Wax piston sprue extruder?

Discussion in 'Lost wax casting' started by Zapins, May 21, 2018.

  1. joe yard

    joe yard Silver

    Jeff please try now. It is my first video and i am working out the bugs.
    Joe
     
  2. I feel better, at first I thought it was the popular "Press Lard Naked" video!:eek:
     
  3. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Gold Banner Member

    Seems to be fixed, I can see there's a video there now and not just the grey "unavailable" background. I'll give it a watch when I get home from work.

    Jeff
     
  4. joe yard

    joe yard Silver

    tha
    thank you
    joe
     
  5. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Great tour.. I'll give ya 50bucks if ya mail it to me! That thing would work good I bet for making sprues. Just got to sort out the dies. Is there any kind of threaded doo hingey on the outlet spout?
     
  6. joe yard

    joe yard Silver

    If I had the say on this one. I would send it to you today but it was something that I bought when I bought out the wife’s estate and she has memories of her parents making cracklins with it as a child so I would not dare.
    On the output tube. There is no thread but rather a quick lock type fitting where the tube has a flange with 2 opposing flats for a ½ twist lock. What is the volume of wax that would be acceptable? Will the wax be pre heated to adjust viscosity? If so and you go with this size press. It would be an interesting project to make a cylinder with some electric strip heaters placed in a jacket of heavy material such as lead to give thermal mas along with a temperature controller. This would allow a more precise piston cylinder fit and easy adaption for dies.
    I have a lot of the parts laying around and the machines to do the work. With some improvising we might get something going. Right off the top of my head I know I have a slug of extruded round stock aluminum 6 or 7 inches in diameter that would make a nice piston, an old co2 fire extinguisher that might work for a cylinder. Although I think the end result might only be around 1 gallon. Enough lead to fill in the space between the press and quite a few strip heaters to choose from. Being I have the press and they are a standard size. It will give me something to fit the parts to. “Plug and play.”
    Let me know what you think Jason. I work cheep as in free just help out and see where it goes.
    I will donate the materials I have on hand along with the labor against any future help I might need if I go in the lost wax direction. Right now it is undecided but lost wax and lost PLA with a 3D printer will most likely come in at some point down the line.
    Joe
     
  7. Zapins

    Zapins Gold


    How exactly do you power these things? I see tons for sale on ebay that just say something like 300w, 240v.

    Do they run on a power supply? Do you just hook up 240v line to them? How do you regulate the temperature?
     
  8. Peedee

    Peedee Silver

    They are just a resistive element, any dimmer or speed controller that can handle the load will allow you to control temp manually. (Or wack the rated voltage on it and let it sing! Beware some elements over-run if they are designed to be immersed or otherwise cooled by a liquid flow)
     
  9. Jason

    Jason Gold

    I was going to hook mine straight up to 110volts. I'd get half the wattage and figured that would be enough heat. it just needs to be warm, not hot
     
  10. Peedee

    Peedee Silver

    Another cheap trick is to chuck a suitably rated diode in-line, half the power again (half wave rectifier)
     
  11. joe yard

    joe yard Silver

    Jason If you run it on ½ the voltage you will only get 1/4 the wattage. The wattage is voltage times amperage. The amperage is determined by voltage divided by resistance.
    If any one is interested and can use strip heaters. I have several industrial type, new old stock. All 220 volt. Some flat around 1.25 wide and around .4 inch thick, starting around 12 inches long to around 24 inches. Some round, possibly .35 inch by around 16 inches. I think they are all in the 1000 to 1500 watt range at 220v, so around 250W to around 375W at 110V I have had them for to many years from my days of industrial scrapping. I would be happy to send anyone a couple for the price of post. In most cases. I usually just have you donate the post to a good charity unless I am particularly broke or I have request for a lot of items and the postage adds up quickly. If interested I will dig them out and post some pictures.
    Joe
     
  12. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

  13. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Yeah joe.. I usually go the other way uphill, double the voltages, half the amps. Your right it's quarter the amps when going downhill. (ohms law)
     
  14. Here's the cylinder Zapins is getting

    IMG_3873.JPG

    He wants a 2" pipe thread on this end.

    IMG_3875.JPG

    Cut off the end to fit it in my lathe

    IMG_3880.JPG

    Sawed off the ear then turned it flush

    IMG_3881.JPG

    Then drilled it and bored it to 2.02" and stepped it to 2.38" to fit a 2" pipe for welding.

    IMG_3882.JPG

    Weld a threaded stub in then weld the end back on the cylinder and ship to Zapins.
     
    Jason likes this.
  15. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    I'm beyond thrilled! I can't wait to get it and start testing it out! Thank you!

    I'll see about ordering some watlow bands or maybe strip heaters as well to line the cylinder with.
     
  16. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Nice work. Zap you'll be pooping wax strings in no time.
     
  17. crazybillybob

    crazybillybob Silver Banner Member

    That looks like it will work well!
     
  18. Progress on the cylinder has crept. Got the 2" nipple welded in

    IMG_3897.JPG

    And the cap reinstalled on the cylinder. Skip welded first

    IMG_3899.JPG

    Then welded out

    IMG_3900.JPG

    Now it needs paint. What color, Zapins?
     
  19. Jason

    Jason Gold

    I heard he wanted it HOT PINK! Go with that. I'll take the heat.
     
  20. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Yep, that's what I heard too...:rolleyes:
     

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