did some Aluminum melting and found a new trick

[bvd1940]

Had to clean up the scrap Aluminum in the shop today (4 pours total & I am pooped).        I Learned a new to me trick today for casting Aluminum.  Save your soup, coffee cans , Etc. for casting Aluminum rounds. I use a mud box from HD to hold my green sand for casting.
I set the soup/coffee can on the sand, hold the desired size shafting in the middle of the can, pack green sand around the shaft and ram tight. Then remove the shaft and you have a good mold for Aluminum rounds but when you pour leave mold in the green sand box for safety, works good IMHO.
Now have all the blanks for turning new handles for the Chicom mill I was dumb enough to buy.

[Bernd]

Nice trick.

Bet you only do that dumb thing once, but then only doing it once can't be called dumb. If you do it a second time, now your DUMB.   

Bernd

[mattinker]

I use Al soft drink cans to make "lost" mould ingots, bury in dry sand and fill with molten Al. Thin cans become part of the ingot, the bottom half of which also makes useful round stock. I use any A! tubing I can get my hands on, square, round, cigar tubes. Dunked in water to "heat treat" them. The thicker tubes don't always melt into the ingot, but it doesn't really matter. The top of the ingot will have shrinkage voids and gas bubbles.


Regards, Matthew