Cross slide casting

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Gadget
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:02 pm
Location: Michigan

Cross slide casting

Post by Gadget »

I poured one of the castings today. I didn't bury the pattern deep enough in the sand and had a blow out on one corner but the casting is still usable. My sand bucket was a paperboard cylinder. The blow out burned a hole in the side so I couldn't cast the second pattern today. It will be there for the next time (after I get a metal sand bucket).
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Last edited by Gadget on Mon May 03, 2010 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Harold_V
Posts: 20231
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Cross slide casting

Post by Harold_V »

Gadget wrote:I poured one of the castings today. I didn't bury the pattern deep enough in the sand and had a blow out on one corner but the casting is still usable. My sand bucket was a paperboard cylinder. The blow out burned a hole in the side so I couldn't cast the second pattern today. It will be there for the next time (after I get a metal sand bucket).
Tough break on the blowout. :cry:
How about detailing your process? Not all of us are familiar with lost foam casting. A description of the sand type, and how it is installed in the flask would be interesting.

Harold
Gadget
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:02 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Cross slide casting

Post by Gadget »

Harold, the blowout didn't really hurt the casting. I just had more metal to cut away.
The lost sand process involves burying your sand pattern in loose sand then tapping the sand container to let the sand pack a little tighter around the pattern and fill any voids. The small square part of the pattern in the earlier post is the pouring gate. I have a metal tube about 2.5 in square I fit over the gate for easy pouring into the gate and to also build head pressure to force the aluminum into the smaller areas of the casting. The tube is about 5' tall and ideally you would fill until you are near the top of the tube. The sand is just play sand, no ramming needed.
In this part the pouring gate is the top of the pattern. I filled the container with sand to about an inch over the pouring gate. I should have filled it with sand to the top or near the top of the square pouring tube.
I will shoot a video of the process when I pour the second casting and post it here. I'll post a video of the pour shortly.
dpeterson3
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:58 pm

Re: Cross slide casting

Post by dpeterson3 »

I don't think I could live with myself as a techie if I didn't ask about the Redhat box in the background. I don't come across to many other people in this hobby who are also computer geeks.
Gadget
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:02 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Cross slide casting

Post by Gadget »

dpeterson3 wrote:I don't think I could live with myself as a techie if I didn't ask about the Redhat box in the background. I don't come across to many other people in this hobby who are also computer geeks.
I got that when I attended the RHCE class. I started the class with only a little Linux background and left the class an RHCT. It was an 8 hour exam and was very tough. I still like Linux but most of the programs I need are windows based unfortunately.
Dan
Gadget
Posts: 61
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 9:02 pm
Location: Michigan

Machined the castings

Post by Gadget »

I machined the other side of the casting today. Everything fits nice and flat. Next step is to add the clamps.
The dark spots on the bearing surfaces are grease deposits.
Dan
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Sitting in place on the mill
Sitting in place on the mill
Bed sitting in place
Bed sitting in place
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