Match Plate and Core Sand Pattern

[Pipescs]

Me Too on the comments. I spent about an hour surfing today with no luck on a USA distributor.

Will keep looking as this looks to be something that will improve my castings right away.

[Grantham]

It appears the mica strainer suppliers want to be called for a quote.

http://www.ashevillemica.com/natural-mi ... iners.html
seems to have contact infomation, but no online prices.

I hope this doesn't get me in trouble, but if you'd like a few to try, give me
your address or PO box. These strainers are 2 x 2 with 93 holes. Call it your
birthday present.

Please use my e-mail rod@granthams.com to request them.

Rod

[RONALD]

I have never used a strainer, and I have been pouring metal since the 70's, but if you feel you need a filter/strainer there are several companies that make ceramic ones.

Here is one, probably much easier to find and purchase:

http://www.industrialceramic.com/ceramic-filters/

[Pipescs]

I contacted the company and got a price quote.

ASHEVILLE-SCHOONMAKER MICA CO.
MICA AND MICA PRODUCTS 900 JEFFERSON AVENUE
IMPORTED DOMESTIC POST OFFICE BOX 318
NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23607-6120
PH 757-244-7311 FX 757-245-5236

I spoke with a Sandy and the cost ranged from 45.00/85.00 per thousand for the varios thickness and hole number

[Pipescs]

SIZE HOLES THICKNESS THICKNESS THICKNESS
.004/.008" .006/.010" .008/.012"
1½" X 2" 88 * * $ 83.00/M
2" X 2" 22 * $ 46.50/M $ 52.50/M
2" X 2" 93 $ 38.00/M $ 46.50/M $ 52.50/M
2" X 2" 148 $ 66.00/M $ 77.00/M $ 84.00/M
* PRICES ON REQUEST, NON-STOCK ITEMS



MICA STRAINER HOLE SIZES


HOLES DIAMETER HOLES DIAMETER
22 .1875" 93 .101"
88 .094" 148 .062"

Now the question is:

what hole size do we need for Aluminum or Brass????

[Grantham]

The holes in my mica strainers are .010 . They are 2" x 2" with 93 holes. Mica is pretty thin and flakes easily, so usually 2 or 3 are left together and seem more substantial.

Thanks for checking with Asheville-Schoonmaker on prices and availability. Perhaps this Sandy person can give you more insight than me. Like it said these things were bought a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. They do seem to do a good job of filtering out the junk that is in recycled metal. Most of my aluminum is from transmission bell housings and never make ingots first. There are different schools of thought on this, but it works for me.

Rod

[Pipescs]

She said she had fact sheets on them but that was about it.
She had nothing about how they were to be used.My question on hole size was pertaining to how much the metal is slowed down as it goes thru the filter.

Have you ever poured brass or bronze thru them?

[Grantham]

Yes, both brass and silicon bronze. Since all my brass and bronze is new ingot, there didn't seem to be any improvement when using a mica filter. Any alloy with copper has gone through the roof in the past few years, so my stash of these alloys is nearly depleted. Also, these metals are melted in my electric burnout oven using clay graphite crucibles and need a crucible tongs to lift and pour which always makes me nervous. My propane fired tilting crucible furnace is only good for aluminum and zinc and I feel lift and pour which much safer using it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRszKI0OOgM shows it in action.



The nice thing about silicon bronze is it can be cast and remelted without adding anything to maintain it's alloy. It's ok for artsy objects, but near impossible to machine. Yellow brass on the other hand is a joy to machine, but needs to have zinc added every time it's remelted. Aluminum is given to me, brass and bronze I have to buy.

Rod

[Pipescs]

If lifting a crucible out and pouring does not make you nervous, then you are not right in the head

Everything I melt is pretty much junk from the local scrap dealer. I have purchased ingots of silicon bronze for a few projects that need to be strong.

Interestingly enough I mixed a bunch of scrap brass with leftover ingots of silicon bronze and ended up with a billet that was easy to machine. I guess the lead in the brass may have had some effect.

[steamin10]

If you would have wieghed the materials to be mixed, you would have a rough proportion to guess with, as to what compound you wound up with , according to the known or named alloy charts. That would give you a key to performance according to what is known by standard alloys, that your new compound would mimic.

I use the word Alloy Mimic in my descriptions for castings, that do not come from commercial bar ingot, as I cannot give an accurate assay. But I know my scrap stream and control it as best I can for the desired metal character.

Good parts can be made from scrap metals, but without caution, junk parts are made from unknown metals. It is my mantra not to waste time casting bad material into anything I put value on. Protecting the base metal from ingot is critcal to performance, so treating scrap with the same attention can only benefit you in the long run, by maintaining what quality can be garnered from your stream of usefull metal. It is no longer scrap, but a feedstock to be controlled for quality and end use.

As you have learned by illustration with your gland turnings, common shapes of bar and rounds, and discs, can shorten machine times for the odd parts, covers, yokes, and the like, by pigging materials in a usefull bar or disc shape. They can be remelted if necessary, but come in very handy for lathe or mill stock on hand.

[steamin10]

Charlie P. You should have figured out that any of the brass materials , including everdure, can be inoculated with a few pellets of lead shot, to make machining a breeze. (silicon too). However once that is done, the material will never maintain a bright polish, if that is important, because the lead will oxidize on the surface very quickly, and dull the shine.

Again consult your tables to see waht percentage of leading is targeted, and always, always, weigh your additions, to proportion your metal correctly.

You have come far grasshopper, I bid you take the next steps and rise above others horizons.

[Grantham]

Big Dave

Could you expand on just how much lead you add to these alloys. I still have a
fair amount of silicon bronze, which I consider next to worthless and being an
old letterpress printer, lead is no problem. Foundry type is lead, tin and antimony,
or should more pure lead be used.

Rod