The Bucket Foundry

**WilDun** · 22nd December 2016, 10:09

Originally Posted by Flettner

Ken, much hotter and you almost won't need to turn the welder on to melt metal.
Good things come to those who wait, look what Santa dropped off.
Let the HCCI continue.

Ok, what do you plan to do with it? I know there will be a scheme starting to hatch already and I'm pretty sure it won't be a conventional one!

**Flettner** · 22nd December 2016, 10:31

Originally Posted by WilDun

Ok, what do you plan to do with it? I know there will be a scheme starting to hatch already and I'm pretty sure it won't be a conventional one!

The HCCI is an AG100 engine, but I don't have anything to load it with BUT now I do. Fit the HCCI in this frame and ride it, throttle by fuel only! I think I might want a straight / flat piece of road, thankfully there are some right here in the Waikato. Well, flatish.

Mhmm best Christmas yet, 700 kg of steel to make a Shell Sand molding machine. What I call a Sand Roll Over machine, this type of machine is needed for production castings with cores ie cylinders and fourstroke heads etc.
First problem, won't fit in the bandsaw, time to sharpen up the gas axe.

**WilDun** · 22nd December 2016, 13:31

Originally Posted by Flettner

The HCCI is an AG100 engine, but I don't have anything to load it with BUT now I do. Fit the HCCI in this frame and ride it, throttle by fuel only! I think I might want a straight / flat piece of road,

Find a Kart frame to put it in, or a quad, preferably with an ejector seat! - if not, I hope there are plenty of bushes at the end of those long straight roads!

Originally Posted by Flettner

Mhmm best Christmas yet, 700 kg of steel to make a Shell Sand molding machine .......... ie cylinders and fourstroke heads etc.

That is a mighty impressive lump of steel! - must be a pretty heavy duty (sand dump box?) you are building - fourstroke heads? - no no no - shame on you!

**husaberg** · 22nd December 2016, 14:58

Originally Posted by Flettner

The HCCI is an AG100 engine, but I don't have anything to load it with BUT now I do. Fit the HCCI in this frame and ride it, throttle by fuel only! I think I might want a straight / flat piece of road, thankfully there are some right here in the Waikato. Well, flatish.

Mhmm best Christmas yet, 700 kg of steel to make a Shell Sand molding machine. What I call a Sand Roll Over machine, this type of machine is needed for production castings with cores ie cylinders and fourstroke heads etc.
First problem, won't fit in the bandsaw, time to sharpen up the gas axe.

Something like this only with co2 as well?

or more like this?

**WilDun** · 22nd December 2016, 15:35

That is brilliant! everything speeded up big time and using greensand too!

Think maybe I was confusing it with the resin sand process!

**Brett S** · 22nd December 2016, 15:53

I believe it would be more like this using hot set resin.
Quite efficient, same stuff can be blown into hot metal moulds to make cores as well.

**Flettner** · 22nd December 2016, 16:58

The steel came at a good price so it is what it is. This plate has been sitting at Fletcher Steel for eight years ( I know I've had my eye on it) it was cut wrong for a customer. I'll cut three plates (platterns) at 600 square and get the CNC to pocket them out on the back side. I've got four lengths of hard chrome bar for the tie rods. The whole machine as such is on a pair of bearings so it can rotate 180 degrees for gravity and air blast to fill the hot die with resin sand from the sand box. Machine rolls back after a few seconds and the unset sand runs back into the sand box, ready for the next shot. Cores come out like a thin shell with a hollow inside. Fast, accurate production for serious casting.

**husaberg** · 22nd December 2016, 17:32

Originally Posted by Brett S

I believe it would be more like this using hot set resin.
Quite efficient, same stuff can be blown into hot metal moulds to make cores as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44R2IbzTvt4

Okay that makes sense, when he said shell sand. I was thinking co2 set.

**WilDun** · 23rd December 2016, 16:50

Originally Posted by Flettner

The steel came at a good price so it is what it is.
The whole machine as such is on a pair of bearings so it can rotate 180 degrees for gravity and air blast to fill the hot die with resin sand from the sand box.

Good, I was right after all, not confused! - God forbid that I ever go that way!

Originally Posted by Flettner

Cores come out like a thin shell with a hollow inside. Fast, accurate production for serious casting.

Good on you for trying (I mean doing) that - it's a big undertaking really, usually associated with large foundries.

I know I told you before of course - I drew up and made a lot of CI coreboxes for Moyes and Groves valve factory (now gone since the import restrictions were lifted) - that was a highlight of my days there, always enjoyed trips over to Masport to try them out on their machines and also took a keen interest in their pattern shop - great days!
Also saw bronze being poured into shell moulds at another foundry, the name of which escapes me at the moment and that was also very interesting.
That bloody shellsand sure smokes and stinks when the metal is poured though!

Good luck with your project!

**Flettner** · 23rd December 2016, 16:55

Originally Posted by WilDun

Good, I was right after all, not confused! - God forbid that I ever go that way!

I drew up and made a lot of CI coreboxes for Moyes and Groves valve factory (now gone since the import restrictions were lifted) but that was a highlight of my days there, always enjoyed trips over to Masport to try them out on their machines and also took a keen interest in their pattern shop - great days! Also saw bronze being poured into shell moulds at another foundry the name of which escapes me at the moment, that was also very interesting.
That bloody shellsand sure smokes and stinks when the metal is poured though!

Yes, needs to be well ventilated but worth the trouble. When we were making the SUB4 (EA81 Subaru heads with four ports) you could run the sand roll over machine for a day and have cores for weeks of casting, opened my eyes.

**WilDun** · 24th December 2016, 07:35

I guess some of you have seen this one, pity it's in Italian (I think), but it does give us a pretty good explanation of how the process works though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xar5r9Jm04g

**WilDun** · 24th December 2016, 10:16

I went mad and bought these (my Christmas present to me), dunno really why I did it, but I guess they will be good to melt down if nothing else, lots of ally, cranks, rods, pistons/rings, clutches, carbs etc.etc. to experiment with (and destroy) ...... maybe I can justify having them after all! ........ or maybe just keep them, (they might come in handy someday!)......... I know! I could use them to build up a bucket racing team! ........ then again, maybe not.