Ognib

Thanks for the comments, Michael. Yes, it is exciting. My crucible is stainless steel. There was no adhesion of aluminum to the crucible. As I reported earlier, I'm melting aluminum cans & pouring ingots for use in casting. On the first melt, there was considerable slag. Re-melts of the ingots have yielded nice clean aluminum. Would be interested in knowing what powder you're referring to. As Ken mentioned earlier, I'm climbing a steep hill & most of my current activity on this is educational. But I'm going to figure it out & get it right!

Looking good! Definitely enjoy the set-up pics of the work in progress.

Hi, Ken, I appreciate the comments. I like steep hills, I'm a climber. At my age, having a hill to climb is part of what keeps me going. New things to learn, Lost wax is the method I'm planning on using. P.S. I agree with everything you're saying, sir. One of the reasons I'm progressing so slowly, at this time, is the accumulation of proper materials to do this & spending time to "study it as a science before attempting to practice it as an art."

Thanks for the link, Mike, I'm checking into that.

Your brother is not alone in this. It built a very hot fire that melted the aluminum quickly & effectively, but the refractory material in mine is showing signs of failing after only one fire. Fortunately I've only got a couple dollars invested in it. I've done some more research & I'm going to switch to fire brick for the firebox. They're cheap, about 1$ each & rated to 2,000 deg f. I'll post some pics for you as it progresses.

Thanks, Bruce. Yep, summer in Mo., hot & humid. Thanks, Tim. One step at a time.

Hot work on a summer day. I'm a hot & sweaty kinda guy so I enjoyed it. Furnace worked very well. Melted a bunch of cans & ended up with almost a pound of clean aluminum. Time to pour some molds now.

Love full on mock ups. Go Tim!!!

Yes it is getting interesting & exciting for me. Once I get a few things in place, I can provide myself a steady stream of realistic looking metal parts with which to work. Then the real fun begins, I can start bolting this thing together.

The day job's been spilling over into my fun time again. Did get this plug poured. It will sit down in the furnace & the fire will be laid below it & around it. The 4" stainless bowl will be the crucible in which the aluminum will melt. By having a core that stays in the fire, the fire itself will not be disturbed when pours are made. It's all about heat retention in the furnace. I've done my homework on this over the past 2 - 3 weeks & I know that aluminum melts at 1220 f & that 304 stainless, which is probably the alloy used in my bowl, melts at 1400-1450 f. So I've got a 200 deg window + - ? in which to work between melting alum & melting the bowl. Will start the fire "cool" & slowly bring it up to the point where the alum melts & try to hold it at that heat by controlling air flow to the fire. I'm continually impressed with the slick, polished surfaces I'm seeing in this. If pouring a refractory mix gives me this quality finish....I'm really hot to see some poured aluminum model parts

agreed it isn't necessary.

I agree with Tim...for the challenge...just to see if I can

It may be simple, but it's never easy, darn it. :/

Sir, your suspension work is fantastic!

It's comforting for me to know that I'm not alone in the world with my freakish obsessions for detail & "correctness" in my work.

I understand & appreciate your thoughtful approach to this.

Blower looks good, Chris.

Feels good when you get it right, eh?

Very innovative! Very well done!

I was outside putting away my stuff from todays pour. I ran my hand over the inner fire pit & was surprised that it has a very slick, polished feel to It from being shaped by the plastic bucket. If my aluminum pours on the parts come out with that type finish, I'm a gonna be a real happy camper!

Mini foundry ready to go. Could have positioned the handles in the lid a little nicer, but oh well...

Thanks guys. Tim, still working on accumulating materials for the casting. These scale up to 1 1/2". Much more realistic than what I had bent previously which scaled to 1". Still need some fitting so they'll hang on the side of the engine the way I want. Save that effort for later after I get the block cast in aluminum. Happy Saturday!

Bend & tweak, bend & tweak to get the fit. Good thing about working on the back side of the same jig, is ease of visual verification of continuity between the two.