The EASIEST Method for Metal Casting (open mold) 

Bingo. Basin and spin trap ftw

That's interesting I didn't know that

Good to know thanks

Thanks!

Thank you!

Smells like... Burning? At least with petrobond sand lol

Good point. If you want to do anything good definitely sand it. I was less concerned here and got a bit lazy

Thank you! I saw that, welcome back!

I've seen people do that with low temp metals. It would probably work with this stuff

That's actually a new one I cast a couple weeks ago from this same metal. I still have the bronze one but the tip is rounded a bit. I was using it as a chisel to break glass off of some firebrick and the hammering didn't do the bronze any good 🤣🤣

That must be some really nice aluminum if it costs that much. Your little puck only weighs about 3 pounds. So they're charging you $16.67 a pound. Someone where you order metal from is driving home to their mansion in a really nice car. Currently aluminum is worth about a dollar a pound.

Yeah scrap is basically free. I'd be worried about porosity and bifilm entrainment with open molds though. Weak spots you can't see until it cracks. Of course you can just overbuild stuff like me and then it doesn't matter 🤣

Hard to say because the first one I poured had a worse dull area than the last one. The last one was poured at a lower temperature (which can reduce shrinkage) but also the crucible was emptier, so I tilted it more, pouring from a lower height (reducing entrainment). The dull spot is on the bottom, however, which would be an odd place for shrinkage *Except* with this alloy for reasons I'll go over in a future video

Very true, that's why I added the clip of my old aluminum pour so people could see the results. It would be better to ram up a 2 part mold. I should probably do a video just on that 🤔

Yeah that would work, I'd rather just use a normal 2 part mold though, then I could control the gating a little more

@@PaulsGarage True, a 2 part mold is simply better.

Tin was probably less expensive back then. It would still work but zinc is much cheaper.

Aluminum in 1904 was pretty bad, yeah. Silicon is the go-to for increasing fluidity, but even some high silicon alloys (like a380) don't flow great due to the copper added for strength. Just aluminum is super weak, everything is a balancing act.

Not really, the petrobond sand I'm using would have issue with it anyway. You could try heating the surface with a blow torch maybe but the key is head pressure, that's why these patterns don't work well

For sand casting I would definitely say get petrobond. Plaster is for investment casting which is a totally different process. I've had good luck with prestige optima plaster but I hear plasticast is another brand that is just as good for lost resin investment casting.

What's the difference between open mold casting and investment casting?@@PaulsGarage

the guy i sent that to just sent me a picture of it, he still has it! I made that thing YEARS ago

That would be very interesting!

Well then I have to try it!

Would most likely need slightly higher magnesium content. Used zamak5 and 3 for silicone casting, lacks the flow properties required for perfect castings

Most high temperature silicone are only good up to around 300 C but ZA12 does not melt until 380 C. It works for pewter and some other low melt metals, but not this one.

2 reasons why I didn't do silicone. #1, I don't have any (this is the main reason) and #2 I wanted this to be the "easiest" method, and making a silicone mold takes some steps. I've read some super high temp silicone can handle za12 but not for very many castings

Haha oh no I don't want to cause him pain 🤣 it hurts me a little to watch the droplets too

I imagine I could with investment casting. Might be a heavy helmet though lol I think sheet metal forming is the way to go for that

@@PaulsGarage cool! 👍😍 Is sheet metal forming something you do?

@@skyrider4789 I have in the past but the videos don't do well so I stopped making videos on it. Most of the sheet metal I did was car related. There has to be an armorer somewhere on RU-vid who has made an Ironman helmet

@@PaulsGarage Thanks. I have a 3D model I’m trying to get made with a metal process, but at this point, I’m not sure what process is best. I’m learning all I can. Thanks for your responses! 🙏

I haven't. This stuff flows like water. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that za12 (and 8 and 27) is hypereutectic and can separate out, which makes it a bit unique. More on that in a later video I think. But it flows great

Investment casting is coming. I already did a little bit I'm researching/building and acquiring equipment. Videos soon. Next video will be a precursor I guess, I have one of those temperature controlled electric furnaces now. Temperature control is super critical.

My plan is one video a month, so probably 3 more weeks from now? Video next week, stream next week, gingery after that

Can't wait

@@PaulsGarage =D

Anything to reduce the height of the pour, the better.

@@PaulsGarage I was thinking more of reducing that initial impact that causes the sudden deceleration of the molten liquid, thereby adding turbulence to the stream; pouring along a steel rod would also reduce the air molecules from being dragged into the pour, in theory anyway. Might try a garbage pour as a proof of concept.

It sounds like you want him to decant the metal to me.

I don't make things on commission, but if I had to make a huge fire breathing head, I have an idea how I would do it. 1: get the flame shooting set up figured out. I would probably use a propane weed burner set up, that's what is in those boring company not-a-flamethrowers. 2: I would weld up a frame out of steel angle or square tube that I could mount the weed burner inside in whatever orientation I needed. Then 3: make a steel dragon head in pieces that I can mount onto the frame built in step 2. You probably want the weed burner and the dragon head attached in a way you can remove (not welded on) just in case you need to make adjustments, repairs, take apart for transport, etc... I'd probably make the head out of sheet steel. That way you can form it, weld it, forge it, etc... easily. A welded up sheet steel head would be way lighter than anything cast, and it would be much cheaper and less brittle. Steel is heavy, yes, but sheet steel is extremely strong given its weight. This video here is a casting made from zamak, and a weed burner is hot enough to *boil* zinc, but won't even melt steel.

@PaulsGarage Thanks for the reply. I appreciate your point of view. We have the flame setup already. We are not going small. We want the flame to be seen from the space station (no exagerration. My company is an architectural company that does custom jobs. I do CAD work and operate robotic arms. My goal is to present my boss with ideas on how we can build the head so this is why I'm reaching out. Sheet steel sounds like the way to go. One of the other things I need to figure out is the cost/time options. Do we contract the job out or do we buy/make the equipment to do it ourselves. I saw your video and wanted your opinion as this is a new feat for me. Thanks again!

Pewter is good stuff. I just wish it wasn't so expensive

@@PaulsGarage yeah, I found some lead free pewter for $5 at a thrift shop 1.5lbs each plate.

@@HeinrichsMade that's a fantastic deal!

Wait martin isn't doing well? That's not good. I hope he gets better soon. And yeah I almost put in a text joke about hearing an Australian screaming in the distance at that part but I couldn't figure out a way to make it funny enough lol

@@PaulsGarage His back is a buggered, and causing him a lot of pain. Surgery to reduce the pain level was a failure, so he's out of action for the foreseeable future.

That's terrible. Back pain is the worst. I know he's an older guy but I hope he feels better at some point

@@PaulsGarage you did put that joke in there, and I laughed at it.

I left it in? Weird I thought I didn't... Maybe I'm losing my mind after all haha

Haha exactly!

Thank you! I understand gating notifications of all kinds. I should scour my sub feed more I think

I'm not going to do it anymore, I'll probably get an ingot mold though. These bars I bought are really big

Casting swords and axes and video game weapons gets attention. Most people aren't interested in doing it them selves, they just want to see cool shit.

Yeah Brandon nailed it. Cool stuff gets views. Though less so these days. Open casting is fine for making ingots and simple stuff in my opinion. The entrained oxides tend to float when it's remelted and can be skimmed off during the next pour, so it doesn't hurt much.

Lol I think I'll avoid molten metal explosions if at all possible

@@PaulsGarage Come on give it a try, nothing should happen =)

The text about the screaming Australian was a reference to him 😉

@@PaulsGarage Hmm. I must have missed that.

I don't think trophies go up to #111 🤣 or id give you one

Next; something that no youtuber so far has done Use the printed Polycast object as a Foam for casting, leave it under the Sand and just pour Molten Aluminium brass on it, But you'll need to pour it fast

Shrinkage is a percentage thing, so small pieces like this will be imperceptible, but they do shrink. Something like a gear has to be exact, so even a tiny shrinkage will make gear teeth a little sloppy, which destroys them quickly. Most metal gears are machined from a disk, not cast in place. Plastic ones are molded in place though. I would suspect depending on the plastic and epoxy, the plastic might actually be stronger. Some epoxies are brittle

@@PaulsGarage I was thinking that maybe the plastics that they use to make the gear has improved and the new gear that I have ordered will be stronger than the old one. The original is probably 20+ years old.