Hello Everyone

Discussion in 'New member introductions' started by ShorelineJohn, May 16, 2019.

  1. Well I have been cast items in bronze and aluminum for about 10 years but I am most definitely still a novice. Spent all last weekend trying to make a mold of a tiller to rudder yoke and just never got a mold that was good enough to fire up the furnace for. For me its just part of the hobby.

    My furnace is a propane with electric fan type, and will hold a #10 crucible, I have used a #12 but its tight.
    I have about 3 cf of green sand and a fairly decent sand table set up, I'll post a picture of it on a thread I saw on this forum.

    Hopefully I'll be posting pics of the yoke soon. I have made this piece before but I was trying to cast a 3/8" hole for the shaft using a core and well it just didn't work out. I'll keep trying.
     
  2. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Hi John, welcome to the forum.
    could you just drill the part after it is cast instead of trying to core it??
     
  3. Welcome! It will be great to see your setup.
     
  4. PatJ

    PatJ Silver

    Great to have you.
    We need pictures.
    .
     
  5. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Shoreline John sounds like a sailor! Welcome ABOARD! (see what I did there?)
    Pictures or didn't happen. We live for pictures.
     
  6. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Gold Banner Member

    Welcome! Looking forward to seeing your project come together.

    Jeff
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2019
  7. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    Good to have another PNW member. Welcome.

    Denis
     
  8. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Welcome and pics!
     
  9. I didn't see what you did, mate. You may get dry docked.
     
  10. OK I know, no pictures its not real so here is a pic of the table
    Webp.net-resizeimage (1).jpg
    and here is one of the yoke I've been working on.
    Webp.net-resizeimage (2).jpg

    This is the first attempt, I found I need to make the base longer which also came out ok. No pictures of them so they might not be real, but when I tried to drill a 5/8" hole in the base it came out bad, top of the was larger than the bottom a had that three corner shape. If I had a better drill press, but a Harbor Freight bench top just won't put a 5/8" hole into bronze so I tried a 1/2" hand drill, just didn't do a good job. I do think the sand core approach will work, I just need to rethink the mold.
     
  11. Looks like a picture of a portable furnace too.

    Nothing wrong with a little drill press. How were you holding the part to drill? I assume you stepped it out several times. You might try one of HF's step drills to make sure the 5/8" start is round. you might have to build a stand to hold your drill press vise sideways up at the point you're drilling. You can also make a U shaped drill guide to drill through and set screw it to the part to be drilled so the bit can't walk around.

    Sand core is tough because it may be a little offcenter which makes drilling in a precision location difficult.

    I don't ever do anything, I just have lots of ideas.:oops:
     
  12. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    Rather than step drill, an alternative might be to just drill a 1/8 or slightly larger pilot hole so that the very center portion of the 5/8 drill does not have to push through metal. That will greatly reduce the needed pressure on the bit but will not promote grabbing by the bit the way step drilling does. If your bit is good and sharp, it should be possible to drill 5/8 in a piloted bronze hole as a single operation with a very low power drill motor or drill press.

    Denis
     
  13. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Try making the core out of some POP and sand mix and bake it in the oven for a few hours, this will give you a pretty well formed core, but be careful they can be brittle like a soft chalk after they are fired.
    Wouldn't hurt to have a piece of wire in the core for additional support......
     
  14. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Yokes for oars??? I've got some old beautiful bronze ones that are begging to be remade. I had an old epic bronze cleat and like a dumbass sold it on eaby for 80bucks. WTF was I thinking on that one? (in my defense, I wasn't casting metal then)
     
  15. Jason, Jason. We're trying to run a serious casting forum here and all you seem to want to do is make yokes.

    (you have no defense)
     
  16. I see I am not the only one making yokes, (ha,ha).

    I found the drill press would not run slow enough and would stop with the slightest force.
    I did start with a 1/8" bit and kept going larger, worked well until I got to 1/2". I do think my 1/2" bit was dull but that's where I started to get chatter and heat. The next bit is the 5/8" and instead of cleaning it up, it did the same thing. That bit was new. That piece was actually brass, once I get the process down I'll do it in bronze.
    I have had good results in the past using cores for this size of hole in the past.
    I have been making sodium silicate cores. I have baked cores before, but like all my cooking I burn it or it sticks to the core box and I burn my fingers.
    Below is a picture of the piece with the bad hole, (can't really see the hole). The plug on the left is modified for the core piece.
    yoke.jpg

    I made this mold today but it got to late to pour so if it don't rain too much tomorrow , I'll try this and maybe another one without the core piece.
    yokemold.jpg
    Its not that good but I'll know if this process will work.
     
  17. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Hey John... Know anything about old british seagull motors? There is a cult following for these things and parts are getting rare. Most of the parts are cast aluminum.

    Don't quit your day job... Oh! I forgot, you're one of those that I'm supporting by working! :p
    Stuck one of these on the car today and thought of YOU!

    Edited: Wouldn't want to TRIGGER anyone. :D
    s-l500.jpg
     
  18. Welcome aboard!, with brass and bronze drills you have to "Dub" the edges with an oilstone to stop the tip digging in. Drill as made have a cutting edge on the tip that's an acute angle and you have to resharpen it a tiny bit closer to 90 degrees.

     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
    oldironfarmer likes this.
  19. PatJ

    PatJ Silver

    That is some nice looking work.
    I like the furnace lid dual hinge too; I think I am going with that method for the next version of my furnace.

    .
     
  20. Thanks Pat.
    I do want to replace the angle iron lever with a wheel.
    I like the video, I do need to make a set of bits for brass. Good information.

    I did get around to pouring yesterday, and the hole didn't come out to bad. I won't know for sure if its centered well enough until I get it cleaned up but by eyeball it looks good.
    yoke_holes1.jpg

    I'll keep working on this one until I find something else that has to be change, but once I'm sure of everything I'll do it in some quality bronze.
     

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