Best tutorial I've found so far.

@swdweeb

14 күн бұрын

Glad it helped! There are two others in the series that you might find helpful. kzread.info/dash/bejne/fqSb0bmbhZXPh5s.html and kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

Nobody likes a show off Poppa P🙄!! You mastered Petrobond And now you’ve mastered green sand on your first attempt!! You my friend are truly a casting God. I just thought it was the sand that you use but now you’ve done it with the stuff I have available and made it look so easy, I’m such a Noob🤦🏻‍♂️. On a side note If I bought your ticket would you fly over like Adam and hang out drink bulk beers and give me some tips? I’ve sorted Adams free rent free beer free travel while he’s here And I’m even going to buy a bike so when me and him clash and have an argument one of us can ride off and cool down The worst part of it is I think the beers gonna cost me about 4-5k🤷🏻‍♂️. Not to worry at least it’s not gonna be a waste of money😁👍🏻

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a great offer... fly over and babysit a couple of drunk teenagers that are already planning on getting into fights. 😂😂 Actually I'd love to be able to hang with the two of you. I had a great meeting with Adam this summer and expect meeting you would be a similarly great experience.

@SilverScorpion

3 жыл бұрын

To funny!

@VladekR

Жыл бұрын

Who is Adam? 😂😂

You did it! Thanks for saving me all the time I would have spent making a ball mill to grind kitty litter. I'll repurpose that project into making a muller.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Make two while you're at it. ;-)

I have been using this stuff for about a year now, was thinking of switching to petrobond, thanks for talking me out of it 😋👍👍👍

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I think it's worth continuing to improve the quality of the green sand. I don't think you'll like the smoke, price and dirty parts associated with petrobond.

@Metalstacker

4 жыл бұрын

Stay at green sand 👋👋

Petrobond is so expensive. That is enough motivation to change to green sand. Thanks for the demo and chat. I have all my ingredients and will try to make some today. Be well...

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

You should watch the entire series, there are two more videos that came after this one kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y52JyfBBJyJAUysJDs23NER

You know I've been planning the same switch, you have convinced me to switch sooner. On the kitty litter thing, you can buy powdered bentonite from pottery supply places, usually 325 mesh. Also sand usually at different meshes if you decide your sand needs different particle sizes added

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Good to know. I"m off to try and buy a smaller sieve. But starting with the right sand and pulverized clay would be nice. Of course you know we're both going to need mullers now ;-D

@PaulsGarage

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb well obviously we both need mullers now lol

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage So you'll back me when I tell the wife I need to add one to the garage?

@PaulsGarage

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb oh absolutely. If you can walk through the garage you have room for one 👍

@ChatterontheWire

4 жыл бұрын

@@PaulsGarage swdweeb has room in his garage, paul, not so much!

I agree with Paul on the powdered bentonite. That’s what I used. You might try to mull the sand and bentonite to get it finer. The reason it looks grainy in your cast is the bentonite has coated your sand like a jaw breaker. That happened to me too. To dry out that one batch leave the lid off, poke some vertical holes in it with a dowel and cover with paper towels. It will control the drying out all the way through the batch. Change the holes every 24 hours or so. Welcome to the green side! Norbert

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don;t have a muller. Otherwise I'd throw it in and let it run for hours ;-) I'm going to dry it our and get a finer sieve and see if I can get it a little smoother

@norbertdavis8903

4 жыл бұрын

swdweeb - I don’t think that will truly work as you would be possibly separating the binder from the sand. The muller will break up the sand even finer. Your best bet is to find really fine sand to start out with.

You just saved me hundreds! Thanks for the valuable information

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but I may have cost you some frustration. I did another casting last night that wasn't as good. I played around with things like finer sieves and moisture. This is going to take a little work to get right. The good thing is, I'm committed and I know it can be done.

Great video. I've been casting for about a year, and the first lesson I learned is to protect the molding sand from sawdust. It's a real problem in my dusty workshop, especially when I make wood patterns at the same table where I mix green sand and pack the molds. It's very discouraging when you see carbonized specks marring the surface of a new casting. Thank you very much.

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Fred. One of the reasons I've never liked wooden flasks is I tend to pick up splinters from the flasks in my sand. I try to pull them out when I spot them.

I love the brush 😊 "that's what old men do" are you making crude comments about my onion and bean consumption? 😱 The sand will get better with some use as this will breakdown and spread the clay better. Yes, please do a side by side with petrobaond to emphasise the smoke staining problems - should be interesting. Try to buy "paving sand" - its the sand that they sweep in between just laid pavers, the stuff I have seen is well sieved and does not have any coarse lumps - it maybe better that the play sand BUT some paving sand has stuff in it (polymers) that sets to lock the sand so be careful to get straight sand - the polymer containing stuff will be quite a bit more expensive....Martin PS, Nice pour by the way!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I try to keep that bloody sprue filled 😄

Nice work, I'm saving this for my future sand recipe

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I expect things will evolve over time but I'll keep the world posted as I learn stuff.

Sweet pour buddy! No more smoke! :D Thanx again Perry! Now, it's time for a nap...

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Sleep tight sweet prince ;-D

That worked great Perry! Good to see that it worked so great for you 👍🏻 no more smoke and burnt looking pieces. I may have to try it again one of these days

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I think it's going to take a little work to get it to have the same surface smoothness as the petrobond. I've had suggestions on finer sieves and buying finer sand. we'll see but I think it's definitely worth pursuing. I'll be your guinea pig ;-)

Great work buddy thank you for sharing 😊

@swdweeb

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, you might want to check out the third video in the series.

A well done informative video- thank you.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Have you seen that there are two others that come later and that this actually turned out to be a series? kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y52JyfBBJyJAUysJDs23NER

Really clean setup. Pouring basin looks good with a tapered sprue then a radius which is important past the master into a spin trap, this is really textbook, very nice.

@swdweeb

10 ай бұрын

Thank you. You are a rare exception to the channel. Most people see all of that stuff as unnecessary.

Nice pour! Good job on the sand. You have the moisture level correctly judged. Your "conversion" was painless (at least what you showed on video.) Do try a facing sand. Take some of your current greensand, maybe a pound. Run it through the blender to grind the sand particles very fine (or use a ball mill -- or buy some very fine "hermit crab sand" from the pet store an make a bit of greensand with that.) Then add dextrin at the rate of 3% by weight (of a dried mixture of greensand). You will end up with a very fluffy, very fine sand that will give you a surface quality about 90% as fine as Petrobond. Just use this to cover the face of the pattern, fill in behind it with greensand, and ram. Other than its fine consistency, it handles the same as normal greensand. The facing sand will "cook" hard during a casting, due to the dextrin. You can just crumble it up and mix it in with your greensand. I always use fresh facing sand, and don't try to recycle it. Oh, yes, dextrin is baked corn starch. Bake it until it turns light golden brown. Also, Tobho Mott mixes some coal dust in his facing sand in addition to the dextrin, but I haven't tried that.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Sorry it's taken so long for me to respond, I might start looking at adding other ingredients as you suggest. I did another casting last night with not so great results. They weren't horrible but not better. I tried to sift some of the sand through a finer screen but I'm not sure I ended up with enough binder, or it was too wet or too dry. We'll keep playing. This will work and I'll be thrilled with it.... eventually ;-)

Very helpful content for us newbies ... I saw the cost of that petrobond, thought someone on you Tube must have their own recipe, wqatched a few of your videos, now I'm a subscriber ! Thanks so much for your great content

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting me know, I always appreciate comments like this. :-D Don't know if you noticed but this is a series, The last video shows what I use now. kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y52JyfBBJyJAUysJDs23NER

Nice work. I have found a finer sand at my hardware store that is recommended for use under artificial turf. I use this to make a facing sand and get a slightly better finish on my castings. It has been great to revisit the skills i earned a craftmans certificate for 40 years ago.

@swdweeb

8 ай бұрын

I have much finer sand as well. That’s covered in the third video in this series Good that you’re getting back into it

Quik-Gel is a 200 mesh sodium bentonite used by well drillers. Most drillers will part with a bag for a very reasonable price. I have been collecting cloth dryer lint screens.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@paul's garage If only I knew someone that had access to lint screens ;-)

Nice work mate keep them coming

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Andrew

Received my petrobond not 2 days ago, and then I discover this video lol! As a newcomer, I think it's a good place to start. I've barely started making ingots... lol Very informative video!

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Petrobond is a fine place to start. There are a couple of videos in this series. When you’re about to buy more petrobond take a look at them 😄

This is a great video! You did a great job of explaining how to make green sand and how to use it. I used to work for a disposal company (I.E. trash and pota-pots) and there was a section at the land fill where they would dump contaminated soil. That being said, you could call up your local landfills to see if they’ll let you get rid of the petrobond sand there.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Have you seen the rest of the series? The last video shows the green sand mix I finally ended up with. Been using it for some time now and am really pleased with it. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html Great idea on getting rid of the old petrobond, I've still got a small amount left. Thanks

@beckworth666

3 жыл бұрын

I’m slowly working my way there haha. Been taking lots of notes, and I have to thank you for making these great videos!

Dude, great stuff here! Just starting out in the casting craft myself.

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

Good luck. Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. There are three videos in that series. You might check out the other two just to see my progression.

@VetvsWorld

Жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Much appreciated sir. I shall.

Looks like the way to go! What made you use petrobond in the first place?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

It was easy. Just pull it out and use it. It was nice when I was so low on the learning curve, just one less thing to worry about. Now that I know how sand is supposed to behave it’s time for me to move on

Greetings from RSA. Enjoying the videos from you, BigStackD and ArtbyAdrock. Just gained another subscriber. Wish we in Sub Sahara had the same access to your products though. Keep it coming guys. God bless

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the sub and welcome.

Excellent video! A side by side comparison would be great.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Hoping to do exactly that this weekend

Just a thought. I ground a small amount of screened play sand on a metal plate with a brick until its almost dust then use that to cover the victim, then use the usual coarser sand over that. This should give finer detail and smoother finish. You have a great video and in the morning I will try that idea.

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

I doubt that you saw there are two other videos in that series. The second one might be of interest to you, the third is where I ended up kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y52JyfBBJyJAUysJDs23NER

One other note. When I buy sand I go to the local pottery supply house and buy green sand. It's been a while but it wasn't all that expensive and the bag of 220 grit was free of anything larger so I got a nice cast out of it. I also bought my bag of bentonite there. As I am about to change out the old aluminum oxide in my sand blast booth I am going to try mixing up some casting sand with that. Originally the aluminum oxide was 100 but it has been pretty well used and just about has the consistency of gritty talcum powder.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

If you do mix the aluminum oxide in, I'd be interested in hearing how it works.

Nice casting!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks

I'm glad to know this. When I moved my greensand got thrown away (not me) and I was debating pterobond next. Now I know...

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Careful with what you know, it is me talking after all ;-D With basically one attempt under my belt I an pretty happy with it and I think it will only get better

Dude. It's beautiful to work with. Welcome to the club! *high five*

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, its good to be here ;-D

@rionmotley2514

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I will say that after messing around with kitty litter, I get a much quicker batch with calcium be to not eat from Amazon. It's twice the price, but eliminates the pain in the butt, and I think it gives me a more plastic sand. Really feels silky. YMMV

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@rionmotley2514 After making these batches, I think my next "make" will be with powdered stuff. Thanks

And just another thing perry the sand particles will explode on use and this will make your sand finer and finer.. dont waste your time or energy on re sifting.. just maybe use some sand molding as a ingot mold to help burn more of your sand in a shorter amount of time... the more it's used the smoother and better the finish will be.. also to quote martin here... for a better surface finish run a slightly drier mix. If it needs to be stronger use a slightly more damp mix.!!!!! Turned out bloody terrific by the way. And yes agreed with another comment. That you do in fact need to get another challenge going.. I didnt have time to compete in your 2019openersopen. Which was an awesome idea to get our small community of amature casting people a way to want to really better there castings and technical skills. So on behalf of all the amauture casting hobbyists out there thank you.. cheers

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I can certainly try pouring metal into sand-based ingot molds. I did sieve some through a finer screen last night but didn't get the results I was hoping for. I'm not sure if I removed binder, or if it was too wet, or too dry, or...;-) I had an idea for a challenge but I'm not all that sure its a great one. Maybe I'll try a poll. See if I can get some responses.

@raschellesherwood6347

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb try aim for drier untill you get the hang of it. When it's to far beyond the fine level of moisture. Your parts will get strange big bubbles and drops in the surface and metal can cough back up out of your sprue not cool.

Thank you for this video.

@swdweeb

6 ай бұрын

Thank you, did you see the entire series? There are three videos in it

@Lamprolign

6 ай бұрын

@@swdweeb I plan on finishing the rest of the series tonight.

nice casting Perry! glad you've moved over from the dark side!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Now if I only had a proper box to cast in. 😄. Still got things to adjust with this stuff

@JulianMakes

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb haha :)

Awesome plaque Perry, that's what I got homemade green sand. Martin grinds his facing sand is how he gets his fine finish but yours looks great. Gonna share your videos on my my media if that's alright with you bud.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

share away ;-)

Really good video on how to make and use green sand! I am using "Brussels earth" a pre mixed dust like sand with clay. I had no succes yet, but I really need more experience and I think I should add a bit more moisture to my sand. Good point about getting rid of petrobond. This will give me more comfidence at just using green sand! You make a mot of American flags, maybe you should make a plate pattern with sprues attached to it, just a tip if you are going to make many more flags. Thanks for the video!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I'm finding more and more that moisture content is pretty key to this whole thing. I tried to make some facing sand last night with not great results. It might have been binder, too wet, too dry, I don't know. I've never done a match plate, but then again I've never made more than a couple of anything.

If I may make a suggestion, I've found that pool filter sand gives much cleaner results at .40mm - .55mm than play sand at 2mm and above. Avg cost from most local pool stores is around $10-$12 for a 50 lb bag

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

If I may make a suggestion 😄😄 You might want to check out the last video in that series that I did. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html I found much finer sand at a foundry supply shop

@poolbuilder27

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb 🤣🤣 Touche'.....im still new to this hobby, but work in pools and noticed the sand was much finer. So I gave it a shot and it works great. I know its nearly as small as the finest casting sand.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

@@poolbuilder27 I'm glad you took it well, it was meant in fun. I was just given some diamite that I added a small amount of to my sand. Its like powder. I actually have a batch with and a batch without to see how it faces the mold. It may be too small a difference to see as I didn't add a ton of it.

@poolbuilder27

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Diamite? You say powder and my mind goes immediately to diatomite aka diatomaceous earth. Its another type of filter media.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

@@poolbuilder27 He or I might have got the name wrong. He said it was used in pool filters and I know that we used diatomaceous earth in our pool filter when I was growing up.

Thanks for great video great to see no smoke what crucible are you using,

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I use these crucibles from procast www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018ZM58MO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've always considered using just regular old green sand for my metal casting once I start. The low cost is why, also the lack of smoke.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

The cost is a huge benefit. I always end up spilling some on the ground. With the petrobond it was always stressful, I doubt that I'll worry about sand spillage much now.

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb except that the sand on a concrete floor can be rather slippery under foot.

I started casting last year using green sand. To mix a big batch of sand I use my cement mixer with pump up sprayer to add water. What I would like to know is what you use for parting dust?

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

I use Diamond Avon non-silica parting compound. www.plmfoundries.com/product-page/parting-compound. It's good stuff.

A lot of our local creeks have sand banks, usually pretty fine grain. The problem is, toting a 3/4 full 5 gallon bucket of the stuff up a 20' embankment was almost too much for me at 20 years old. I might have to draft the nephews to bring it up for me now. I figure that sifting it on a day with a good stiff cross wind outside would carry off any super light stuff that you may not want in it. Two that I know of that have built mullers: Chirpy's Tinkerings and Mark Presling ... if 'n ur lookin fer ideas ... but for the initial mixing I think I'd try an old 1-2 bag concrete mixer, with a cap on the opening to keep your powdered clay from floating away.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Ha! I hauled about 1/2 of a 5 gallon bucket up from our local river. It was a lot of work. ;-)

@nutzablaze3339

4 ай бұрын

the problem with river or beach sand is that the corners are rounded preventing ability to pack well, you want crushed sand from a mason's supply..

I use the ultra fine petrobond to make jewelry. Out of everything I've ever used, its the best. The detail is perfect. Green sand makes it look like it was sandblasted after is was made.

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

Clearly you didn't see the last video in the play list but that's ok

Perry, the easiest way to get good fine sand from playsand is to winnow it. You'll need a 15 foot tarp or plastic sheet. Place a fan on a chair on the edge of the tarp. Hold a piece of board over the fan and pour the sand onto the board so it bounces into the airstream. The coarsest grains land closest to the fan. I fold the tarp over to consolidate and divide the line of sand into thirds. Coarse sand for lost foam, medium third for body sand, finest third for facing sand. Takes five minutes to do a fifty pound bag.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

What are you trying to tell me? That the people from ages gone by knew what they were doing? ;-) Thanks. I love hearing stuff like this.

@FishbonzWV

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I've been there with the sieves and sifting. Doing 150 pounds at a time takes hours. With a fan, you're out of there in a half hour and you get really fine facing sand. Wish someone had told me about this. It was an Aah Hah moment.

@nutzablaze3339

4 ай бұрын

best to buy crushed from mason's supply, grits from #8 (1/8"), down to silica flour, and in 80# bags

i was going to get petrobond but after watching a few videos on green sand I figured try green its cheap and easy but 1st must finish furnace. like the plaque did you make it ? hope you get over your cold fast. thank you for the time and knowledge

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

The cold is progressing nicely :-(. I modeled and printed the plaque pattern. Get that furnace finished! 😁

I use both, to me petrobond give a better finish but sometimes you want a rougher finish and thats when I use the green sand. I agree with the smoke coming from the petrobond. I hate that smell

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Not sure I've come up with a case where I want a rougher finish. 😃 I'm working hard to get my green sand to a point where it produces a finish as smooth as petrobond. It's already about 1000 times cleaner.

Nice work Perry. I have watched a guy in Pakistan casting aluminium using molasses as the binder which I thought was interesting.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Wow, whatever it takes a guess. Maybe it smells like caramel when you pour into it ;-D

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Well it would definitely smell better than the smoky oily smell of Petrobond then. Given the dryness of his climate the molasses would save having to worry about the water content of a green sand mix. Don't know if sourcing bentonite clay is a problem or not?

A friend shared this video and it brought back some memories for me. About 48 years ago I started my first job in a Westinghouse gray iron foundry doing the usual entry grunt jobs. A few years later I found myself running a sand mixer. I learned to judge the moisture by the feel and break of the sand. Boy would the molders get mad if you varied to much either way of perfect. I still enjoy reading and watching foundry videos. Just thinking your flasks look kind of heavy. Have you thought about casting aluminum flasks?

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

I'm still trying to find that perfect moisture content 😄 My flask is heavy, but not terribly heavy. Yes I have considered casting aluminum flasks but never seem to get around to doing. I need to make a tall one for casting bells in, maybe that's the project to get one cast in aluminum. Thanks for stopping by. I've got lots of casting videos for you to remanence with 😄

i just mixed a batch of sand and bought the supplies at a ceramics supply store (a little more expensive but super consistent and no extra work sifting or grinding). I got 200 mesh silica and bentonite, both are the consistency of talcum powder. my first test was aluminum and i cant tell the difference between petrobond and the greensand on surface finish.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. That’s good to know.

Nice! Glad it's working well for you! I might have to start doing a trial close as this seems to be the only difference between your workflow and mine, yet I still get quite a lot of entrapped sand in my castings. How long did you wait between actually closing the mold and pouring? I feel I have sometimes waited way too long (more than an hour) and maybe the surface of the mold dried thus making it easy for bits of sand to fall off?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Trial close is a good practice. I’ve pulled lots of fallen sand out. I probably poured within about 15 minutes of closing the mold. I don’t usually start my furnace until I’ve closed the mold and my mouth 😄

@Penofhell

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb damn, must upgrade my furnace then 'cause it takes me about 45mins! Thanks anyway, I'll try with being faster and trial closing ;) Keep 'em coming! Eager to see how your greensand casting method evolve.

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

@@Penofhell Hi John, check out BigStackD's channel, he uses several different sizes of Devil Forges if you want to go that route. Unless you live in a really hot and dry climate, one or two hours should not make a difference in the performance of your green sand. I suspect that it may have to do with the uniformity of the sand and clay mixture.

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

John, Wait time from mould to pour does not seem matter, I now regularly leave moulds overnight and pour the next day, commercial foundries also often take a long time from mould to pour. Dry out does not seem to be a problem even if it does occur (unlikely in a closed damp mould) - dry moulds are often stronger than as moulded ones anyway. For jobs where I want a very good mould fill (memorial plaques) I have oven dried the moulds and NO loose sand grain at all. Providing that you do not have thin frail edges at things like gate connections and that your gating is designed as not turbulent the metal will just flow over any loose grain and NOT pick it up. If you have a loose grain problem marring your casting surface you need to blow the mould out with compressed air as I do and above all use the trial close and reopen and re blow the mould out procedure. I never run the furnace while I am moulding - trying to do two things at once leads to neither being done properly.... Martin

Hi, Great video ! I like the sand, I think if you mull it, it might achieve the consistency that you are looking for ?

@swdweeb

3 ай бұрын

Thanks, no one ever see the last video in the series.

So to make your molding sand all you use is sand, cat litter and water right you don't use nothing else?

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

well... sorta... I found better sources but the basic ingredients don't change. Sand, clay, water. Here's the stuff I use now kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

have you considered trying to add a little oil to your home brew just to make it that much better?

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

No, part of the reason to move to green sand is to get away from the mess and smoke that oil adds to the process

I'm just starting with smelting, and had trouble with molds. So I made some petrobond today after some video research.. and then found your video.. yeah.. So I guess I'll use that petrobond for ingots then.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Should I tell you that we melt not smelt? Smelting I’d the process of extracting metal from ore. I wouldn’t waste your petrobond on ingots. Use it for your castings. It’s a great place to start.

@JoTheVeteran

3 жыл бұрын

​@@swdweeb Good to know. I've only known that craft from Minecraft and youtube videos, so I'm not all that familiar with the terminology. I'm just using a bucket furnace atm, filled with a think coating of heat resistant cement, and a cement lid that already cracked in two after one burn. kzread.info/dash/bejne/gqaArrSvcbC2oZM.html I use charcoal briquettes, and the thing is hot enough to turn iron orange. I'm using the bottom of a fire extinguisher as a crucible, but will order some carbon clay ones eventually when this breaks, and run out of old fire extinguishers. Since you mentioned it, I actually do want to try some smelting as well, eventually, just for the heck of it. Maybe get a piece of iron from my local ores using a bloomery furnace, that would be cool. About the petrobond, I would try some simple 3d printed shapes casting tomorrow, and if those turn horrible, well, those will be the ingots I mentioned. Lastly, I want to build a good quality furnace like the one you have, or the bigstack guy. Something that can smelt up to copper, and can be used many, many times. Can you to point me to some good DIY videos? I know about kaowool from the king of random videos, should I start there? Thanks for the reply.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

@@JoTheVeteran You might be interested in this video then. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZXpqy6yFk7Kycs4.html Actually the whole series might be useful for you kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y70lJsPZDGnnW2n0A_fhF0w I commend you for starting out as cheap and easy as you can. If you're going to want to stuck with it, I'd suggest switching to propane as soon as you can. Charcoal can be a pain and it won't be cheap. I built my first furnace similar to your furnace. I built it in a paint can and I still have it. kzread.info/dash/bejne/ia15xshyZrjbdJs.html I think I did three videos on building that furnace. This is the current furnace that I use kzread.info/dash/bejne/m4F3w8ucXZOTmMY.html If you want something to last you're going to want to find refractory mortar or cement. I actual found something called castable firebrick. It is good enough to MELT copper but not much hotter. The lining I have now is rated at 3200F Hot enough for iron. You're also going to want a real crucible. Steel won't last very long between the heat and the corrosive nature of melted aluminum. Check out the graphite clay crucibles from PMC. I've had great luck with them

@JoTheVeteran

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Thank you very much! KZread didn't notify me that you left a reply. I will check everything you left here. Thanks again.

Just built my furnace and lifting tongs for the crucibles I bought (would love if you could check out my build vids). I was watching your video and the excellent attention to detail in explaining how to make it, and I'm planning to use your advice and some of the comments I read here to make my own green sand.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I watched one of your vids but I kinda need to do my job during the day 😄 I'll check back later

@JasonSipe16

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I know I know. 😋 But I just wanted to show people who haven't used any of those materials before how to work with 'em.

A number of years ago I came across an article about using whole wheat flour as a binder for the casting sand. I made up a mix of green sand, bentonite and flour. I did my pour in my studio and the smoke that came off the casting was just amazing. Acrid, eye burning, throat searing. Awful. Lesson: don't ever do that again indoors. However-the castings had a wonderful amber color that was firmly part of the surface. Nice technique for a warm spring morning and pouring outside.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

I've heard of people using wood flour but never whole wheat flour. I used to get a nice burnt oil finish from the petrobond. I never liked it but other people loved the color and lines it formed on the surface of the casting. 😄

Very please with the outcome I like the no smoke aspect also. I tried to make some back in the day never posted didn't turn out well about like the blender once I'm re-located I'll be picking your mind for a recipe. Happy Veteran's Day to all. That's what old men do LOL you kill me.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah the no smoke thing is huge. My garage stinks for days after a pour, even with the doors open. No more of that.

John, not Ruth. Would it smooth our if you could vibrate the sand?

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Possibly but I believe grain size is more a factor

I know it's a bit late commenting but I find aluminium gives a coarser finish if too hot when poured. I now use a thermocouple to ensure I am not too hot. Great work there! Enjoying your videos.

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

I use a thermocouple as well. I pour my aluminum at 1325F. Any hotter and the crystalline structure is too big when it rapidly cools

@creast56

2 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Well that rules out the overheat :-). Cheers Rich

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

@@creast56 😄

@timhurley7985

Жыл бұрын

That could be the key ill try thanks bud good tip

Thank you for sharing! Let me know how you get it looking better!

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Like this kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

@SilverScorpion

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb thank you!

Looks good! Seal it up well, or you may start to miss your petrobond before too long... It's amazing how fast a whole heap of greensand can dry out! 😀

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

It dried as I was using it. I was pretty surprised how fast it happens. Here in Colorado our humidity is so low it'll be tough to keep it wet. Know where I can buy an infrequently used muller? ;-D

@tobhomott

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I can show you how to build one... 😀

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@tobhomott I watched some guy up in Canada build one, it took forever ;-) Oh, and can you keep those darn arctic blasts north of the boarder? We're down here enjoying the sun, minding our business (as we generally do) and all of a sudden we get the polar express from Canada coming down. What's up with that man? ;-D

@tobhomott

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb that's not our arctic wind you're getting, trust me that stuff's all still right here.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Gaaa... the older I get the less I like cold. When I was young, i used to say "bring it on" now I look at Texas or Florida with a longing eye ;-)

I have used play sand for many yrs and had good results....I hope you can find the sodium bentinite i mentioned. Its even finer than the cat litter..It sells for around 16 to 20 dollars for 50lbs.....I always set aside a container of very fine sifted sand for the facing and once the pattern is covered with it, you can use the courser sand on top. It will make a very clear serface....I cast a 12 inch farm bell today and it turned out good. Look up Jerry Sellers bells on facebook. His aluminum bells run from 5 to 18 inches wide and they ring as good as iron ones do...I think he lives out your way . He has a demonstration video of his aluminum bells.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Getting a third bag of sand and sifting it finer is actually a great idea. Thanks

May I ask what your mix ratio is please

@swdweeb

8 ай бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/omZ-x5qwiJzcZag.html 90% sand 10% clay

nice vid. I thought it was harder than that to make greensand. is there a lot of work to initially mix and then mull it later?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

The initial mix wasn't too bad but the mulling after the fact is tuning out to be more work. If I had a muller it would be easy, just throw the sand in and let it run for a while. Instead I have to do many small loads and I'm basically just stirring it up. This leaves me with several small batches that may be inconsistent with each other. Having a single large batch would be preferable. Keep in mind I basically had the same problem with my oil-based sand as well. I had no way to deal with a single large batch.

@emaglott

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for that info. I see now why everybody wants a muller!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@emaglott yeah, it would make life much easier... except for finding a place to store it, that'll be hard

I've seen your videos for a while, and I was wondering, would you cast a snare drum shell?? just for fact checking

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Edu, I'm not sure I understand the question. If you're asking if it makes sense to cast a snare drum shell, I don't know. I'm not experienced in making or playing snare drums. If you're asking if it's something that I would be willing to try to cast I guess the answer is maybe. At a minimum it would require me to build a special 3-part flask.

@musenbamiguez

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb if it made sense 😂 I definetly see how inconvenient it can be. But yes, I was asking if you would be willing to make one, I know it must be hard, but I'm surely curious about how hard making one at a non industrial factory can be. Cheers!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I think you'd need a large bottom flask and then two flasks that will sit the larger bottom flask and then slide apart, sideways. I'm not sure it's terribly difficult if you build the right flasks. That's probably the hardest part.

@musenbamiguez

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I will try my own designs as well 🙏

When you use your litter put it in a bag with water and mix it in the bag and just use the clay slury works great clean binder

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

I buy bags of pulverized bentonite now, easier still kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

Welcome to the dark side! White Vinegar and Scotch Brite will take care of the rust. King Lode Prospector's Mining Sifter, $8, can't push sand through the screen with you fingers but the super fine mesh is 0.5mm. You can get Olfoundryman facing sand with it.😉

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Super! Thanks I'll go look now.

What if you got one of those super blenders and blended up the sand to make it really fine.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

This was much easier kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

Hey Perry. I was thinking maybe you want to include an extra hole in your 3D printed models for your tweezers to achieve a better grip and get it more easily out of the sand. Could you please tell me about the ratio you are using for your casting sand preferably in metric units? Thank you for the video. ♡ ♥💕

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Ratios?? you mean 10 to 1? How's that for metric. ;-D I used 10 parts sand to one part cat litter by weight.

I've done some lost-styrofoam casting where you pack a foam item into sand and burn it out with the metal. The texture of the model was quite rough until I sifted the sand and removed the larger rough bits (like you have done). Then I thought, what if I sifted it with a finer sieve? I ended up triple sieving and the results were profound. Perhaps a finer sieve will make your great results 1 more level better :)

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I was told in another comment where I can buy one online. I think I need to order a couple today.

@Hobypyrocom

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb back when i was making black powder, i was using stretched women spandex trouser socks as a mesh to sift my ball milled raw ingredients...

I first tried playsand but I didn't like the finish so I went to Burnco (Calgary Canada) a supply place and found what they call Golden sand it's what they use for mortar working it's like running your hand through silk and cost me 12 bucks for 200 pounds of it add bentonite and its perfect although I do use some tig wire to poke in some vent holes.

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

That video was part of a playlist. The last video is here kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

My experience, when i powdered my cat litter ther were a few bits that were apparently not clay and they would never powder. Just sifted them out, but if you are using it as is, you cant do that.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I'm actually hoping that I can sieve some of it out as I continue to work it. I'm also told that after repeated use that it will get better.

i wonder what it would be like using corn starch in sand since i think that is the binder for clumping kitty litter anyway. i may have to give that a go i have a few designs that would be kool heavy metal! great job thanks for sharing. :)

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

I expect KZread didn't recommend any of the other videos in this series, so I'll let you know that there are two later videos with ways that I improved the sand. The third and last is by far the easiest and produced the best green sand. I've heard of people mixing wood flour in along with their sand so who knows, corn starch might work. Check out that third video before you use corn starch Here's the playlist kzread.info/head/PLU1QP34Dv8Y52JyfBBJyJAUysJDs23NER

You do know that TKOR showed this year's ago, right? I like cheap, so it''s all I've ever used. Was wondering if petrobond is better. Now I know. Thanks.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I’m sure he’s not alone in having green sand videos. I was the one guy that never subscribed to him ;-)

Any chance you could use a cheap soil moisture sensor from HD and check what the actual moisture content is of your sand and kitty litter mix? Just for consistency purposes..

@jrsemporium5579

4 жыл бұрын

I was also going to comment on how clean that aluminum looks!!! Another great pour Sir!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I have been thinking about a moisture sensor, even looked at a few. The ones I saw had really short probes on them and would only go about 1/2" deep into the sand. It'd be nice if I could go a little deeper into the container

@jrsemporium5579

4 жыл бұрын

swdweeb the one I picked up a while ago from Home Depot I think had like 9” legs on it and it was less than 10$..

@olfoundryman8418

4 жыл бұрын

JR. Tried a moisture tester years ago but the reading seems to vary not only with how deep you push it into the sand but on how the sand is packed I came to the conclusion that the ones meant for garden work are useless for green sand... Martin

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@olfoundryman8418 Came to the same conclusion. I bought oe and ended up taking it back to the store

Instead of using kitty litter you should go to the auto parts and get what's called absorb all. It's kitty litter without the deodorant and it's way cheaper but 75% cheaper

The surface distortion came from the kitty litter not being fine enough.This option is way cheaper than petrobond for sure. However, petrobond does allow for better surface results from the first use, and less work is needed to be added to the piece. The casting result was good quality with the sand , but I guess it depends what results we are looking for. I would still use both but this is a good option.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

You need to see my last video in the series. The greensand I have now is as good as the petrobond I used and very easy and cheap to make. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

@jc_hz4196

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I will do that, thank you for your videos they are really informative.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

@@jc_hz4196 The key was finding the right components, like pulverized bentonite and fine meshed sand

One thing I have heard about gitting a rough texture is being to hot . The metal is thinner and gets into the spaces in the sand more. Also pore counting can but I'm thinking your ok there

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

You bring up something that comes up a lot. I need to measure the temp of my metal. I still don't have a way to do that. 😞

@OldIronShops

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I've seen a few pyrometers made with a k type thermocouple and digital multi meater on the cheap. Be a great project video for you.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I know, @julianHG just did a video on one he built. He loves it and has been telling me I need to build one

@OldIronShops

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb that's right it was him I could not remember

There are lots of cheap sieves on amazon. laboratory 8" sieves start around $15-20 Most commercial green sand are a specialized blend with different percentages of each mesh size. The sand mesh affects the green strength, the surface finish, and the gas permeability. the bulk of the sand should be 70-140 mesh (rough guidelines 27% - #70, 44% - #100, 13% - #140 with about 2% percent finer and a 13% making up the coarser 30-50 mesh at a1-5% each) For a first go maybe get a 60 mesh sieve and pull all that stuff out (save to rework and rescreen later). Did you know that petrobond smoke is flammable and you can cut the smoke in the room by lighting the smoke at the flask on fire? Let those flames die off on their own to keep the smoke to a minimum (I see too many people rush to blow the flames out and end up with a room full of smoke). My research project looks to be coming to an end, and the clock towards me getting a foundry again is about to start... likely 2 years to go. It's been about 25 years since I last worked in a foundry, it will be nice to be able to pour again.

@askquestionstrythings

4 жыл бұрын

Side note, kitchen sieves are typically 1/16th in (medium) or 1/32 in (fine) I believe those correlate to approximately a #12 and a #20 mesh (assuming I did the mesh opening to mesh number conversion correctly that makes a #60 about a 1/110 in opening)

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yep, I've been looking. Went to the dollar store last night and bought a finer kitchen sieve, probably half the size or maybe smaller than the one I had been using. Got not great results. The sand was finer bu the casting didn't turn out so hot. Hopefully the video will be out in a few days. We'll keep playing with it, I'm committed to making this work.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

The one I bought at the dollar store just said "cheap" and "made in China" on it. No mention of "mesh" ;-)

@askquestionstrythings

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb lol it's probably the larger diameter version of the one I got for cleaning my backyard clay. I assume the one I have, which is finer than the one in my kitchen, is a "fine" sieve at 1/32" or about a #20 mesh. I'm still saving my pennies to get a real #60 on amazon. Looking forward to your next video with this sand.

Thanks for this video. I have been trying to make my own greensand, and you pointed out that mine is too, too wet. Learning about sand many years after kindergarten - I should have been paying attention back then!

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I know, they say you learn everything you need to know you earn in kindergarten. I guess I was too busy with nap time to learn about sand then too. Yeah, it was almost by accident that I found the dryness factor I needed. I still have lots to refine but it's headed the right direction

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb But they never let us mix in the right amount of clay.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@markfryer9880 Ha!

Do you have a moisture meter that is used for gardening? If not, I would think that there would be one at Home Depot. You just push it down into the soil and it tells you the moisture %. It could take some guess work out for you rather than go by feel alone. I know if the sand is to moist the steam from it can make the casting look rough. The meter could help you figure out the optimal moisture content with a little trial and error. Just my two cents

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I thought about that this weekend, even looked at a fiew. The ones I saw had really short probes on the and would only measure about 1/2" (1cm) deep. It would be nice to have a number for "good" moisture content that I could shoot for each time.

Try a 25% clay mixture then you should be able to get rid of the “roughness” in your casting that’s what I do, greetings from Denmark🇩🇰 Ps. If you use oil use cooking oil, it’s biodegretable

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks. You might want to check out the last video in the series. Better sand helped a lot 😄kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html No more oil for me 😄

Also planning the same switch... the cost of Petrobond in the UK is just bonkers... £70 for 25kg - Think I've spent over £490 ($630) on the stuff so far !! What sort of price do you pay for it over your way ? Cheers Andy 👍👍👍

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I paid $50 for 30lbs. I'll let you do the math, its 10:30 at night here right now ;-)

@MeltandCast

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Seems about the same price as here.. can't understand what makes the stuff so expensive !! Will definitely work towards regular sand once I've got through this lot. Cheers

What was your ratio of sand to cat litter, if you don't mind me asking? Respectfully

@swdweeb

9 ай бұрын

Mo one ever seems to make it past the 1st video in this series. Here is the last one kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html I use a ratio of 5lbs of bentonite to 50lbs of sand, so 50:5

@LTDSilverworks

9 ай бұрын

@@swdweeb I watched the second on also and you said 90 percent sand to 10 percent clay...so 50 to 5 😂 I subscribed, I'm sick of that nasty petrobond...

@LTDSilverworks

9 ай бұрын

@@swdweeb I live a couple of miles from the a rather large sand mine and I think I'll try that for fineness! 🤠

@swdweeb

9 ай бұрын

@LTDSilverworks glad to hear you watched more than the first one. 😄

@swdweeb

9 ай бұрын

Here’s one for you. I was told once to set up a tarp on the floor with a fan at one end pointing towards the other end. Pour the sand in front of the sand and let the moving air sift it for you. I’ve never done that but it makes sense. Finding a source for pulverized bentonite will far and away be your best effort if you continue to make your own green sand. There is info in the description of the third video of where I find my components. I also sell sand mulled with bentonite at plmfoundries.com. You can make it much cheaper than I sell it if you can find the sand and clay

If you have a farmers co-op near you , you should be able to get 50 pound bags of bentonite clay in powder form from them for about 15 dollars or so. I am still using my first bag so don't really remember the price.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Just the coop that my wife spends most my income at buying food for her horses ;-) I'll check with them. Thanks

what if you ball mill the sand and kitty liter? would that be better for casting? i collected like thousand of aluminium cans and planing to start casting stuff soon, i cant order petrobond here so i am planing to use this type of green sand that you show in this video... instead water, can i use oil? what kind of oil? another great video as always, keep up the great work and best wishes...

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I'm sure a ball mill would help a lot in terms of pulverizing things. I think a muller would help too. Unfortunately I don;t have either of these things. You can use non-detergent motor oil, but I wouldn't. The smoke and stain that results is a big reason I moved to the water-based sand. Thanks :-)

@Hobypyrocom

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb thanks for your suggestion, was in doubt should i use oil based or water based green sand... because of all the videos about molten aluminium exploding when touching water or moist surfaces i was planning to go oil based, but watching your video and your suggestion changed my mind :) water based also seems easier to master... thanks again.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@Hobypyrocom I was almost expecting a steam explosion when I did the first casting in the really wet sand. I put vent holes with a wire in the cope but I never even saw steam come out of the holes.

@Hobypyrocom

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb check the video "The Awesome Power of the Aluminium-Water Explosion!" on Thunderf00t channel... kzread.info/dash/bejne/hKhhxtajibK4n84.html

@Hobypyrocom

4 жыл бұрын

@@luckygen1001 well hes always overreacting, but he has a point... some mistakes you only make once, that was his point... we should always have in mind the worst case scenario...

Nice results. Was that aluminum?

@VeteranParanormal1

4 жыл бұрын

How long does it take to dry that?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was aluminum?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

To dry the sand? For me it depends on the weather. If it's warm out, I can dry it on my driveway in a few hours. In the winter it takes forever 😄

Could you please check out the 'ready batch' with a moisture meter for QC ?

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I could if I had one 🙂

@stanervin6108

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb my local Lowe's has one for soil for $9.98 A quick Google shows one @ Walmart for $7.97

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@stanervin6108 Alright, I'm ordering one now ;-D The ones I had looked at had really short probes the walmart ones all have long probes.

@stanervin6108

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I think that the double short probe style are designed to be used for kiln drying lumber testing, whereas the long single probe style are made for gardeners and horticulturists/nurserymen for soils/dirt.

Looks good. I heard you could get bentonite clay powder from a feed store or a maybe pottery supply, can't remember, but you can get a 50 or 55lb bag for pretty cheap and it doesn't need to be ground up. Would a finer sand work better, like river or beach sand work better than play sand.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

This sand it much finer than anything I dug up along the river bank near my house. The problem with beach sand is that it has a lot of shell (calcium carbonate) in it and I'm told that doesn't react well to hot metal. Growing up on the beach in Southern California I can tell you that the play sand I bought is much finer than than any of the beaches I frequented. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience with other beaches :-/

@markfryer9880

4 жыл бұрын

I am wondering about Builders fine sand or paving sand.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@markfryer9880 This bag also said paving sand on it somewhere on the bag... or maybe it was the second bag I bought... I think the two problems I have right now is some of the clay has clumped together in small clumps with some sand embedded in it. I also think there are still some large sand granules in the mix as I don't have a fine enough sieve.

@Thewulf56

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb ah, I get you. I would like to dabble in the green sand again. Petrobod you have to buy every 3 or 4 months if you use it a lot. I have a bunch that I need to repurpose. Gets expensive after a while.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@Thewulf56 Yeah, I was at the point where I needed to buy more, my re-purposed stuff gets used until the wheels fall off. I cast in my garage as you know and the smoke is bad. Even with air blowing through the front and back door it takes forever for it to clear and the small lingers for a couple of days. There is absolutely no smoke or smell with this stuff. I made sure to buy new, unused, cat litter ;-)

Ive made a bunch of greensand. All different formulas, ratios, mesh, binder etc. Just.. hasnt gotten me where i want it yet

@swdweeb

Ай бұрын

I know it’s another of my videos you’ll have to watch but this is where I ended up. I’m pretty happy with it Walk away from petrobond. My last word kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

Wonder if grout mix and kitty litter would produce a smoother finish? Got me thinking now. 😐

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe, if there isnt stuff in the grout that will affect the casting. Too much for one old man to know ;-)

@rockelec

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb I hear you on that! I saw a video of someone making homemade "petro bond" with grout and oil. I think with water it may try to set up, well, like grout. May try a small batch and see.

@donniebrown2896

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb old retired tile setter here. Grout consists of fine silica sand, so fine it will float in the air, Portland cement, mineral dyes, and I think it's called calcium carbonate ( it's the part that causes the grout to set fast and cure in 72 hours) not so sure about the calcium. Anyway, don't think grout would work as any amount or moisture would start the chemical reaction of hardening

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@donniebrown2896 Great point. I've been told that calcium carbonate is not good for exposure to the hot metal. Something about it gassing.

I would be interested to know why somebody on Wikipedia has invented a totally false origin for the term "Greensand". Greensand is a naturally occurring sand with a clay content that is found in the Weald area of Southeast England. When first dug raw from the ground it has a slight green colour due to the presence of the mineral Glauconite and It was used for centuries for the casting of iron. Iron ore was also mined and smelted in the same area as far back as Roman times, using charcoal made in the forest of the Weald ('Weald' means forest in Old English. On Geological maps of South East England you will find 'Greensand ' clearly marked as a distinct strata.

@swdweeb

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what you're asking. I can only say that "green sand" is a term used to describe mold making sand that is a combination of sand, clay, and water. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting#Green_sand I was told the name by foundrymen that have been in the business for decades. Long before I started my hobbyist adventures. Apparently there is a distinction between greensand and green sand.

forget the box store sand. Ii buy my bagged sand from a mason supply, it is crushed silica that comes in many grit sizes and packs very well. It comes in 80# bags. You just select the grain size to the size or detail of your project., and you don't have to worry about rogue particles. It's not a lot more $$$ either..

@swdweeb

4 ай бұрын

I feel like I should delete this video. Even though its part of a play list, even though I advertise the last video in the description, even though it's displayed at the end of the video nobody watches the solution at the end which is to buy sand like what you suggest. Sorry for the rant, it wasn't directed at you.

TLDR; I've been casting on and off some 15 years. IMO petrobond is better than green sand. And I've been using real commercial factory mixed green sand and no homebrew stuff. I'm sure many people have good experience from home made greensand, not putting them down. But at the same time I'm skeptical that the average joe can do better job than the professionals and know better than to use petrobond which professionals use when deemed appropriate. There is a reason why any commercial product exists, it is not just marketing and hype you know. The proof is in the pudding and if pros keep on using a stuff there must be a reason. Of course for any individual YMMV.

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

If you're implying that your comment was too long, it wasn't. I read them all. You might want to see the last video in this series. It makes the process much easier and gives far and away the best results kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html Then again you might not give a rip 😄 I have a friend that manages an industrial foundry in Texas. They don't make their greensand for one simple reason, that's not what they're in business to do. Its all about making money and making sand isn't making money. Casting metal is making money. They use the exact same ingredients that I use to "rejuvenate" their sand after every pour. They add meshed sand and bentonite to replace lost sand and burned out clay.

@jimmiller5891

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Thanks, I will watch that video with interest.

Been trying sand but seems to have more problem with gassing but maybe I'm to wet

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

Could be. One of the early castings I did when the sand was too wet seemed to have a steam deformity.

@paullost4993

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb ya that's what it might be

@paullost4993

4 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb there are like bubble pockets that formed in the casting and I put in a lot of vents bigger vents then you did so I'm not seeing how I have air trapped more like gas formed behind the metal could be steam

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

@@paullost4993 Hmmm... if you want to email me a picture or two I can take a look and offer an opinion. swdweeb@gmail.com

I did my first cast and noticed no fire on pouring

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

I didnt see it all the time with cooler metals like aluminum but with bronze and brass got it a lot

Can we re use it?

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

Of course! I've been reusing the sand for over a year. Just add a little bentonite to it occasionally to keep the green strength up. Check out the last video in the series.

@hotheadsniper

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb thanks

Yeah, I'm just here for the pour. But the rest of it is interesting. Even to me.

@swdweeb

4 жыл бұрын

I knew it I just knew it ;-) Havent been commenting much but I'm still watching you

also Filter Sand for Pool Silica 20 Grade Aqua Quartz 50 Pounds White Pool Filter

@swdweeb

Жыл бұрын

clearly you didn't see the last video in the playlist, but that's ok

should be able to get 50 pound bags of bentonite clay powder at a well products store or any place that drills wells The last bag I picked up was about $7

@swdweeb

3 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/pniWuayspc_AfMY.html

@robinyates6244

3 жыл бұрын

@@swdweeb Spoiler alert Hadnt made it to that one yet :)