Hello Everyone Over the past week, I have done a lot of research on the internet, seeking out information, which pertains to the proper sized sand for doing aluminum LFC. I am aware that almost any size can be used, as long as the mould does not collapse, embed into the pour, and is permeable. I am certain that there must be some ideal guidelines such as minimums and maximums, which will provide castings with good detail and still be permeable. Coming from the land of sand near Indiana Dunes, I am finding it very difficult to find ready graded sand, which I am willing to try Wanting to move forward and put this sand issue behind me, I have decided to try the following pool filter sand: https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...43-c-5648.htm?tid=-5675851816443635186&ipos=1 It claims to be narrowly graded clean silica sand, with a 20/40 gradation. Will this sand be able to give me good detail? I already know that it is permeable
Posting in that I am interested, not that I am an expert. I just came home from the 'sand' (industrial sand and abrasives supply) store with Covia 5030 (50-130 mesh) and Manley(?) 120 (120-270 mesh) sand. My first batch of sand is hardware store sand was 'screenedoored' to approx. 15 mesh and my second is screened to 40 mesh and neither is anywhere near my Petrobond 130 for detail. I also has a bag of straight 50 mesh, very clean, that was sold as a paint texture. I have not tried pool filter sand. I also scored calcium carbonate and graphite much cheaper than I had before. The bentonite is the same as before but a better deal in a bigger bag/box. What to mull, what to mull...?
Hello Bruce, Without a coating on the foam, that sand will produce a terrible finish. If you haven't read Kelly's primer on lost foam you should do so. https://forums.thehomefoundry.org/i...ssions-of-a-lost-foam-caster-5-years-on.1650/
Yes, I am aware that the foam needs a permeable refractory coating, such as lightweight joint compound, and that the sand around the pattern must be compacted but thanks for pointing that out for others that are unaware.
For coated LF patterns, the mesh of the sand isn't particularly important. Uniformity of mesh is somewhat preferred because fines can fill in between the coarser grains and make it less permeable as mold material, but even so, I don't think you'd ever notice it as a hobbyist. It is very important that the sand is dry and be kept that way. More rounded shape as opposed to sharp edged grains are generally preferred in the commercial casting environment but as long as it's dry, and you have enough vibratory energy to excite/pack the mold, you'll have no problem at all with common sand. In my sticky I comment on my source, but the Quikcrete fine sand in 50lb bags at most of the big box stores. It's about 50 mesh, uniform in size, washed and kiln dried, and inexpensive. Over time, the sand can/will become fouled. It can be renewed but the cost of doing so is about the cost of the sand, so I just replace it, but it lasts me a year or two. For very complex shapes and cavities in large molds I favor fresh(er) sand. Best, Kelly
Thanks for the input Kelly Throughout the years, I have watched a fair share of videos pertaining to lost foam casting. About 2 weeks ago, I stumbled across one of your videos and I was highly impressed. From that point I sought out more of your work and I liked what I saw, so I definitely respect your guidance. In one of your videos, I seen you dumping the Quikrete fine sand and saying that is all you need, so I went looking for it. They do not sell it in my neck of the woods. I checked Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Ace Hardware, White Cap, but no one stocks it locally and I am unwilling to pay for the shipping I have some sand on hand, but I think it has too many fine particles, and the uniformity of mesh is not all that great, and I am getting very tired and bored of trying to obtain some uniformity I am sure you can relate So I guess I am going to try the pool filter sand and see how it turns out. Bruce
Me neither! Here is is what was on the receipt, which can be found online: Handy Sand - 50 lb Model Number: 1891344 Menards ® SKU: 1891344 6.99$ Looks like they switched either to or from Covia and TCC. The TCC bag I have is spouted and a little leaked out before I bought it and I could see it was clean and uniform. It is also billed as a paint additive.
Even if there are fines between bigger grains it's still unbonded dry sand and way more open than, say, hard rammed petrobond/greensand... I think effective sand vibration, good gating design, and consistently thin coating application will give you great results without having just the right sand. Take that with a grain of salt though, I'm the lazy lost foam caster here and don't even bother using coatings most of the time, plus nothing I make gets machined. But it'll be cheap to prove it if I'm wrong. Jeff
Quikcrete is just a brand. It's just silica sand. I get it at either Lowes or Home Depot, and stock may vary around the country, but I'd think about any of the stores that carry bags of concrete and mortars would have fine washed and dried sand in the same section. Pool sand is probably fine if it's inexpensive. The only stuff that's not so great is the play sand. It often has pebbles and is wet so it packs for the kiddy fun. If it's at all moist, it wont flow under vibration and pack well. I wouldn't sweat it. If what you have is dry, I'd use it. Best, Kelly
Not sure how to do the quotes yet "I wouldn't sweat it. If what you have is dry, I'd use it." Yea, most of it is dry and I can dry out the rest of it. I suppose it would be smart to at least try it especially considering that the pool sand would cost me $40
If you click drag and highlight the portion of the post you want to quote, you'll see a prompt, click it and the quote will be inserted in the reply dialogue box. You can do this multiple times. Best, Kelly
I know horse arena sand is supposed to be some nice stuff, and it is not too expensive last I looked. Also if you have a fertilizer supplier near you, they may carry it. I hope this helps. Patrick
in my area Menards has the quickcrete brand of sand. They used to sell Foundry sand as general purpose sand. it was very nice. The quickcrete is similar in size. Menards link to handy sand.
I had to go to Menards yesterday and while I was there, I stopped to take a peek at the Covia Handy Sand. The sand granules did not appear to be too big or too small, and the sand appeared to be well graded, with uniformity in size. Since I am guessing about the perfect size, I guessed it would be perfect. I imagined this sand would compact well around a foam pattern and be permeable enough to allow gas to escape evenly around the pattern. Since some of my existing sand would require some drying, I decided to spend $21 and pick up 150 lbs. Of course, I do not walk around with a microscope in my back pocket, in fact, I do not even own a microscope so I cannot attest to the shape of particles. However, since the description on the bag included sand finishes, I also imagined that the particles would be round or sub-round, to allow easy passage through a spray gun. Of course this assessment is purely based upon my imagination, without having any vast experience or knowledge pertaining to the selection of foundry sand, and the only thing that is factual, is that I spent $21 and received 150 lbs of sand
