Hobby Metal Casting Knowledge.

You Can Learn How To Sand Cast Molten Metal?

In this age of rapidly diminishing practical skills, the purpose of this web site is to teach practical foundry methods & techniques which will provide independance and freedom of expression in metal, people tell us the same message over and over that they lament the death of the old style skilled tradesman, you know, the kind of bloke who can get to, and  make or fix almost anything, or create something from a simple idea with their bare hands.

If you are practical minded, like to build things, and you also enjoy a creative challenge, then welcome to the world of metal casting, we have a heap of idea's and things for you to explore.
   
You'll be joining other people from over forty six countries from around the globe to learn about the art of metal casting, we can teach & share with you how hobby foundry work can be done in your home workshop using equipment & tools you can easily build your self.

The basic skills & methods we'll explain to you have been successfully used by many people who have never before tried their hand at metal casting.
Once you understand the basics of this metal craft then the sky is the limit.

You will really enjoy casting metal, because there is something magic about watching molten metal flow into a sand mould,

What can I make you may ask? All kinds of things. The only limiting factor is your: Skill - Imagination - Determination - Passion. Foundry work is fairly basic, you'll use a timber or metal pattern to create a cavity in a two-part sand mould, then carefully pour molten metal into the mould cavity. The more you learn about metal casting, the better your skills - creativity & work will become.

People just like you begin casting metal for all kinds of different reasons, the trigger for most is usually the desperate need to remake an obsolete part for a restoration project, and when you think about it, it really makes sense, if a part was originally made using the green sand casting technique, then nine times out of ten, it can be reproduced again using the same technique, this is the kind of thing we teach in our ebooks, using practical methods to recreate castings from aluminium or bronze. The metal casting process is not difficult to learn, and once you know how, you are only limited by your imagination.
 

The image below shows a common foundry moulding medium called green sand, the name has nothing to do with the colour. When a pattern is rammed with well prepared green sand in a mould box, the small grains of sand bond together to retain the shape of the pattern, (foundry sand is not the same as beach or river sand), and when the pattern is removed, an exact shaped cavity remains which is where the molten metal is poured. Other types of silica sand can be used for making moulds also, but green sand is good to start with.

Well Prepared Foundry Green Sand.

 

Aluminium is a great way to begin metal casting, you can melt good quality scrap to make your own ingots, which will be used at a later stage to make your metal castings, good clean scrap can be sourced from: engine inlet manifolds, old Aluminium cylinder heads, cast aluminium cover plates, bell housings, etc.

Aluminium Ingots. 

 

To melt the ingots into molten metal thay are placed into a crucible that can withstand extremely high furnace temperatures, aluminium melts at around 700C,  bronze melts at around 1200C. Crucibles come in all shapes and sizes. The best quality crucibles are made from silicon carbide, properly cared for, they will last for several years, they will outlast clay graphite crucibles. Some people make cheap melting pots from a short length of heavy walled pipe with a base plate welded on, but they generally have a limited life.

    A Salamander Silicon Carbide Crucible.      

Most hobby foundry workers build their own Gas Fired Furnace. The Metal Casting Made Easy ebook provides complete instructions. All measurements are supplied in both imperial and metric. The furnace interior is lined with a high temperature resistant refractory cement which can be obtained from foundry supply houses, you can also make your own home made refractory, (an old time recipe is included in the ebook) but the home brew may not last as long as the proven commercial variety, but it is cheap to start with.

   

Internal View Of Gas Fired Furnace.

 

   

After preparing the sand mould, and the metal has reached a molten state in the furnace, it is then ready to pour. The crucible full of molten metal is carefully removed from the furnace with a pair of special lifting tongs and placed into a well designed pouring shank, wearing the proper safety gear you take hold of the pouring shank which cradles the crucible and then quickly pour the molten metal into the sand mould. After the metal cools down, the mould boxes can be pulled apart to reveal the bright new metal art casting - car - motorcycle part, or  even a reproduction part for an old machine, the things you can make are almost endless.

    Pouring Molten Aluminium Into A Green Sand Mould.    

 

   

When you have become familiar with the methods and techniques of metal casting you will be able to start making your own special castings, which may include parts for veteran & vintage cars, or even the later model classic models built in the sixties. The raw castings in the picture below are fresh out of the green sand mould, the large cone shaped verticle extensions are the sprues & riser. These castings are the beginning of clutch slave cylinders for a British car built in the sixties.  

  Raw Aluminium  Automotive Slave Cylinder Castings.        

The gates - runners & sprues are then removed from the castings, along with the sand cores, the cylinders are then prepared for the machining operations, to carry out the machining of the castings, a small bench lathe, a pedestal drill, and some small home made tooling & jigs were used to produce the cylinder as shown below.

    Fully Machined Slave Cylinder Ready To Install.     

Our ebooks have helped many people learn how to make their own: vintage car - motor cycle - antique - art castings - sculptures - property name plates - or parts for special projects. The possibilities are endless once you know and understand the basic methods and techniques of metal casting. But you should also be aware that dealing with molten metal can be dangerous, unsafe practices can cause injuries. The metal casting process requires that great care should be exercised at all times.

 Would you like to know more about this ancient metal craft?

If you are just starting to explore metal casting as a hobby, a good way to begin your learning is to download the sample ebook, or download the Power Point slide show. The ebook is a shortened version of the 98 page Metal Casting Made Easy ebook, you can read about twenty randomly chosen pages. This is the main ebook which is also accompanied by The Design Of Gates And Risers, plus all of the other valuable bonus ebooks we include with the package described on the library page.

The complete ebook package can be downloaded direct from this web site or supplied on CD ROM and delivered through the mail. (Ideal if you have linited download speed or data transfer).

The package provides an awesome amount of hobby foundry info for only $39.95.

Learn more >> visit the LIBRARY PAGE 

But, before you visit the ebook library, take a moment to download your free ebook & power point slide show.

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Take a moment to listen to a short mp3 audio message from Col Croucher, the Australian hobby foundry ebook author. The audio runs for one minute 46 seconds, and downloads pretty quick. To download and listen, click on the blue button below. Dont forget to turn your speakers on. Feel free to save the mp3 and share with your friends.


 
We really enjoy hearing from our customers from around the world telling us about the success they are having. The email below arrived recently from a happy customer, we're pretty thrilled to know that Keith was enjoying real success with the hobby foundry knowledge he has gained from the ebooks, you could also enjoy metal casting success.

Hi Col. Thank you for checking in on me. Also thanks for the ezine. Good stuff. I actually purchased several books on home foundries and I am pleased to write that I literally have my furnace behind me, here in my room with a 100 watt light inside of it to slow cure it. You see, I just cast the refractory this weekend. I am very happy with the way it has turned out. Your design is the best of all of the designs I have found put together. Plus I added a few of my own ideas along the way. I will send you a picture of it when it is done. Thanks again. Keith Taylor. California USA.

The hobby foundry ebooks have sold in forty six countries worldwide!  More. >>

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