free 3D flask Pattern

Discussion in '3D Printing' started by HT1, Oct 4, 2020.

  1. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Possibly? I was thinking the patterns may have flexed a little as I rammed up the cope, but the long flats do not appear bowed.

    "Interesting" is one word for it; the one I chose only had 4 letters... ;)

    Was hoping not to have to touch those 45's beyond a quick touch with a file just to remove any high spots.

    Jeff
     
    DavidF likes this.
  2. rocco

    rocco Silver

    Interesting but only because they're NOT mine. :p Had they been mine, my word choice may have been similar to yours.
     
    DavidF and Tobho Mott like this.
  3. Bldr J

    Bldr J Copper

    It would be "interesting" to see if the same thing happened if the 45 portion was the same thickness. The same thing happens when I'm hard-soldering a mitred 90 in brass, or even welding in stainless. Have to make the mitres 45.1deg., or "stretch" them after.
     
  4. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    A table saw or chop saw will fix that quickly. Frustrating, yes. Easily explained—-not by me. Dunno.

    Denis
     
    Tobho Mott likes this.
  5. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Not sure I understand; I believe the 45's and the flask walls actually are the same thickness across most of the pattern, just not where the sand retention ribs are, on the upper and lower edge of the inside surface of the flask sides.

    Someone suggested to me that the 45's might need to have similar ribs added to keep them from warping due to shrinkage. They shared an image they had handy to illustrate what can happen to castings with no ribs:

    Capture+_2021-10-21-15-14-57_copy_1017x360.png

    The long flat part of my castings didn't bow like that, but again the pattern does have ribs along the top and bottom edge there. Those ribs are absent from the 45's, which did move in the same direction as the 90's in the diagram. Could this be the issue? Ribs could be added to the drag side of the patterns (on the outside of the flask without them being in the way of anything, but I'd rather not have to.

    I also think maybe I poured it a little hot, which I think could maybe cause this effect to be more exaggerated, or cause it to happen in the first place. Since others have used the same 3D files and not had this issue, I'm tempted to try again with a bit cooler metal before I go adjusting the patterns.

    Table saw, eh? Great idea, thanks Denis.

    Jeff
     
  6. myfordboy

    myfordboy Silver

    I don't see the point of such long lugs on the corners. My own version has sides 15mm thick and gives an adiquate
    bolting face of 19 mm and much easier to cast. They are a joy to use and not heavy.

     
    Tobho Mott likes this.
  7. rocco

    rocco Silver

    Yep, a normal carbide tip blade goes through aluminum like butter. A word of caution though, the chips it throws are pretty nasty so, appropriate PPE is a must!
     
    Tobho Mott likes this.
  8. Melterskelter

    Melterskelter Gold Banner Member

    I find a little cutting oil prevents chips from welding to the teeth of the blade. It only takes a few drops spread along the cut line with your finger .

    I cut aluminum carefully on a sled and guard against binding and slinging of cut off pieces. I also avoid standing in line with the blade so as to not catch a cutoff at 60 Mph—-the average velocity of the teeth on a 10-inch blade. I saw a guy get a nasty cut right at his elbow (antecubital fossa) from about a 1.5” triangular-shaped piece of 1/4” Al cutoff a table saw slung at him. Could have been serious had it severed the artery there.

    I cut it often but try to just use good sense to avoid “eating” a piece.

    Denis
     
    Tobho Mott likes this.
  9. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    I can see your cast flasks are working great for you Myfordboy. I never miss a video and would have been happy to try out your design, but I'm not ready to give up the fixed alignment pins. Partly because I fear the small loose pins you use making molds on the floor would bounce off the bottom board to fall and get lost in my molding bench's sand bin every time I pushed them out from above as you do.

    If anyone else, like me, hadn't realized it until just now, there is a thingiverse link to myfordboy's 3d flask files in his video description.

    Jeff
     
  10. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    2nd try they pulled a little cleaner. Tried to pour these ones a little cooler to see if it makes the weird shrink(?) go away... Bedtime now. I'll cut the gating off and see if they make a square corner tomorrow.

    20211022_154616_HDR_copy_520x1040.jpg

    20211022_230353_copy_1040x520.jpg

    20211022_234607_copy_520x1040.jpg

    Jeff
     
  11. Petee716

    Petee716 Gold Banner Member

    They're not only nasty, but hot too. I always clean any sawdust from under the saw before cutting aluminum.

    Pete
     
    rocco and Tobho Mott like this.
  12. rocco

    rocco Silver

    I've never bothered to do that but it's probably a prudent precaution.
     
  13. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Last 4 sides for the first flask are molded and ready to pour, later today.

    20211023_153421_copy_1040x520.jpg

    The 2nd pair was also not quite square, but they were closer.

    Upon closer inspection, it seems like it is just the far ends of the 45 sections that are a little fat on the mating faces causing them not to fit right.

    I'm going to try a little filing, out just past where the drill guide holes are, to take that part down a bit and see if the rest of those 45's will then fit square. If not, my neighbour offered to help me try and set them up in his chop saw for a teeny little trim. o_O

    Jeff
     
  14. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    20211023_205101_copy_1040x520.jpg

    "Last 4 sides". I just had to say it. :(

    20211023_231332_HDR_copy_1040x520.jpg

    Jeff
     
    DavidF likes this.
  15. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Still needs the pins and alignment holes drilled and installed, but it's finally taking shape.

    20211101_222422_copy_832x1035.jpg

    I belt sandered the ends of the 45's a bit where they were a little too fat or something, so the corners fit together square now (almost) when they are bolted together tight. The cope sits on the drag nicely, without wobbling. If I can get the alignment holes done properly later today I expect it will be a usable flask. But this has been a lot of work for such a small flask... I look at the small cheap chinese one casting per mold half cast iron flasks that aren't much smaller than this and have the vertical pour option, and I can't help thinking, just 2 castings per complete flask instead of 8 would have been much easier to crank out flasks with, in a fraction of the time.

    But assuming the pins do work out, it seems like this might be a good way to make bigger flasks than this one.

    Jeff
     
    Tops and Melterskelter like this.
  16. Smoking Shoe

    Smoking Shoe Silver

    Haven't read all of this thread so I may be duplicating work/files.
    Attached are files of my rendition of the flask patterns of Olfoundryman's work. They are reverse engineered from the published *.STL files in SolidWorks. I've included the *.SLDPRT so anyone can modify as needed/desired.
    150-SIDE.JPG
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Olfoundryman left some comments about improving the 3d model in a reply to a comment I left on his latest video, fyi:

    Capture+_2022-06-28-10-59-15_copy_540x1017.png

    Jeff
     
    HT1 and Melterskelter like this.

Share This Page