Metal Casting at Home Part 131. Brass Casting with the Vevor Propane Furnace. 

Vevor supposedly has incredibly good welders for their price point (being less than half the cost of some of the competition) so I'm guessing they'll remain on the market for a long time or get a deal with harbor freight and jump up in price to match most of their other over seas brands

@@i401bluesteel7 Yes Brand welders are gaining capability and popularity and worth looking at for a TIG. I got my MIG in 1984, so I don't need another true 150amp commercial welder with large spool. And TIG, you buy according to what you would weld in thickness. I believe it is 1 amp per 0.001" of aluminum. Wish I knew or owned one. I have exhaust in SS to weld. $1,600 goes to Dr in April so I can walk. Last chance.

This furnace kit is specifically for use with a propane burner. You don't need a blower for propane furnaces only for diesel or other oil/solid fuel type furnaces.

@@howardosborne8647 Just an observation as the metal I melt is with my torch. ASE Master Tech since 78

I've used glass on brass to stop the zinc being burnt/oxidised off, you can take of like the slag just before pour or hold it back and pour beneath it. For me it works well.

not sure about glass being useful to keep the zinc in the alloy but any means of reducing the oxidation exposure will certainly keep the zinc burn off to a minimum.

Does the glass just float on top?

@@markrainford1219 When I watched the cast iron pour I had to stand well back, so I didn't see what happened to the glass. I didn't know that some had used it on brass.

@@markrainford1219 Yes. Density in g/cm^3 Glass 2.5 Brass 8.7 Iron 7.8 Glass is much lighter then either of the other 2. It will float.

I would not trust any crucible tongs that you had to apply pressure to to gip it. My crucible tool shown here locks onto the crucible and you can concentrate pouring. A crucible full of moulten brass is quite heavy.

UK.

I recommend not appling refractory to the base but use all the supplied material to coat the sides using two coats if necessary.

This video explains all I think ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l3opkzAvVQk.html

I think this furnace is excellent value. If you bought the materials to build one it would cost more. Crucible is included in the kit. Elecrtric furnace is great for very small parts but it has limited capacity and eventualy the element could fail as i showed in a previous video.

@@myfordboy Many thanks for swift response - I am attending a Hull and Barnsley Railway preservation group committee meeting today hence will be able to set the debate in motion - we have a number of brass parts required as a restoration project moves forward!

The core just sits on the recess formed by the pattern and is not located at the top.

Sorry to hear of your loss. It must be very hard for you after so long together. Flasks: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wKHGRL4P4JQ.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Nk3tEEFEukc.html I am actualy just making some small ones using laser cut plywood.

@@myfordboy Sorry to rattle on. The video just got me thinking. Thank you. God bless.

I can get away without on small parts

It does aid pouring and gives head to the metal to increase the pressure and feed the mould as the the metal shrinks. In a prevous video I tried this part with the limited capacity of my electric furnace and the lack of height made a failed casting.

When I was taught to cast bronze - art school, but a very competent german adult - a true pleasure (tak Thomas Ziecklebein) - we made the forms, sothe bronze was poured into a funnel, went down below the mold cavity, to avoid air being trapped by bronze coming from above it. With him, nobody ever had a bad casting. With the next "teacher" ("educated artist" just before getting hired) that was sooo smart, that she didn't listen to my knowledge, nobody had a succesfull casting. I was sooo pizzed - not so much on my behalf, but for those in the class, who never would get a new chance of casting bronze. After her fook upery I had the full respect of the class, and her, but what a shame for the others..

@@CONEHEADDK Very cool story - I'm all for learnign new experience... do you still cast metal these days?

@@Smallathe Thanks. I suggest you take a look at RAPID DIRECT casting - they show 11 different types of casting. The way we did it, was close to what they call gravity die casting, but with the mold/form made from plaster of paris, chamotte and some other things, as I recall it. I don't really get to cast much - as John Lennon said: "Life is what happens..." so I've never got around to any more bronze. I have cast a bit of glass and more silver, but life has really fooked with me, so I'm still "trying to get started at life" - as 60+ years old, and held back by discus prolapse and "the worlds best health system" - where every other doctor I end up with won't give me the pain killers, that I NEED - and that I've never had problems with taking to many of or anything - Denmark has sooo many "mommy state-issues" - controlling us in far to any ways. Onlt tool of self defense legal here, is calling the cops.. Not even your 100 yo granny can own a pepper spray in here own home 30 miles from the cops. If intrs you can see a bit of my silver on Børge ODK - my fb-artist site. It reeeeaally needs to be updated, but I'm beind on cash, so I won't spend 3-700 bucks on a phone, so I can't take any new pics. And once your life is screwed, - as The Doors sang in "Strange" - "nobody" seems to "have the time" to find you one of those millions of discared phones, that they dump, as soon as there is new one - that actually does nothing better for them.. Ha - I'm ranting.. Life zucks and then you die.. :D

It's not good practice to pour directly into the mould. It could disturb the sand. The well at the bottom of feeder breaks the fall and can trap an impurities.

@@myfordboy I'm not advocating for top pouring, but have you ever tried to cover the mold, and force Co2 (or whatever you harder the cores with) into it, to give it a hard "shell"?

I have some calcium carbonate parting powder that was given to me and am using that but regular talc, baby powder works just as well.

Thanks David

That's a good question. I have measured the volume of the crucible and it would hold 0.5 lt of metal. By immersing your pattern in water and measuring the displacement you can see if it's big enough. You need to add extra for feeders and risers if needed.

@@myfordboy I have been following you for quite some time. Love your work. I am honored that you took the time to respond to what I was afraid was a silly question.