Sand casting unobtainium parts at home.
- Thread starter 56 Fregate
- Start date
Oh I don't know, if you keep putting enough bits on at some point it will become more of something else than it is a Prius.I agree, but I think they will look out of place on the Prius.
Like this 404 Peugeot/Pajero.
I recall several years ago on Gumtree there was a Ssangyong Musso wagon that had been modified to try and look like an early 1930s Mercedes. I wish I'd screen shotted it, it was certainly a head turner.
Although if you squint a bit you can see the strong resemblance between the host vehicle and the car he was trying to make it into.
Although if you squint a bit you can see the strong resemblance between the host vehicle and the car he was trying to make it into.
Thin walled sand casting without specialist gear, who knew? I'd always assumed one would need a vacuum casting setup for this but I relied on gravity/head pressure instead, and it worked
I needed a new headlight shell and although I had made a hand beaten shell from sheet steel it became apparent that it was never going to make the cut as a polished head light shell so I smoothed it out with body filler and lined it with thick lino to give a wall thickness of 3mm or so. This, I then used as a pattern for a cast aluminium shell which will polish up to a mirror finish and then be nickle plated in the final form.
As can be seen from the sand up shots it is quite thin. The danger of casting thin walled parts is 'cold shutting' which leaves great chunks of wall missing as the metal cools. I made a large target area at the top of the sprue so I could rapidly fill the cavity with metal and therefore rely on head pressure to do all the work. It worked.
Sand mould components showing narrow wall thickness.
Sprue runners and gates
Finished sand casting ready for fettling
Headlight shell after a quick tidy up ready for final sand and polish. I expect it to polish up to a mirror finish and leave a shell of 2.something mm thick.
I needed a new headlight shell and although I had made a hand beaten shell from sheet steel it became apparent that it was never going to make the cut as a polished head light shell so I smoothed it out with body filler and lined it with thick lino to give a wall thickness of 3mm or so. This, I then used as a pattern for a cast aluminium shell which will polish up to a mirror finish and then be nickle plated in the final form.
As can be seen from the sand up shots it is quite thin. The danger of casting thin walled parts is 'cold shutting' which leaves great chunks of wall missing as the metal cools. I made a large target area at the top of the sprue so I could rapidly fill the cavity with metal and therefore rely on head pressure to do all the work. It worked.
Sand mould components showing narrow wall thickness.
Sprue runners and gates
Finished sand casting ready for fettling
Headlight shell after a quick tidy up ready for final sand and polish. I expect it to polish up to a mirror finish and leave a shell of 2.something mm thick.
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No it's clearly very French, the Duke of Normandy's troops wore these way back in 1066.
The alloy used for this cast aluminium headlight shell was from a Peugeot engine block and has polished up nicely so far, it'll get a proper buff before I nickle plate it. The golden rule for electroplating seems to be: If you want a shiny end produce you need to start with a well polished and shiny part.
The mounting hardware, lens and rim are OEM. The rivets that you see here are actually M6 bolts with a reshaped and buffed head..but who would ever know.
The mounting hardware, lens and rim are OEM. The rivets that you see here are actually M6 bolts with a reshaped and buffed head..but who would ever know.
Yes, electroplating is only a matter of microns! Recently I discovered the importance of my great great grandmother's brother, Dr John Wright, in making modern electroplating a practical proposition: https://finishingandcoating.com/ind...-a-historical-review-of-the-evolution-of-nasf . Unfortunately he was killed at only 36 in a horse and carriage accident.
My great great grandfather in Dublin had a very successful business selling silver-plated cutlery, which he advertised as 1/4 the price of solid silver!
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Hmm! There's something a little dubious about the notion of selling silver cutlery and then being transported to the colonies.
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My good lady and I have been watching the UK "repair Shop" series and I was intrigued to see one of their "expert repairers" use an electroplating brush setup to restore silver plated objects to a pristine condition, the whole process looks very simple and easy and does produce an excellent silver finish, apparently uses a brush on silver impregnated solution and an electric low power setup to achieve the good finish. Always emphasizes the need to get a good polish and clean to get the ideal finish.
Don't know how durable the silver finish is, but it would be excellent for silver plating headlight reflectors. I was always interested in setting up an electroplating bath in my backyard. Was warned of course 
that it wasn't wise to use the silver coins we had in Australian currency as anodes in the silver plating process. as that is illegal....
Ken
Don't know how durable the silver finish is, but it would be excellent for silver plating headlight reflectors. I was always interested in setting up an electroplating bath in my backyard. Was warned of course
that it wasn't wise to use the silver coins we had in Australian currency as anodes in the silver plating process. as that is illegal....Ken
It would be dubious if he had been. That was a voluntary migration by his younger brother.
I've learned quite a bit about those folk this last year!We should have hoarded those coins!My good lady and I have been watching the UK "repair Shop" series and I was intrigued to see one of their "expert repairers" use an electroplating brush setup to restore silver plated objects to a pristine condition, the whole process looks very simple and easy and does produce an excellent silver finish, apparently uses a brush on silver impregnated solution and an electric low power setup to achieve the good finish. Always emphasizes the need to get a good polish and clean to get the ideal finish.
Don't know how durable the silver finish is, but it would be excellent for silver plating headlight reflectors. I was always interested in setting up an electroplating bath in my backyard. Was warned of course
Ken
It can be disappointing when you have a genuine period French part that won't accept a nickle plate no matter what you try. I'm thinking it must be either Zamac or a Magnesium alloy of some sort because all it does is fizz and turn black.
But it's good when you can make a new one from aluminium alloy instead, note that I managed to capture the original part number which is only 3mm high. This also shows the difference in casting quality between the original die-casting and my sand casting but for a one-off part, sand casting will do.
But it's good when you can make a new one from aluminium alloy instead, note that I managed to capture the original part number which is only 3mm high. This also shows the difference in casting quality between the original die-casting and my sand casting but for a one-off part, sand casting will do.
Nice work. I've recently broken the old diecast handle (genuine, vintage shit-metal) and was lucky to replace it quickly with a nicely sand-cast, plated-brass item. It conveniently broke at our Moama Muster as you'd recall, and Kermit's owner actually had the brass one there for the swap meet! You can see the break on the old handle where there's a bead of metallic epoxy cement. I might try and repair it with that and some reinforcing, although Lord knows why.
Yes I do recall seeing the tear in your eye as you lamented your loss. I also witnessed the new part you procured without much trouble, it's a good thing we were at a national 4CV event at the time. 
Unbelievably lucky timing! Those diecast ones ALL break, it is just a matter of when. 72 years for mine wasn't too bad. It was definitely the original one.Yes I do recall seeing the tear in your eye as you lamented your loss. I also witnessed the new part you procured without much trouble, it's a good thing we were at a national 4CV event at the time.
Came across this propeller on Marketplace.
Probably keep you going for a while.
You could even melt it down into smaller props.
Don't know what a 4' prop weighs though, at $1600 he might be dearer than the scrap value.
Probably keep you going for a while.
You could even melt it down into smaller props.
Don't know what a 4' prop weighs though, at $1600 he might be dearer than the scrap value.
Marine grade bronze I suppose. It's lovely as it is.Came across this propeller on Marketplace.
Probably keep you going for a while.
You could even melt it down into smaller props.
Don't know what a 4' prop weighs though, at $1600 he might be dearer than the scrap value.
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With some of the big frosts we've been having here in New England I should be able to harvest a few neighbourhood garden taps soon. Brass monkeys would be at risk too..
I'll hunt for taps too!
Name that part: It could be French or for a Toyota Prius?
