Hello all! I have zero experience casting but I play in the heat for a living. I am a firefighter in my city and have lots of ideas to cast once I learn. Self taught at most things and really enjoy the learning process. Recently complete a scratch built electric bicycle with salvaged batteries that tops out around 35mph. I 3D printed lots of parts for it and I can imagine these parts in aluminum. So, I would like to have a go casting them. Also, working on a QueenBee CNC machine (router). It’s about 80% done… just need a final push and to stop getting distracted. I bought a brand new Cast Master GG-5000 SS from craigslist last week. Just couldn’t pass up the deal. I am concerned about a few things before I get started… so I am searching and reading a lot currently. Ie. Should I use rigidizer or satanite? The crucible is a tight fit inside the chamber on the plinth and off… wondering if that is going to be a problem. Things like that… basic stuff I suppose. Anyway, thank you for reading and see you around!
Welcome. There are lots of very knowledgeable people with wide ranging interests here that will be happy to help you out. I did a search on the Cast Master GG-5000 SS to familiarize myself with the furnace you have and yes, satanite or something similar to stabilize the kaowool is HIGHLY recommended also, the tongs that come with that kit are less than optimal, do a search on these forums to see more appropriate crucible tongs. Anyways, we love pictures here, post some of your melting set up and I'm sure others here will have useful comments as well.
Welcome to the forum. I just flew in and out of Tucson last month. It wasnt hot yet. Spent a week with family in Sierra Vista. Lots of things to see and do! Rocco said what I was going to say. Lifting a crucible by its rim makes me shudder. The space inside the furnace is probably ok for combustion but getting "safe" lifting tools in there without damaging your bore might be a challenge. Smaller crucibles might be one way to go, or else using a steel crucible that will tolerate pliers on the rim. Pete
Appreciate the insight greatly… Here are some pictures to show you all what I have. Just unboxed the thing and here are my concerns: Overlapping of the wool if you look near the hinge on the back, wool is overlapped a bit - Should I leave it overlapped or tidy it up with a butt joint? Satanite or water glass type rigidizer? Also, should I try to compress the wool a little when I apply the coating Crucible size - My intuition tells me to go a bit smaller so I can get some proper lifting tools in there and I am relatively certain you all will say the same. I want to learn how to do this safely first and foremost… so I really appreciate the looks.
You should tell as a little about the type of parts you think you will most commonly make and what you are thinking for mold material and type of casting. For smaller parts, lost PLA in block or shell investment is quite useful, but as parts get large, print times can become very long, and mold materials and failures can become more expensive. I cast mostly aluminum machine and automotive parts and get everything I need from the lost foam method. I've been making patterns for a long time now but just got my CNC router operational and made my first cnc'd patterns with it. After some experience, lost foam becomes largely about pattern construction but with a cnc router, you could already have that in hand. My last lost foam casting was an aluminum intake manifold for a Ford V8. It's 25lbs and about 22" x 12" x 4.5". http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/in...302-independent-runner.1692/page-4#post-40080 If you haven't yet committed to the casting method (nothing saying you cant do several or all), you might have a look at this thread. IMO, lost foam can be the easiest entry, most economical, and versatile for machine parts. If you need the detail of sculptures or jewelry, investment casting is typically preferred. For repetitive parts, sand casting with hard patterns. http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/in...ssions-of-a-lost-foam-caster-5-years-on.1650/ Best, Kelly
