1:8 scratch deuce

[Ognib]

Well, I don't wear a white shirt & tie when I work & I don't have a lab coat but the "vibe" of the character in the pic is right in line with what the wife says I'm like.

I put it up for wallpaper on my monitor & she saw it & said, " O.M.G., where did you find that pic of yourself"?

[Ognib]

I found a local distributor for the urethane mold making supplies I need but haven't had a chance to drive cross town to pick them up.

I have some time off & on today, but need to be at home, so am going to bend the second header for the engine.

I drilled a series of holes through the jig block that are following the layout of the individual tubes.

cut some pins for the second side & installed them for reference points on the assembly.

More as the day progresses.

Edited June 5, 2015 by Ognib

[Ognib]

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.

[Ognib]

[Twokidsnosleep]

Bending aluminum tube into exhaust pipes ain't no easy task

Great work

Edited June 6, 2015 by Twokidsnosleep

[Codi]

Nice job Ray. I'm curious how your new casting supplies work out for you too. Cheers

[Ognib]

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!

[Ognib]

Mini foundry ready to go.

Could have positioned the handles in the lid a little nicer, but oh well...

[Ognib]

^{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!}

[Ognib]

_{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}

Edited June 22, 2015 by Ognib

[Codi]

Now this is getting more interesting by the minute. Keep us posted on your progress Ray. Definitely something I'll have to try some day in the future. Cheers, Tim

[Ognib]

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.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Ognib

[Ognib]

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.

[Belugawrx]

Interesting stuff Ray !

I'll be watching

Oh by the way nice weather your having,...We have rain and 59F

Cheers

[Codi]

Just a BIG ol' smile on my face Ray. Anxious to see your results once you start "pouring". Cheers and my fingers are crossed for ya'. Tim

[Ognib]

Interesting stuff Ray !

I'll be watching

Oh by the way nice weather your having,...We have rain and 59F

Cheers

Thanks, Bruce.

Yep, summer in Mo., hot & humid.

Just a BIG ol' smile on my face Ray. Anxious to see your results once you start "pouring". Cheers and my fingers are crossed for ya'. Tim

Thanks, Tim.

One step at a time.

[Lucas van H]

Foundry looks great! My brother is making one too, but he can't seem to get the mixture right leaving it kinda "soft". Can you give me the right amounts of sand, water and plaster?

[Ognib]

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.

[LaughingIndian]

This stuff says it's good to 2200 degrees F :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AW-Perkins-240-Castable-Fire-Brick-Refractory-Cement-12-5-lb-Dry-mix-clay-/181326781252?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

[Ognib]

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

[Ken Gilkeson]

are you sand casting by any chance? those impurities in your ingots have to go away if you're planning on tig welding any castings. cleanliness is the most important step and the secret to welding the pieces you have made, including the body. filler wire compatability needs checked with base metals also. never impregnate the welding surface with anything foreign as in cleaners or body oil. you're about to climb a steep hill.

[Ognib]

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."

Edited July 16, 2015 by Ognib

[Len Woodruff]

Interesting. Very Interesting.

[10thumbs]

Hi Ray,

There is probably a powder-type additive you could add to the molten metal to reduce impurities just before pouring.  You'll see the "junk" float to the top of the molten metal, so when you pour it stays away from the more pure batch.  I don't know anything about aluminum, but I've seen it done on documentaries, plus I use it for some non precious metals being melted in a ceramic crucible.

Right now I'm thinking, maybe the steel crucible might cause extra impurities with the melted aluminum.  Was there much adhesion of aluminum to the steel crucible?

This is exciting stuff, I like!

Michael

Edited July 19, 2015 by 10thumbs

[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!