The Bucket Foundry

[ken seeber]

So I'm guessing it's SLA. FDM is going to be well bumpy without heaps of work. Pissing around too much with our Polyjet at work of late. Great for prototypes but a drag for production. Good finish though.

Well bumpy it was. Hence the spot putty and primer surfacer. It's a Leapfrog Creatr with twin head, one of the early ones.

Now Dave, you've now got yourself into a bit of a pickle. With an SLA machine at your disposal, we at Foundry are now looking forward (no, expecting) to see some moulds, lost SLA printed castings etc etc. Even if it's 50 cc we don't mind.

[F5 Dave]

Polyjet is slightly different to SLA. Well quite different. It lays down layers on a tray with a mat of support material like an inkjet printer and UV cures that layer at a time. Don't think for a minute that I actually know what I'm talking about.

[husaberg]

Polyjet is slightly different to SLA. Well quite different. It lays down layers on a tray with a mat of support material like an inkjet printer and UV cures that layer at a time. Don't think for a minute that I actually know what I'm talking about.

For some reason i thought you worked at a musical instrument factory.
But seeing your work sig the other day it was more like you arrange the orchestra for the 1812 overture.

[WilDun]

Don't think for a minute that I actually know what I'm talking about.

Same here Dave, but if you aren't afraid of being wrong now and again, just make a statement (somewhere in the ball park of course) and by the end of the day you will know - someone will quickly clarify things!

[husaberg]

not foundry
Hydroforming with grease

with rubber and a jack

hands and water

[Frits Overmars]

Don't think for a minute that I actually know what I'm talking about.

Same here Dave, but if you aren't afraid of being wrong now and again, just make a statement (somewhere in the ball park of course) and by the end of the day you will know - someone will quickly clarify things!

Very philosophical Will, and quite correct.
We all start our knowledge by not knowing anything, so our first statements won't even be in the ball park. But we will either be put straight by someone with a bit more knowledge or experience, or we will repeat our mistakes so often that we will start noticing them ourselves. And suspecting that we may be wrong is the first step to wisdom.
I was lucky enough to work and live with the Master of two-strokes, Jan Thiel, and three things come to mind: his elephant-like memory, his unequalled experience
and his eternal doubt about everything (and his handwriting; it was nearly identical to mine and sometimes, looking over old notes, we were not sure who wrote what).

I used to make a living as technical editor, and searching for the most lucid way of explaining something often enhanced my own insight as well.
It's what I still do: writing in forums and creating the impression that I know what I'm talking about. Hell, sometimes I even believe it myself .

[lohring]

I used to make a living as technical editor, and searching for the most lucid way of explaining something often enhanced my own insight as well.
It's what I still do: writing in forums and creating the impression that I know what I'm talking about. Hell, sometimes I even believe it myself .

I knew we had something in common. In the distant past I was a technical writer for General Dynamics Electric Boat Division. I didn't know anything about submarines, but was surrounded by ex navy chief petty officers that did. I did know how to edit their knowledge into "proper" (American) English. The experience was very educational. I still write articles on model boating and engines as a hobby.

Lohring Miller

[WilDun]

Good to hear all that stuff, sort of gives you the feeling of knowing the people you are talking to!
I think I would have enjoyed doing the type of work you guys did.

Unfortunately I never progressed in the field of engines and motors (which was what I really wanted to do), I was a farmer's son and was expected to be only interested in farming, so went to work on my father's farm where I was a bit of a misfit, I spent my days watching various types of military aircraft constantly flying around us, mostly unnoticed by the majority of people living in the area - didn't excite them at all!
Later on, motorcycles, often with me on board were also flying around the area, that did arouse interest (mostly negative).

My interest in metal casting came from going into the local foundry on the way home from school and spending the odd half hour just observing what went on, I also visited the local scrapyard every day for a while to admire two Bristol sleeve valve radials recovered from a Wellington bomber which had crashed locally, but they eventually disappeared (no doubt to the furnace!).

Then, after moving to NZ I managed to dabble in all the stuff which interested me, but was really too busy trying to make a living to get deeply involved ...... unfortunately,

Must say though that I have acquired a lot of info on metal casting right here on this forum.

[lohring]

Will, you are becoming one of my internet "friends". I think I majored in shop in high school. I started out in manufacturing with an eye toward becoming an engineer. I worked in the engineering departments of companies that made everything from atomic submarines to zippers, but never as an engineer. All of these companies are gone but two; Lyman Gunsight and Electric Boat. These days I'm a dentist and engineering model engines is my hobby. I have a 1960s machine shop with a vertical mill and a Monarch lathe. I'm thinking of moving into the 21st century with a 3D printer, but I need to master 3D model design first. We'll see if a really old guy can learn Fusion 360.

Lohring Miller

[WilDun]

Will, you are becoming one of my internet "friends". I think I majored in shop in high school. I started out in manufacturing with an eye toward becoming an engineer. I worked in the engineering departments of companies that made everything from atomic submarines to zippers, but never as an engineer. All of these companies are gone but two; Lyman Gunsight and Electric Boat. These days I'm a dentist and engineering model engines is my hobby. I have a 1960s machine shop with a vertical mill and a Monarch lathe. I'm thinking of moving into the 21st century with a 3D printer, but I need to master 3D model design first. We'll see if a really old guy can learn Fusion 360.
Lohring Miller

Flettner (Neil) has proven to us all just what can be done using pencil and paper, old style foundry technology, modern two stroke design and will power to actually produce his home designed two stroke aircraft and motorcycle engines, all built from scratch using his own innovations as well as modern day proven ideas.
Not so sure that a lot of people actually appreciate just how unique he is in this field.

I would have loved to have been able to do all this stuff too, but now I don't think I have the drive (probably never had), nor the time left to do all that and so my thoughts will probably remain as thoughts in my head.
However I think that 3d printers are very interesting and perhaps better and safer for this old guy to be playing with, than a messy home machine shop/foundry which isn't very conducive to keeping friendly with the family or neighbours!

My son seems to think that 3D printing would be a great hobby for me, (probably thinks that it could get me out of my unsafe workshop!) but I see it as just an aid for patternmaking to be used in conjunction with my crude foundry and not as a hobby in itself.

Most people don't quite understand this! - the first thing they think of is making a gun or some miraculous machine to put on the shelf for people to admire.
I probably couldn't justify spending money on one of these - a worthwhile one (as opposed to the many gimmicky ones on the market) could be quite expensive for me and yes, of course there's the software to buy and then learning it is something else - etc. etc.

3D printers I find fascinating, but only as an addition to a budget home foundry, and expensive, .....well .... maybe better not! - I think that doing patterns the old woodworking way is probably best for someone in my position to do - traditional patternmaking can also be a great hobby in itself of course!

[Flettner]

Lohring, Ha ha, your screwed, if you are like me I start to learn Geomagic (? , I think that's what its called) and end up cornered somewhere in the program. Usually just turn the computer off and go out to the shed and just make the part I was trying to draw. it's jolly frustrating. Personaly I need to sit down with someone that knows the program and every time I'm stumped just ask. I find Help file would be better named Helpless! Just need to keep at it I guess.
From what I see in your back ground I think you will be way more patient and master your program quickly, I'd say good luck but if you are relying on luck you are never going to get there

[Flettner]

Will, I'm going to do a cast up before Christmas, some cylinders and crank cases. You are welcome to attend if you like.
That goes for others on this thread too if they want to.

[WilDun]

Will, I'm going to do a cast up before Christmas, some cylinders and crank cases. You are welcome to attend if you like.
That goes for others on this thread too if they want to.

Yes, thanks count me in, I'll do my best to actually be there this time!
Just let me know in advance when it's on (weather permitting of course).
Hope some of the others do manage to go as well.

[Ocean1]

I have a 1960s machine shop with a vertical mill and a Monarch lathe.

Anything like this one?

[ken seeber]

As an alternative to green sand, which is water based, there are oil based alternatives, which give a better finish. Reading the blurbs, it appears that because the steam generated by the water based green sand is a lot more voluminous than the vapours of the oil based sands, much finer sands can be used, hence the better finish. One type being Petrobond.

http://smelko.com/?page_id=322
http://fennetic.net/gingery_machines/petrobond.html
http://castinghobbyfaq.bareboogerhos...dingsand.shtml

Of interest is KBond, some thing which one can make oneself (= good). Appropriately, it calls up for 2 stroke oil, which makes perfect sense, given the reason we are all here for. Aren’t we ?

http://castinghobbyfaq.bareboogerhost.com/kbond.shtml

Anyone had any experience with either ?

As a total aside from hot metal splashing, how was the MGP (& also M2 & M3 which we normally never get to see, certainly on free-to-air) racing yesterday. Absolutely brilliant. Who’d ever, ever watch F1 after that ?