What would the odds be of two side by side to pique the memory though?
Sand casting unobtainium parts at home.
- Thread starter 56 Fregate
- Start date
In the absence of having enough scrap brass in my possession I decided to go ahead and cast this piece in aluminium just because it's a fun thing to do. (Remember the golfer who spends his spare time trying to perfect his swing..?) I measured my scrap brass via the Archimedes principle of displacement and found I came up short by a good margin and it's easy to see why when you look at all the supporting elements that go into a casting. The off-cuts represent about 40% of the total melt and will of course be remelted at some stage in the future.
I'd have to say this is the nicest and neatest casting I have done to date. The next step is to fix it down to my mill bed and square up the outer perimeter then lightly skim over the top surface of the border and lettering with the view of a polished finish. The swirl marks you see in the back ground are fume marks from the burned resin bonded sand, it'll come off with a tooth brush and some brasso Though I might paint the back ground in a matt colour of a yet to be determined hue.
The finished casting measures 410 x 145 and 12mm at the thickest areas, 6 mm elsewhere. I used 8 litres of fine sifted dry sand and 4.5% epoxy resin.
I'd have to say this is the nicest and neatest casting I have done to date. The next step is to fix it down to my mill bed and square up the outer perimeter then lightly skim over the top surface of the border and lettering with the view of a polished finish. The swirl marks you see in the back ground are fume marks from the burned resin bonded sand, it'll come off with a tooth brush and some brasso Though I might paint the back ground in a matt colour of a yet to be determined hue.
The finished casting measures 410 x 145 and 12mm at the thickest areas, 6 mm elsewhere. I used 8 litres of fine sifted dry sand and 4.5% epoxy resin.
Oh please no worshiping required, remember it took me two attempts to get it right. My journey with casting so far has taught me the virtue of making allowances for shrinkage of the solidifying metal, remember aluminium shrinks by 7% from liquid to solid. If you look at post #252 you will see I included an extra blind feeder across the back side of the lettering the sole purpose of which was to feed the lettering with a reservoir of molten metal. A step too far perhaps? At least I have no deformation from shrinkage, so it worked. I then had to machine it off.
I've decided to call it quits at a brushed finish and use it as a garage ornament until I can find enough brass, bronze or even gold for the final article.
I've decided to call it quits at a brushed finish and use it as a garage ornament until I can find enough brass, bronze or even gold for the final article.
You could go to Bunnings. Mum's the word. 
Peter Bauhuis
SIMULTANEA–
Gefäß 2006;
Messing, Silber;
ø 10 x 10 cm
“For the Simultanea vessels Peter pours simultaneously more than one metal into the mold. The involved alloys oxidise in different colors – they mix partially and merge into the form. The dynamics of the process is frozen at the moment of solidification – a painting in metal.” (http://www.artfree.de/abc/index.html)
Don‘t encourage him
Two attempts is an excellent success rate by my standards. It takes me more than that to get something right if I don't give up along the way.
How much brass do you still need? I think I might have some 3kg around here that I can send your way for free (I'll pay the postage). Would that do it?
Yeah just two attempts and a further five years learning how.
I have about 4.5-5 kg of brass on hand but in rough terms I need another 3 odd Kg. Brass is of course quite a lot heavier than Aluminium.
PM sent.
No worries. I'll weigh it and send it to you.
Much obliged
I reckon I know how they did that. They'd have had 3 separate sprues and therefor 3 crucibles and many hands all working in sinc to pour all three metals at once, with just one chance to get it right.
Here's some lost foam casting in scrap A356 (AA601) aluminium. The foam is XPA and the coating is Gyprock Multi-Purpose Joint Compound both from Bunnings. I cut the foam with a scroll saw.
Awe lovely job and quite delicate too. Gee wizz a scroll saw opens up some scope doesn't it.
I'm working on a small lost foam item at present too. The same foam as yours and I've added some other substances to my drywall mix to make it more workable. I'll provide the recipe in another post if it's successful.
Nice work Benoit
I'm working on a small lost foam item at present too. The same foam as yours and I've added some other substances to my drywall mix to make it more workable. I'll provide the recipe in another post if it's successful.
Nice work Benoit
I found the blade tends to grab with the scrollsaw and you end up with striations. I plan to try a finer blade and faster speed to give a better surface finish. I'm not sure if the scrollsaw is an improvement over a hot wire cutter for XPS foam. The scrollsaw generates a lot of dust.
I couldn’t find images on the ‘net so I took some photos from the book:
Bauhuis, Peter 2012, ABECEDARIUM, Arnoldsche, Stuttgart. ISBN 9783897903616 (warning: contains art)
Note the simultaneous pour in progress (Bauhuis, p34-35).
MELBOURNE SERIA - vessels 2005-2008; cast simultaneously in two metals; bronze, copper, brass, gun metal, pewter (Bauhuis, p 49) and no you can’t have my Korean brass paperweights, I’m still using them.
Intact sprue (Bauhuis, p111).
Sprue variation on an uncast wax (Bauhuis, p118)
Here's another nice little casting, it's for a screw on fuel cap. I managed to lift an impression off a rusty old hubcap I have in my collection of old things. Now it's off to the machine shop for a clean up and an internal thread. Also a polish and a swim in the nickle bath.
And all before breakfast.
And all before breakfast.
I reckon that'll do it. Whats next
Oooh I reckon theres more pieces de Renault art coming,we can only wait for them to be all connected.