Using a Ceramic Filter to Prescreen An Iron Pour

Discussion in 'Sand Casting' started by Melterskelter, Dec 4, 2020.

  1. Billy Elmore

    Billy Elmore Silver

    Dropped my phone and cracked the screen so didn't get brass bell pics but these are two aluminum ones I poured Saturday. I used the heat from the failed brass pour to melt some aluminum real quick and put up three small molds while it melted. I had a runout on the bell hanger which is the one piece I actually was wanting to make.LOL I almost (most probably) over heated the aluminum which didnt help the runout. If I did not have a failed brass bell sitting in my flask I would have used the bigger flask and would not have had any issues. It is a cool design...got a fighting chicken that holds the bell .I actually made the whole part but the runout only left the chicken...was still a useable piece if you need a chicken with no feet.LOL Making it for a friend who let me use the pieces to make molds. They are not quality pieces though and extremely rough around the edges...very difficult to make a clean mold. May not mess with them anymore after I get a complete set or I will try to replicate them on the 3D printer for better patterns. I will make a detailed post on the bell later...if I can get any pics with my broke ass phone.
     

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  2. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    OK here are some pics of yesterday's pour. Nice clean castings---no defects, whew! Lucky! I am liking the filters.

    Jan3.JPG Jan31.JPG Jan33.JPG Jan34.JPG Jan35.JPG Jan36.JPG Jan37.JPG
     
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  3. dennis

    dennis Silver

    I've wondered about the risers on these things. They look to be prime lumps (of cast iron) for machining!

    These castings seem darker. Is it the lighting?
     
  4. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    Yes, lighting and not brushed off as well. It is cold, dark and rainy here. I had an inch of water on the floor of the barn yesterday as I finished up molds and did the casting. The ground is so soggy my straddle cart carrying the molds left 1" deep ruts in the grass. (A storm drain on the property is marginal and plugged. I'll be replacing it next summer.) Fortunately the rain broke just long enough as predicted in the late afternoon to get the metal melted and poured. It was drizzling as I broke down the blower, fuel pump, trolley etc and put it all away.

    The wierd blusish lighting in a couple pics was me shining a flashlight trying to show better details.

    Denis
     
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  5. Billy Elmore

    Billy Elmore Silver

    Awesome sauce! Looks great!
     
  6. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Those look very good MS. You have those parts and your process down pat.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  7. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    Today I made a couple iron castings from iron returns that included 3 SiC filters. I wondered if they would just dissolve in the melt or whether I would see them in the slag skimmed out of the melt. Well, at the end of the melt I skimmed off a large chunk of slag and dropped it by the furnace. There they were! They were partially melted but mostly intact. They are relatively low density so I suspect they rise up into the slag as soon as they are melted out of the return containing them. That keeps them from being in full contact with melted iron for very long. I believe if they were submerged for a long time in iron they would fully dissolve. Much of the iron had melted out of the matrix of the filter and had drained out revealing the filter matrix structure.

    You can see them in the right half of the pic within the red circle.

    IMG_7661.JPG

    Denis
     
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  8. Billy Elmore

    Billy Elmore Silver

    Well shoot....looks like you could reuse those! LOL
     
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