About four minutes in I was re-watching this and the urban legend was always that he cast positions in a drain pipe. In the movie, though, they are very deliberately showing the process and equipment and it looks like a purpose-built piece of equipment. Anyone know more about this ?
I was not able to see the video from the link above but it can be easily found on YouTube. Curious as well, it seems more like a lead molding setup (torch and ladle) than aluminum to me...
I had a little trouble viewing it from the link as well, for some reason, they don't seem to want Canadians viewing that, I had to tell my VPN I was in the U.S. I thought the same thing, lead or pewter as I have a very hard time believing one could melt aluminum with a set-up like that. I'm also not sure about that permanent steel mold/die he used.
There's a documentary shot by the same director many years prior that where the actual guy is doing the same thing, although you can't see the equipment nearly as well. The scene in the movie was clearly based on the one in the doc but the director made a point of showing the tools in the theater version. Another link no one can use. Go to 7:20
Just for giggles, maybe I'll put together an oil burner and test to see if a furnaceless aluminum foundry set up like that can be viable, I have my doubts but confirming or refuting that might be fun.
When I cast the pistons for my avatar, I used a propane torch and a lead ladle to melt aluminum piston scrap. The mold had three pullaway interior cores, with the center being a toggle. It was easy enough to remove the center core, but if I was not quick enough the casting shrank and retained the two remaining interior cores. I had the torch clamped to the bench running continuously so, after opening the split mold, by holding the casting in the flame, it expanded enough to remove them. I can't tell from the Munroe clips if he is pulling the core from the casting, or the casting from the mold. If it is the former, I would expect hot tears from the casting shrinkage although it is done while still hot.
I had it in my head that one of the things I wanted to try casting a piston in a drain pipe. I thought I could band saw an old piston in half for a core box and put the core at the bottom. Then cast the piston right side up and put in enough metal so that I could fix the top up in the lathe.