DIY - Backyard Metal Casting

[pocket-rocket]

How much does it run to start doing something like this? I know cost will depend largely on what I have on hand vs what I have to buy, but I do have a pretty much full tank of propane I was given and I don't know how much aluminum. I mean, I've got enough cans to fill up the bed on my truck probably about twice (and lets face it, aluminum scrap prices aren't very impressive right now), plus tons of scrap aluminum from working on vehicles when I was laid off. I do have experience with plumbing; it's what I used to do when I worked at Keystone RV, so I'm no stranger to working with pipe and fittings and such.

[Xnke]

Scrap the cans, they aren't worth using. Not only do you get less than 60% usable metal, it's the wrong alloy. Will be gummy, nasty stuff to pour, extremely soft and bendy, and doesn't machine worth a crap.

Pistons/wheels/engine cases/cylinder heads/intake manifolds are the win. Pistons are very fluid when melted, and make very fine detail easy. Anything that is already cast is perfect for re-casting.

The big investment is in the casting media, you need minimum 200lbs of sand if you're going to do sand casting (most versatile method) and you can go water-bound greensand (cheap but hard to master) or oil-bonded greensand, which gives professional results quick and easy but requires more work to keep ready to use and also can be very expensive to buy initially, as you are literally shipping 200lbs of sand.

[pocket-rocket]

Thanks for the info. I've watched quite a few backyard metal casting videos on YouTube, most likely the ones linked in post #1 and then some and I find it a neat and interesting way of DIY.

[Xnke]

I don't know if BYMCForums is still around or not, Lionel may have moved on to other things by now.

[ericjon262]

I go to alloy avenue, lots of good info on there. it's where I got the concept for my burner. estimates put it's heat output at 150,000 BTU. I built the torch for about $100, but I'm sure it could be done much cheaper. I have no idea what I've spent on my furnace so far.

http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/forum.php

[ericjon262]

here's a couple of crappy videos, I still need to make a lid for my furnace.

[ericjon262]

I did something! I poured the aluminum into some casting sand with an open top, I used a block of wood for the "pattern" and you can see the woodgrain in the metal. I'm pretty stoked with how well this turned out. now on to bigger projects.