Category: Forge & Foundry
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Blacksmith Practice
EM 862 – War Department Education Manual CHAPTER XVIII – BLACKSMITHING EQUIPMENT; FORGE FIRES Whether a farmer can afford a forge and anvil will depend upon the distance to a blacksmith shop, the amount of machinery repair work he needs to do or have done, and his ability as a mechanic. Although not every farmer can…
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Centrifugal Casting
Centrifugal casting consists of producing castings by causing molten metal to solidify in rotating moulds. The speed of the rotation and metal pouring rate vary with the alloy and size and shape being cast. The following operations include in centrifugal casting – rotation of mold at a known speed, pouring the molten metal, proper solidification…
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Cuttlebone Casting
Cuttlebone casting is an ancient, but very accurate method for one of a kind casting in precious metals or whatever. Cuttlebone is the backbone (sorta) from a cuttlefish. You can find it mail-order,but an easier source would be a pet supply. Bird lovers buy it for their parrots, keets, etc. to gnaw on. I’m not a…
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How to Build a Muller
Above is a photo of a muller that I designed and built around 12 years ago. I got the idea from a roto tiller and this is basically a rototiller in a drum. Note the legs: The muller was mounted over my sand box and it dumps directly into the box. Close up of the…
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Tips for Melting Aluminum in a Foundary
When melting aluminum, the best results are obtained when the melting is rapid. Maintaining molten heel of aluminum in the crucible speeds the melting process. If multiple charges are to be heated, it is good practice to leave 1/3 of the crucible filled with molten aluminum to reduce the thermal shock to the crucible and…
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How to Build an Oil Fired Tilting Furnace
4 TYPES AND EFFCIENCIES OF TYPICAL FURNACES: Fuel fired furnaces are either direct-fired where the products of combustion come in direct contact with the metal charge as in the case of a reverberatory furnace or indirect-fired where the products of combustion do not come directly in contact with the metal charge as in a crucible…
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How to Build a Metal Casting Furnace
The following gives a brief and somewhat sketchy description on how to build your own furnace for metal casting! I have and have used for years a smaller furnace that will handle up to a #12 crucible, but needed a larger furnace from time to time. So, what you will be seeing is made from…
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You Can Cast Iron
Old engines fascinate me. I love to restore old machines. Many machines are scrapped because of broken castings, or parts cost more than a working machine is worth. I knew of several machines that could be had for little more than the time spent to recover them…If only I could produce iron castings. After some…