The Home Machinist!

For my Pella Windows facing to the front, southeast, I needed a diamond lattice to match some from Pella already installed, I used a glue gun! After a few weeks there was a pile of sticks laying at the bottom of each window, the summer sun had done its work! Reassembled using a real glue and clips, ...

https://mifco.com/foundry-furnaces/high-speed-melters/

It is NOT for forging, but is mainly used for melting a small amount of metal in a crucible.

Mostly used in schools, labs, or by hobbyists, it is now called B160.

You need to go past "C" to reach "B" on the above site.

If you are wondering why there are so many frame parts in photo #3, it's because I worried about failure when I poured. I made many of the same kind while I was in that process. The frame will be poured in several parts, and then TIG welded together and machined. I may never get that project finishe...

I got into Lost Foam back in the late 1960's when my brother came across a patent by Harold Shroyer. The foundry industry, because they would have to pay for use of his patent, waited until it ran out before adopting the process for all kinds of castings. Rather than repeat what I put on here in the...

Here is what I use, for Box Car Red I use their Chestnut, but they do have both Red and Gray Primers in the 5200 Series: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/industrial-brands/commercial/acrylic-coatings/5200-system-dtm-acrylic https://www.rustoleum.com/-/media/DigitalEncyclopedia/Documents/Rus...

When the last foundry was closed, I bought some of it for a few $$$, and here is our first pour.

Those metal flaks are magnesium and ran ~ $400 each when new, I got ten of them for just a few $$.

Near the bottom are two wooden flasks I made.

The sand is PetroBond.

Here is what a high school Foundry Class looked like in the 1970's, Mike and Ray standing in the center are the instructors, and happened to also be graduates of the high school. That scene as been long gone, and the school today has STEM, save lotsa $$$$$$ that way! Flasks are all steel, which work...

I bought Royal 5C Collets when they were still producing them in the 1990's, have no problem with small diameters.

It was those cheap foreign collets that drove Royal out of making them.

I did not know Ulrich had died, he was the guy with the 7-1/16th gauge RR in an old gravel quarry, we visited him several times many years ago. He did some super precision stuff, and if I remember right, had two B&S Screw machines in his basement to turn out small parts. Is his RR a thing of the...

If you go over to Harbor Frate, you can buy one of their lift tables, and have a variable height stand like I did. On that lift table is a roller assembly for the locomotive to run on air, but it could be of any design. Behind it, is my welded stand at a permanent height. If you want to go really bi...

I never knew General Steel put such a plate on their Water Bed castings.

I could use some for the several Water Bed castings I made using A356.

How did you make your castings?

My castings were done with a styrofoam pattern embedded in sodium silicate treated sand.

We have bought our coal from: https://www.centaurforge.com/Coal-Coke/products/277/

We drive up there and load a few bags.

Whatever size coal is in the bag is what is used.

Whether it is exactly correct for 1/8th scale steam locomotives, it does the job.