The Bucket Foundry

[Flettner]

i had a good weekend and I finally managed to do my first casting which was a very good feeling. It wouldn't have made the grade (in a commercial sense) but I considered it a success even though there were a few issues with shrinkage, leaving some cavities in the middle, this I can no doubt rectify in the future.
i machined it and bored out the middle to see how big the cavities were (enough to spoil it if was to be used) but I'm nevertheless flushed with success! (It's roughly about the size of my fist).
The wooden finned pattern is just something I used to practice my pattern making (soft pine, very fragile) = not much good!
To be honest, the moulding and casting isn't really as big a deal as I thought it would be, even though this time I stuffed up the moulding by using greensand which was slightly too dry! but now that I've got started I intend to continue to improve until its right.

What is it? - well it's a .......um......phuctifino!

Good to see, yes a nice big riser (feeder) out of the most solid part of the casting would be good, don't worry about the little riser you are using. The "in" port is the runner and usually is necked off (thin) where it enters the cavity. it's to help stop turbulance and to minimise the shrinkage (pull) from the casting as the runner sets. Hey, who am I to say, just some observations.

Good on you for actually doing it is what I ment.

[Grumph]

Rubber cush drives at 28.8mm Dia by 20mm wide. 8mm slot inside.

Too small OD, I need around 32mm OD, slot is right though which is why i asked. Thanks, and bugger.

Will, I've built two bikes for a southern customer, he calls one Viagra, and the other Cialis....

[WilDun]

The "in" port is the runner and usually is necked off (thin) where it enters the cavity. it's to help stop turbulance and to minimise the shrinkage (pull) from the casting as the runner sets. Hey, who am I to say, just some observations.

I thought I'd never manage to get to do that and now that I have, I'm keener than ever - "keener" I said, not "faster"!

I had noticed a neck in a lot of feeders and wondered what their function was, now I know. Thought maybe it was to make them easier to cut off!
BTW, I depend on all the tips I get from all you guys who actually do castings and everybody else as well -these tips are worth a lot more to me than reams and reams of technical data! - that's not to say that the data isn't important of course, but I haven't got the time to wade through all that stuff anymore.

[Flettner]

Too small OD, I need around 32mm OD, slot is right though which is why i asked. Thanks, and bugger.

Will, I've built two bikes for a southern customer, he calls one Viagra, and the other Cialis....

You could always press in little steel sleeves to bring the size down to 28.8 ?

[WilDun]

Will, I've built two bikes for a southern customer, he calls one Viagra, and the other Cialis....

Well, guess that's original! - natural stimulants - much safer too!

[Grumph]

You could always press in little steel sleeves to bring the size down to 28.8 ?

That's how I've been making the OE rubbers last a bit longer...Do you cut from 20mm sheet ? Ideally. i need 10mm thickness too.

Well, guess that's original! - natural stimulants - much safer too!

The first time i rode the Z1 racebike he calls viagra, it nearly killed me. Certainly raised the blood pressure - and adrenaline levels.
For those who want details, bumpy country road, wheelspin....back off ? hell no.

[WilDun]

The first time i rode the Z1 racebike he calls viagra, it nearly killed me. Certainly raised the blood pressure - and adrenaline levels.

Viagra's definitely not for me then - in any shape or form!

[MikeT1]

Good to see Wil, I wish you more sucess than me, I have found at least a dozen ways of not getting a usable part when casting, the few sucesses keep me trying. Making a pattern for a Sopwith throttle quadrant at present, it is very thin section, to be cast in brass, should be interesting.

[WilDun]

Mike T,
As I said sometime earlier, every failure is a lesson learnt - and as I also said, my attempt would have been a failure from a commercial point of view!

I don't remember much about steam engines, but I was interested in them many years ago and have a couple of old books which I had recently dug up. They are on Stuart stationary engines and are complete with plans, they look like they might be fun to build, ie using home made castings.
Do you know what material those castings were, there is no indication on any of the drawings of materials used, but I guess they expected you would be using their castings - could they be done using aluminium?

Also I remember that later developments in steam engines and being discussed in books stated that, 'uniflow' type engines were becoming popular - is that that type of engine you are using?

[Ocean1]

I don't remember much about steam engines, but I was interested in them many years ago and have a couple of old books which I had recently dug up. They are on Stuart stationary engines and are complete with plans, they look like they might be fun to build, ie using home made castings.
Do you know what material those castings were, there is no indication on any of the drawings of materials used, but I guess they expected you would be using their castings - could they be done using aluminium?

http://www.stuartmodels.com/item/43/...eam-unmachined

[WilDun]

Thanks - looks like cast iron (as I suspected), I however, I'm not that advanced with my casting! - still think it could be done in ally, after all the temperatures won't involve superheated steam and IC engines use aluminium - guess I could give it a try.
I would prefer trying some other original stuff rather than just follow drawings though.

[MikeT1]

Yes Wil, the stuarts were cast iron, however I built a brass slide valve engine for a friends model boat, it ran well. I think corosion and wear would be a problem if using aluminium. You should be able to melt brass in your furnace.

[Ocean1]

Yes Wil, the stuarts were cast iron, however I built a brass slide valve engine for a friends model boat, it ran well. I think corosion and wear would be a problem if using aluminium. You should be able to melt brass in your furnace.

Aye, that Stuart casting schedule included CI, alloy and brass. You might struggle to manage CI with your rig but brass should be perfectly do-able. Alloy and steam just don't mix, be OK for frames and chassis but that's about it.

[WilDun]

My furnace might manage brass ok, even bronze, but that would probably be a struggle! - don't think it could take the heat required for iron.
Brass was (from experience) good for smooth finishes etc. but those little needles produced by machining it were a pain! still, it looks as good as bronze and a lot cheaper!

[Flettner]

Got the dyno to load today, first time it;s run in ????? years. Works well, with a ball valve to load and unload it's water circuit, external heat exchangers run form a 1000 L tank. Saw 100 psi on the torque piston so will now need to calibrate it. Lots of black water and froth came out but the water circuit has cleaned up now. It seems very easy and accurite to load, bearings are fine, smooth and quiet.