Backyard Casting Fails

These are interesting to watch if nothing else to know what NOT to do when melting metal.

It is really as important or perhaps more important to know what NOT to do as it is knowing what to do.

I will start a list here of backyard casting failures.
Many of my pours are fully qualified to be here; I have definitely had my fair share of failures.

Edit:
If we decide to keep this thread going, I would like to add that the intent is not to criticize others, but rather to point out serious mistakes that perhaps we are not aware of and mistakes that we can avoid.

I would ask that if you post here, don't post videos from people who create obviously crazy and dangerous videos because they have monitized their y-tube accounts and are trying to drive their view count, but rather limit your posts to videos of typical people (like the folks here) who are genuinely trying to learn metal casting, and who could befit from a little feedback on some do's and don'ts.

And if you post a video, try to quote an exact time where the problem occurs so that we can immediately see what the problem is without having to watch a 30 minute video.

 

See 2:30.

 

And another word to the wise, anticipate problems, and whatever you do, don't store a 40 lb tank of propane right beside your furnace.
Sometimes things go wrong, but it is extremely important that they don't go from wrong to disaster.
Keep the propane tank a good distance away from the furnance.

 

Boots are always a good idea when dealing with molten metal.
Those sneakers are going to catch metal, and you cannot get a shoe off fast enough if you get metal down the laces.

 

See 1:50.
As he mentions, this is why you wear boots.

 

See 2:40 and 27:30 (a tw0-fer, two fails in one video).
This is SV Seeker Dave; nice boat man.

 

I saw this one posted recently somewhere; perhaps here.
I think it was a steel crucible. Those things don't last very long.

 

Propane hose failure at 1:45.

Like he mentions in the video, I did not know anyone who did castings when I started in 2011, and so it was trial-by-fire, some days literally.

 

No eye protection at all.
This guy is right on the edge of disaster, and got lucky in my opinion on this pour.

 

This is why I wear leathers, leather boots, full face shield, etc.
I had an ingot mold do this with some really hot iron, and some of it went into the top of my gloves.
Better to watch these videos and understand how to avoid such things.

 

That 2nd to last video, That fool wins the Darwin award hands down.

Must be a new Olympic sport, 100 yard marathon with a load of molten metal.

 

I think I know what happened with that hose melting. I have the same furnace. The first time I fired it up the flame was inside the burner tube and I was getting the same issues he described. After cranking up the gas pressure, the flame moved outside of the tube and the furnace settled out to a dull roar.

 

This video demonstrates some of the problems you may have with casting aluminum indoors.

I can't remember what was decided about the exact cause of the molten metal popping out of the mold (metal expansion, moisture explosion?, I am not sure), but as I mentioned above, this happened to me with hot iron, and this is probably the most difficult thing to protect against as far as keeping it out of you gloves, jacket, etc.

I would say rule #1 is protect the eyes; everything else is secondary in my opinion.

Another thing that is apparent in this video is that it may not be a good idea to pour with open pockets in your clothing.
I use a leather apron.
I have heard some mention the rain-on-the-roof analogy, where they describe thinking in terms of rain coming down from above, and thinking about what will catch the rain.

 

This video demonstrates what can happen if you have too much moisture in the mold, and the moisture flashes to steam.
The guy in the back (in the gray) has his faceshield up to get a better view, and almost gets a face full of hot iron when the mold ejects.
See 0:15.

I always assume that the mold may have some moisture in it, but I do go to great lengths to keep my sand dry (store it indoors in 5 gal sealed buckets), and I don't let my molds sit around in the shop very long before I pour them.

I also try to keep my faceshield down as far as possible to cover my neck and keep splatters from going down my shirt.

Some people lightly flame the interior of their molds with a propane torch to drive off any residual moisture, but I have not tried that yet with molds. I have done that with cores.

I just purchased some water-based green sand, so I am going to have to be careful not to mull too much water into it when it begins to dry out.

 

This guy talks about what he wears at iron pours at 1:30.

He also mentions that every furnace has its own personality, or way that it operates, and I would add this can apply to burners too, and you have to learn how to operate your particular burner with your particular furnace.

 

Here is a pretty big backfire out of a mold at 1:20, and another pretty big reaction at 1:50.

 

This is a good video from the standpoint that he posted it so that others could avoid the many mistakes that were made, such as:

1. No face/eye protection.
2. No protection on the top of the head.
3. Mixing water and molten metal.
4. No leathers or protective coverings on some of the individuals.

And an excellent example of some of the hazards of casting indoors.
Things can and sometimes do go wrong, and if everything is outdoors, then you can generally simply step away from a problem and let it burn if necessary.

And I like a remote fuel shutoff valve at the (remote) fuel tank, not just at the burner, in case a fuel line fails.

 

Here is a video I took at the Metal Museum a few years ago, during an iron pour, and it demonstrates the large pressure that can built up inside of a tall mold.
These molds are of the resin-bound variety, and while they are very strong, they can leak at the seam.
I generally use furnace cement to seal the seams, and I use weights on top since the cement sometimes fails.

Even in low-profile molds with horizontal seams, there can still be quite a lot of pressure buildup with the heavier metals such as brass/bronze, and iron.

What happened in this video is that the mold leaked down low on the side, and the molten metal vaporized the metal banding, sending a stream of molten metal sideways about 36" out.
Definitely something to be aware of, and a reminder of where not to out your feet while pouring a tall mold.

And also a reminder of how heavy a large ladle of iron can be (the guy on the left cannot lift his side); something to be mindful of if you intend to try and lift and pour it.

 

This is not really a fail... but I have not seen bronze do what this pot of metal is doing... ??? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing this is BRASS.... Can any of you brass gurus school me please?