Is there anyone within a couple of hours of Portland, Oregon who would be willing to show me the ropes of backyard melting and casting? I’ve been saving scraps of brass, copper, and aluminum for quite some time and really want to get started. However, the necessary skills and equipment along with the potential danger of molten metal make it somewhat prohibitive. I’d really like to work with a mentor if I can find one. Please feel free to message me with any info. Thanks.
I REALLY had to resist cracking a joke here.... I'm not near Portland (thank god) but I can offer some help. Welcome btw.... We have a page here that many of us members have created youtube channels for our adventures. Some of us even do a fair bit of teaching in the process. So if you can't find someone local, we are your next best thing. While youtube is often a poor place to learn metal casting, I can whole heartedly endorse every single channel posted on this page. http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/members-video-channels.188/ Here is a link for good stuff to learn. http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/in...-reading-for-foundry-hobbyists.319/#post-5893 Also, somewhere around here is the ultimate PDF for Homefoundry work, but AlloyAvenue is screwed again and I can't find it for you. Will keep looking. This book you must read! If one of you guys has it in a safe location and would like to share a stable link for it, it sure would help out the new guys. To answer part of your question... No, a Mentor is not absolutely necessary as long as you can monkey see, monkey do, like the rest of us.
Thanks for the helpful info. Great group. I’ve already learned a lot just reading through this forum. I will definitely check out some of the recommended YouTube channels as well. Still hoping to connect with someone doing this in my area too. I’m actually 80 miles south of Portland in Albany. I just portland area since it’s the major city.
Welcome to the home foundry! You can find a link to the pdf Jason mentioned here: http://prometheus-foundry.com/tutorial.html The currently broken alloyavenue forums also has a link posted for a world map with quite a few members' names and locations pinned on it. If it gets fixed soon or someone has a link to the map and could post it, you could use it to find out which members who asked to be on the map are closest. If not, don't let it hold you back! Jeff
Welcome. You're in the right place. There was a guy called Bull over on AA that might have been from that region but I haven't heard from him in years. He could be from Cincinnati for all I know. (getting old, lol). Yes, the amount of learning and practice involved in learning to do this successfullly is a bit of a commitment but if the casting bug really bites you it'll be worth the effort. Melting and pouring make for the "money shots" like you see on YouTube but there's a lot more to it. We're full disclosure here too, so unlike edited YouTube videos we show our f-ups too. Of course the more tools and experience you bring to the party the better, but an angle grinder, a drill motor, and a Skilsaw will get you going! A few bucks now and then helps too but you can get by on very little. The safety factor is a valid concern but if you are armed with the facts about the materials and processes you're using proper PPE and common sense will go a long way. Most folks here set a very good example of safe casting. I always recommend Dave Gingery's "The Charcoal Foundry" regardless of whether you plan to use charcoal or not. It's focused on sandcasting but it covers a lot of territory. Cheap on kindle or paperback and easy to follow. Pete
Alloy Avenue forums are mostly down but the google map of members is still up. http://goo.gl/maps/mWvwy
The map link didn't work for me ("unsupported link" error) until I opened it in a new tab instead of just clicking on it. But it did work then, strangely. Half the time I try to look up a map just to find directions someplace, it's got all the AA member pins on it unasked for when it comes up. I suppose, therefore, it's only logical that it makes me work extra hard for it when I deliberately try to bring up the AA map... Jeff
Try this link out: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/v...44&msa=0&mid=1Y9SfkLRX5oEbO3v8XCFJf0EDNhs&z=2 I admin the map so let me know if you want on it. Please do understand this map was created YEARS before I got to the Alloy Avenue board, so a lot of the historical folks might no longer be available. A mentor is not necessary, but I was gifted with one (Ryan - Solarfreak) here in Northern Kentucky who helped me immensely! Looks like no one from that area has wanted on the map. Doesn't mean they're not there, I only add people who ask for privacy reasons.
