and indeed the entire cavity as I dust that too, easier to clean, and then you will notice that I very carefully blow the entire cavity, sprue feeders runners gates etc as free as I can from any loose sand. Generally unless you have a lot of turbulence during your mould fill (overly large high sprues are the main culprit) even loose sand will stay where it is, the metal will simply roll over it rather than pick it up. However any that falls onto the mould surface (from the sides of a feeder for example) will mar the surface of the casting with what I call the "dreaded loose sand grain defect". If you look closely at this casting you can see several very small examples of this defect - rougher finishes tend to hide it but it is almost impossible to avoid at this level of surface finish as even the smallest loose grain will show up... Martin

Wonderful information beautifully presented. I learn so much watching your videos. Thank-you. Question: You put a spoonful of something on top of the metal. What was it and why?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Chris, The spoonful on the top of then feeders is an exothermic compound, its job is to catch fire and generate a lot of heat. This keeps the feeders liquid for longer so they are better able to provide liquid feed metal to the solidifying casting underneath. It is called "Ferrux NF" and it is made by Foseco… Martin

Hi i cast one of the few to make moulds for plastic injection tools . i pour on to aluminum models (low melting i pour at 480 mounted on plasters) which i cast from wooden or plastic models in the cnc world i get looked at a bit odd but it does the job .just wanted to now the aluminum temps you pour at cheers

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

Dave, I usually pour my aluminium (356 alloy) at 710 to 740 deg C.... Martin

Ha you sneaked the video out on me Martin. As ever you convey your point well. Andy

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Andy, Note that it was filmed before Loctite arrival. Still have a few (I think) in that category.. Martin

@WarGrade

5 жыл бұрын

I grinned my teeth Martin 😬

Nice job Martin, great finish and explanation one can always learn something if you are willing to listen ( And retain it Grin) Now go and charge the bloke 35$ ( 5$ for the materials used, gas and lighting, 30$ for the Know how) each for them for your time, materials , and efforts grin Tony from Western Australia

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Tony, Yes, retaining new info at our age is a problem 😏. Sadly I did not charge him that much... Martin

@MoondyneJoe

5 жыл бұрын

Yes being a craftsman is hard sometimes having been a leather worker making leather belts Bags, wallets etc and selling them in shopping centers you just cant sell your creations for what you really put into them it is a compromise every time between availability and profit, I hop he enjoys them any way BTW Martin how much to make a widget or a sky hook ? I think a bucket of steam would be to hard to ship over here GRIN Tony

Hey olfoundryman. I’m a little curious about your history and where you learned all this. I’m just getting started in my unfortunate early retirement. I need something to do. But watching you just brings up questions if you don’t mind. Have you been doing this your whole life? Were you a retired sandcrab from somewhere. Inherit the knowledge and tools? I’m sure we’d all like to know more. I’m watching previous videos so if you have answered I’ll run into it sooner or later. Oh and one other question. Did you make those flasks yourself? It looks like they are screwed together.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Hemi, A brief history. At age 10 making fishing sinkers in carboard moulds backed up by loose sand. Then some melting down of aluminium scraps dropped by electrical line workers. Then some teaspoons cast in plaster moulds using a low melting alloy that melted in hot tea. Fascinated by how one could mix 4 metals together and get an alloy that melted below the melting point of any of the four I read "Metals in the Service of men". I got hooked by the book and particularly the article in it on casting the props for the Queen series of ships. Finishing secondary school I studied Metallurgy at the RMIT. Before the end of the course I had set up my own crude foundry. A series of jobs that included some foundry experience and improvements to my own foundry followed. A stint as a foreman in a gravity die foundry finally on to foundry Metallurgist at a large (for Melbourne) aluminium gravity die foundry all the while working in my own foundry earning that bit extra - paid for our first computer ($6K mind you!) eventually by about 1990 on my own with foundry as sole source of income to feed the family and pay off the mortgage. All the while learning whatever I could from where ever I could trying experimenting refining technique, never being content with the status quo or to stand still. Finally got on to John Campbells work and thus still learning and learning lots. No one before me in the family or since has ever done anything like this (they were/are way smarter than me! 😏) Yes I made the flasks they are bolted together and represent the 4th iteration of making my own metal flasks. I hope to do a video on my journey through moulding boxes stretching back 50 years plus - the good the bad and the just plain ugly of them. I further hope to follow this with another video about a new box design based on what I found out in those 50 years. It is a very versatile design well suited to the hobbyist. It is in aluminium and is aimed to be buildable by anyone with only rudimentary equipment - a drill press and hacksaw may be enough. There will be quite some work in the build but the result will be well worth it - my metal boxes have lasted well over 25 years and still going strong... Martin

@sheminger

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Martin. The book “Metals in the Service of Men” sounds like something I want to read. My profession was computer repairs. Had I not fallen into a job fixing computers after school in 84 I probably would have landed in a garage or machine shop. I found metals interesting but computers were very profitable most of my working life until the late 90s when they started to bore me. I bounced around having forgotten my interests in metal until a couple years ago when I needed a piece of linkage for my old Jeep and I ended up chucking a round tent peg into a drill press and shaping a ball on one end with a hacksaw and a file. Then painstakingly reducing the other end to the size I needed to cut the treads and a couple other details to make it bolt up. It got me thinking about a lathe. And I stumbled onto the Gingery Lathe books. The whole concept of building these tools for pennies on the dollar was certainly attractive for a disabled, bored, broke, and all but homeless man. And casting and shaping aluminum from scrap opened up my imagination and need to work my hands. Back when I first learned about tempering steel with heat and quenching, I was amazed that I could soften a piece of medal, cut it and then harden it. I wondered if the ancients though metal was magic when they were discovering it and it’s mysteries. So I think I’ll enjoy that book. I’m also amazed you do production work in a one man home foundry. When I first saw your video for the piston I though you were a hobbyist. But since I’ve been watching your previous videos it kind of blew my mind. Keep up the good work, and thanks for the education! Hemi

Very cool. Is that your missus in the shop with you? Its certainly nice when they come into the shop and help out. Any way nice job as always. Merry Christmas.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Clif, Yep, it's the good lady, I would be lost without her! Merry Christmas to you and yours too… Martin

G'day, Yay Team ! I'm learnin'..., and discoverin' just(ifiably ?) how much I did not know... ;-p Ciao !

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Warbles, There is a lit to learn - I reckon that after 60 years at it I have just about reached the stage where I know enough to know how much I do not know .😏..Martin

Just out of curiousity if you weren't filming, how long would this project take you start to finish?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Jesse, The moulding, pouring, and breakout are done in pretty much real time. It takes about 60 minutes to get the metal molten degassed and fluxed but this covered 7 moulds in this case 5 of these parts and 2 bigger ones. It would take perhaps 5 minutes each to de-gate and fettle the castings perhaps 30 minutes to reprocess the sand (again, for the 7 moulds) The heat treatment takes 8 hours but the oven does all of that I just sit and wait. So all up for the 5 of these about 90 minutes total I would guess. But don't hold me to that! 😊… Martin

nice, It is again a pleasure to watch someone who knows what the fk they are doing doing good work, Please take my words in good humour, J.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Joe, Taken in good humour be assured.. Martin

I agree, what an odd little request... but there are some people who are looking for what they think is artisanal "handcrafted" products by a craftsman without much regard to price or value. See lots of blacksmiths making thinks like this or other "bespoke" bottle openers. Still a cool little thing, with an amazing surface finish.

@beefchicken

5 жыл бұрын

Ask Questions, Try Stuff and it was in fact handcrafted by a craftsman! Nothing wrong with supporting the cottage industry.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Ask, Beef, I guess the customer - who incidentally is an incredibly skilled old school pattern maker - just got sick of the plastic $2.00 ones breaking 😏.. Martin

Martin did you cast the boxes the cope and drag? Or did you purchase them? If you purchase them where did you purchase them at? If you made them would it be possible for you to make a video of making one of the smaller ones? My Norwood and I'm continuously burning them. This would be very helpful for us thank you for all your videos you post. You doing amazing job.

@markfryer9880

5 жыл бұрын

I was going to make the same request.

@dfross87

5 жыл бұрын

I think Martin said there's an upcoming video where he discusses all this (and no doubt much more) in depth.

@khawk7365

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

K, Mark, Dfross is right. here is what I said to a similar question above;- My boxes, I made them! I have now close to 50 aluminium ones made over many years in 4 or 5 goes and I have been very glad of them as wooden boxes are - as I guess you know - the pits. The first two lots were of sand cast sides so for 10 boxes I had to do 80 sand castings - it took a while I can tell you! The last 20 or so boxes I gravity die cast the box sides all 180 of them in one or two days! I currently have two videos in preparation. The first will cover my journey through moulding boxes over the last 50 years, what I tried, what worked, what didn't, what was good, what was bad etc. The second is derived form the first and is a design for what I think is a very versatile box suited to the hobbyist. In the video (maybe in a part 2) I will actually make a box using the minimum of equipment possible, basically a drill press is all that is really needed so anyone should be capable of making such a box provide they are prepared to put the effort in and as there are 8 sides to a box there is a fair bit of effort required. However currently I have a few holdups so these two videos are a month or three away yet - stay tuned.. Martin

@khawk7365

5 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 thank you so much. I don't mind the effort with you showing us the best way. Thank you so much for the vidieos.

Sorry for commenting on such an old video; I'm just starting to get into sand casting, and your videos have been an incredible resource to learn from. Do you have any advice for people who are just starting?

@olfoundryman8418

26 күн бұрын

Sirkay, Comments at any time are good! Advice to someone just starting out - boy - that's one big question. I shamelessly suggest that you watch all of my videos. Look closely at what I do and ask yourself why I do it and why I do it that way - if you don't know the answer to those questions then ask me that's what Iam here for. Be very wary of most YT casting videos, even those by long term producers of casting videos - most of these people make the most horrendous mistakes. I watched the most recent casting video by one of these people and I was horrified - in 14 plus years of practice he has learnt nothing and still persists in using the most appalling methods. Similarly be wary of most of the older casting books out there as they tend to stick to the "6000 year old technology" that is know to be very wrong. See if you can find some of John Campbell's books. This video of his is well worth watching kzread.info/dash/bejne/a5OrlbGTYsWWYqQ.html&pp=ygUWSm9obiBDYW1wYmVsbCBDYXN0IGNvbg%3D%3D .... Martin

@sirkay9

26 күн бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Thank you so much for your time and advice. I have so many questions and I really appreciate the dedication to helping people and the advice you give. I see a lot of people poking air holes in their casts around the pattern, but I noticed that's not something you do. I assume its one of those mistakes people make but I'd love to know why its not needed if it is a mistake You said in a different video that you melted your metal just hot enough to melt but didn't go any higher than that. Is that a standard thing you do, and is there such a thing as melting your metal too hot? What safety equipment and practices do you recommend? Are you able to sand cast things that have curves such a bowl or mask? The curvature of it seems extremely difficult to make a working cast of. Is it possible to make the holes for your riser and spruce after you've packed the sand in and removed your pattern rather than making them during that packing process? And lastly, how do you care for your crucible long term? I see a lot of talk about tempering or seasoning your crucible, but I'm not sure if it's actually helpful. And how do you clean your crucibles?

@olfoundryman8418

24 күн бұрын

@@sirkay9 Let’s see if can answer some of those questions: - 1, “Hole in the casts around the pattern.” This is to let mould gases escape easily through the mould rather than blow back through the metal. The gases are mainly steam generated from the water in the mould. The idea is to use a thin stiff wire to poke holes too just shy of the pattern and to do this particularly in areas of the mould where much metal is in contact with the sand so that more of the gases might be produced by the greater heat in that area. It certainly is not a mistake but I do think that many on YT overdo it and often do not need to do it at all as the sands they are using are on the coarse side and thus have high permeability and are naturally venting. I do use venting like this quite a lot and I am surprised that you have not noticed me doing it. I tend to do it around feeders for example as I have found the area around the base of the feeder (where it joins the casting) can have quite high gas evolution and if not vented the gas can bubble up through the metal mould interface - this can make a bit of a mess of a casting. I remember a job that was a 200* 250 mm plate and had 8 large fins running in the 250 direction on its underside. There was a lot of draft on the fins so they were easy to mould but the wedge of sand between each fin got so hot that the gasses blew right through the metal and made a dreadful mess of the casting. So, I used about 80 vents between the fins - problem solved - and several beautiful castings produced. My sand is rather fine and therefore of low permeability so venting is often needed. 2, “Metal just hot enough to melt” Well, No! some super heat above the actual melting point - or more accurately above the top of the melting range - is necessary to make sure the metal does not solidify before the mould is properly filled. The amount of super heat needed depends on the alloy being cast and how thin/extensive the casting is. However, hydrogen gas pickup by molten aluminium alloys increases rapidly above about 760 Deg C so one should avoid going any hotter that that if possible. Some alloys -piston alloys for example - need to be cast with as little super heat as possible. 3. “Bowl or mask” Sand casting is the most versatile casting process there is. Providing the moulder is of sufficient skill there is little limit to what can be cast. All sports of curved and bowl shapes are quite possible with practice. It just depends on how the mould is rammed up. 4, “Crucible care.” Another often over done area! It seems to be just an excuse to make a video. I have never tempered/seasoned a crucible. Mind you I do buy good quality crucibles - no fleabay rubbish. It is said that crucibles can absorb moisture from the air if left on the shelf for a while so it might be a reasonable idea to put them in and oven sat around 200 Deg C for a hour or two if you haven’t used it for a while! I did this once, weighing the crucible before and after and no weight loss so I assume it hadn’t absorbed any water anyway. 5, “Crucible cleaning” With aluminium alloys this is usually quite easy. I do not scrape the crucible out. I just let it cool down and just before the next use pull the skin of remnant aluminium out of the crucible - it usually comes away very easily. NOTE - I throw this skin away. The bronze alloys I use all contain some aluminium and again I can usually just pull the skin out. Brass is a bit more difficult particular if fluxes have been used as these tend to be sticky and can leave a lot of gunk stuck to the crucible, in this case its probably best to scrape it out while the crucible is still hot from just having been used. Note that commercial fluxes used on aluminium alloys do not leave/make a sticky product. Opps almost forgot safety - I am probably not the best person to ask about this as I am a bit careless 😊 However, always wear safety glasses. Have all skin covered - radiant heat is nasty. Make sure that all clothing warn higher on the body overhangs clothing warn lower on the body thus there is no gap that metal can easily fall into -with luck any spill or splash onto your clothing will just fall off to the floor. All clothing to be natural fibers. Leather shoes that can be removed easily and quickly. Do NOT dress up in a mood suit that restricts your vision or movement. Just my ideas and minimums at that. Hope this helps…. Martin

@sirkay9

23 күн бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 thank you so much the answers have been extremely helpful. I'm planning on picking up some of John Campbell's books and continue to learn as I go!

@sirkay9

9 күн бұрын

Hey olfoundryman, me again. I had another question that's really been a sticking point for me that im having trouble getting through and wanted some advice. I'm having trouble getting my patterns out of the mould and its been probably the most disheartening part of learning so far. The patterns I've picked to start learning with I'm realizing haven't been the easiest but they've shown a glaring issue with my understanding of how to do the sand casting part. If there's ever some kind of an uneven slope or lip of some kind, sand end up getting around it and when I pull the pattern out the packed sand ends up taking more sand with it and totally ruining the mould (its hard to show without pictures of what I've been using so hopefully that makes sense). I've also run into the issue that because the patterns im using aren't 3D printed, there's no easy way to get the patterns out of the sand as there's no easy built in way to grip the pattern. If you have an email or something I could keep in contact with to show pictures that'd be extremely hopeful. Thank you so much for all your time

Martín, I have a question, What is the white powder? Calcium Carbonate? why do you use that? thanks Augusto

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Agu. The white powder I use as a parting agent is indeed calcium carbonate. I buy this from a foundry supply house as parting agent but the bags are plainly marked "calcium carbonate" I use it because it works well, is cheap (about $3.00 per Kg, and I believe the human body tolerates it well (and a little extra calcium would not hurt😊 ) The alternative that many people use is talc, this costs about $10.00 per Kg and some of has a perfume smell that can become annoying after a while. Talc is know to sometimes contain a small percentage of silica so you don't want to breath it. Also talc from one mine in the US (now closed down) was found to contain asbestos definitely do not want to breath that in! There are currently some questions about the safety of talc and I don't think the human body can dissolve it as readily as calcium carbonate. If you are not casting very often the talc is probably fine but if you are casting a lot I think it best to get the calcium carbonate.... Martin

👍👍😎👍👍

I thought for sure you'd still break out your pneumatic "burp-burp" rammer that sounds like a two stroke dirt bike. I like that tool, need to get one for myself. On another note, in your vast experience have you ever had the weather be just too humid to cast, where porosity just ruins just about everything you pour?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Amalgamous. These moulds are just a little to small for the "burp-burp" (love the title!). I do know of foundries who will not pour aluminium on very humid days as they feel the hydrogen pick up is just too great. Obviously higher atmospheric humidity has the potential to increase hydrogen levels but to be honest I am uncertain how great the effect is. We have to remember that water is a product of fuel consumption so the humidity inside the furnace is pretty high anyway. I would not be too quick to blame humid weather for all the problems as things like how hot you get the aluminium, how long its hot for, how long it takes to get that hot, how clean and dry you input metal is, how dry any fluxes and degassing agents are (you don't use washing soda to degas do you?) How much turbulence in metal treatment and handling and in pouring the mould right through the gating system and into the cavity. To name but a few of the possible causes of high gas levels (there are lots more). And it depends on what you mean by high humidity, far north Australia gets unbearably humid (to us southerners) for some months each year, to try and work a foundry there must be a real ordeal. But given the choice I would certainly prefer a low humidity day its just that it isn't the be all and end all of gas problems... Martin

@AmalgmousProxy

5 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 I have a confession to make, in the beginning I did use borax and washing soda it was a constant pain. Bubbles in the casting everywhere. I switched to a mix of 50% sodium chloride / 50% potassium chloride things got a little better. I am currently working on copying your degassing lance. Then again, I'm a hobbyist who is often melting junk to make trinkets and the occasional useful part.

@AmalgmousProxy

5 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 As far as humidity goes, 90% is not uncommon in the summer. I do most of my work in the winter where the humidity is lower and the mosquitos are dormant for the most part.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Amalgamous, I am not surprised that you had bubbles everywhere! Borax is pretty much useless on aluminium as it has no power at all to dissolve aluminium oxide. Washing soda (depending on which washing soda you get, there are several but just 2 main ones) contains 64% water bound as water of crystallization and this is what the bubbles are that you see coming out of the aluminium when you plunge the washing soda to the bottom i.e. steam! This is about the worst thing that you could bubble through your aluminium as it increases both hydrogen and oxide levels. 50:50 sodium and potassium chlorides are the BASIS of a reasonable flux however it too will not dissolve aluminium oxide. To be successful you need to add a fluoride to the mix typically they add about 5 to 10% of cryolite (sodium aluminium fluoride) to the mix and it then makes a reasonable flux but it is only a cleaning flux to remove oxide and it does nothing to reduce hydrogen levels. I need to do an update on my degassing lance video as I found a problem with the latest design and have had to modify it. To be honest if your input metal is clean and dry,you melt quickly, do not get it too hot and pour as soon as it is hot enough you should not have too much trouble with gas unless of course your castings are very thick as the slower solidification of thick stuff gives more time for the gas bubbles to form. Petrabond sands also slow solidification and thus may give worse gas problems. Incidentally true hydrogen gas porosity bubbles are usually about 0.5 mm diameter and anything larger than 1mm is much more likely to be trapped air... Martin

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Amalgamous, Hmm, 90% humidity and lots of mossies - you can have that on your own .😀..Martin

So, graphite on the pins. 🤔 Either that's a bit of new information or I've been forgetting things again. 😐 That part where you sped up the ramming made me think of a woodpecker. 🙄 Another fine video, thanks! 👍

@markfryer9880

5 жыл бұрын

We only know of the cartoon character type here in Australia.

@ronyerke9250

5 жыл бұрын

@@markfryer9880 you mean Woody?

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, woody it is. .. Martin

Hello martin once i have casted brass door handle and he wants 20 more pcs the thing is my furnace can take 80 kg of bronze and the handle is 12 kg how can i have the same color of brass he dont want to make any patination that is making it hard for me

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Rabih, This is exactly why I gave up melting brass! Not only was there the zinc fumes which I did not like breathing in but the colour changed with just about every melt. I was making candle sticks and the stick came out one colour but the bases cast the next day were another colour - hopeless! To be honest I would have preferred to have used a silicon bronze for this job, it does have a higher melting point but it does not change colour and I think is a better colour anyway. With brass all you can do is be very consistent. Firstly buy enough brass ingot to do the entire job, melt a consistent amount of ingot and returns (gates feeders etc) each time and if your melting conditions are consistent you should get a colour match. Good luck... Martin

@rabihhachem4813

5 жыл бұрын

the thing is in my country no one sell ingots this is the other problem i am thinking to make ferro silicone bronze i will melt scrap copper to ingots Then melt the ingots with ferro silicone hopefully i will get the same color

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Rabih, Well, that makes things difficult! I assume that you are going to copy Luckygen1001's method of making a variety of silicon bronze. It certainly seemed to work for him although I doubt he got quite the bronze that he though he would get as I suspect he would have lost some of the ferrosilicon to oxidation from the inevitable copper oxide that you get when you melt copper. But the bronze he got was certainly a useful alloy. If you make it in bigger batches than he did you will probably get a better recovery of the ferrosilicon. Be sure to use 75% silicon 25% iron ferrosilicon. The colour should be consistent if you are in everything that you do. However it is always better to but ingot if you can, its just so much easier and more consistent. If you can avoid using copper wire it has too much surface area and therefore gives too much copper oxide, if you can stick to copper buss bar the thicker the better... good luck and let me know how you get on. Do you have a video of making the handle?.. Martin

@rabihhachem4813

5 жыл бұрын

Olfoundryman yes i was planning to copy luckygene But after a second thought i am going to make leaded bronze 90 % copper and 10 % lead Actually i tried to contact you on a link but not opening i asked for your mobile nmb If you like i can share withe u my castings this is my nmb 0096181951662

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Rabih, Copper and lead are mutually insoluble in each other. Whilst a 10% lead alloy will solidify more or less as an alloy, by the time it cools to room temperature it will consist of essential pure lead particles in amongst a pure copper matrix. Because the lead is so much heavier it can sink to the bottom and your casting may have higher lead levels on its lower side I am unsure as to how well it would polish as the lead being so soft might pull out during such an operation. Also be aware that lead vaporises quite a bit and your foundry and your sand will become contaminated with lead. I think a 90:10 tin bronze would be a better choice. Sorry but I do not have a mobile phone (strange but true!) My email address is mmwest*hotkey.net.au substitute @ for the * Perhaps you can contact me that way... Martin

Just a though, but I think the over head shots would actually look better upside down as the camera angle is looking back towards you.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Donald, You are not the first person to suggest this but I use this angle because it shows - as close as I can - what I see. In truth I have struggled with camera angles and have not as yet found one that I am happy with - a second camera might help but until I win the lottery that is out! I make no money from any of this....Martin

@donaldasayers

5 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Thanks.

Hi Everyone. would anyone be able to help with a way i could contact the gentleman to ask for assistance with casting some small vintage bike parts? Thanks.. Mark

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Mark, Do you have an email address that you can send? To stop the robots use "uppercase2"in place of"@"... Martin

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Ivan, Will email next day or so... Martin

@markbarker4702

5 жыл бұрын

Hi Martin, Thank you for your reply and very sorry for my slow reply, My email is: mooz722gmail.com the second 2 is to replace as suggested ( great tip to, Thanks) Best regards Mark

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

@@markbarker4702, About to email you.. Martin

Preppers don't have a thing on us casters....

@olfoundryman8418

3 жыл бұрын

Stclair, Yep, them Preppers are a funny lot - I am never quite sure what they are prepping for😏... Martin

Has your wife got a sister. (not married!!)

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

King, No - sorry!... Martin

Intro too long.

@olfoundryman8418

5 жыл бұрын

Sins Yeh , I though it was a bit long too, but I really did not think to shorten it until it was uploaded and as with our "wonderful" internet service it was a 10 hour upload I was reluctant to pull it down shorten the the into by maybe 2 or 3 seconds and then upload again - sorry... Martin