Casting Metals

[Elmo]

Elmo
I bought books 2,3,4,and 6. I will not be building the lathe as I've got 3 lathe now. The first book might be important if you want to build the foundry. I just looked on the net for the info for the green sand and for building a furnace.
Then I set off on using some of the info and my own ideas for building the foundry etc.
I really wanted a metal mill but didn't want to spend the money for one, what you get for the price paid plus the expense for the tooling used on the mill is or can be more expensive than the mill's price. Building your own mill is very inexpensive, you don't have to buy replacement parts if you happen to break it just cast a new part. You can make any tool needed for the mill.
The cold rolled steel will cost around $300.00 to build both the shaper and mill
nuts and bolts around $40.00. If you scrounge the motors that will help keep the price down. Washing machine motors work very well. 1/3 hp at 1725 rpm is what you will want higher hp won't hurt a thing. pulleys can be cast to help keep that expense down. Bearings, if you buy what Dave Gingery specs. for these machine they are not to costly one pillow block bearing is around $12.00. The sleeve bronze bushings are all around $2.50 to $5.00. If you can find used roller bearings that will work too. If you have a metal lathe you will be in business right off if not then either build the lathe or buy one. You will want one that will swing at least 7" dia.
I hope you have fun doing this cause I sure have.

I am going to have to start from scratch. I have a drill press only. I do have a fairly complete set of wood working tools though. Here is a pic i got from a casting book, looks like a good mb engine if it could be built. It also had a good bit about casting small engine cylinders.

 

[Elmo]

the pic did not take. It was a small v twin.

 

[Norman]

Elmo try the picture again I'd like to see the v-twin
I have some more done on the dividing head
this picture is the mold for some of the parts. The bad news is there was 4 separate casting in it one leaked so I lost 2 parts and will have to redo those 2 but it no big deal.The one pattern was deep in the sand so only about 1/4" of sand in the bottom of that one pattern the metal leaked out of a vent hole 1/8" dia. I didn't get plugged enough at the very bottom.

this is the 2 patterns and the parts kind of missing some of the metal so they will get remelted along with the metal that leaked out.

machining the part that will hold the worm gear. I started boring it out for a 5/8" bushing then fond out I didn't have the bushing so before I remove the part I'll have to get the bushing so I can measure them to get a proper press fit for the bushing. I'm machining it in my new Grizzly g 0602 lathe and it works very nice.

the dividing head with the worm wheel and brake the brake handle is the shaft sticking out of the top of the frame.

 

[Norman]

this is the brake it locks the worm wheel and the main shaft . The worm wheel has a hub that fits the brake band very closely. 1/4 turn of the brake lever locks it tight.

the worm wheel in place and the worm is setting on top of the wheel where it will be once I get the part that is in the lathe awaiting the bushing done.

I'm holding the indexing shaft that will go through the crank handle that is setting to the right of the the wood pattern in this picture. The wood pattern is for the cast part that is still in the lathe.

well that's it for now. I have to go get a couple of bushings so I can finish up boring the part in the lathe.

 

[Elmo]

That is some fine looking patterns and castings Norman. I found some 50 lb bags of bentonite clay here for 13.95 per bag. It is a bmp and this is the only size I could get to load, you can't tell much from it. You can go here http://www.freebookspot.me/Comments.aspx?Element_ID=3919 and download the book and see it better.

 

[thine82]

i need my wetlockz exhaust box made by someone... the web link has a full description.. please read it.. this will pave the way for quiet twostrokes..

http://motorbicycling.com/members/t...wetlockz-red-exhaust-pipe-orangish-color.html

 

[Norman]

Elmo neat little engine.
For clay you could get a small box of self clumping cat box litter, or just one bag of the clay you are looking at. the cat litter will need to be crushed where the bag of I'll call it drilling mud shouldn't.
I used 1 lb of clay to 10 lbs of sand I think, or you can go back and see what I did when it was still fresh in my mind.
For the price of the bag of Benoite you can't beat the price if its powdered if it's in granular form you will need to powder it. I used a old cheap blender.

 

[Norman]

thine82
I would need your bike to be able to fit an exhaust to it. You could make the exhaust pipe out of conduit or thin wall steel tubing. You would need a bender to make the pipe bends, no big deal if you have a conduit bender and they are not expensive to buy. A wire feed welder or oxygen/accet. welder will also work.
the box can be made from thin gauge metal 20 gauge would work or a hood or door skin from an auto or truck. I kind of think the water idea will work for a very short time once it gets to boiling it will vapor off. Glycol would be a better choice. Again you might be trying a little too hard for a quiet exhaust. Just sizing a baffled chamber will work as good and be easier to make with no liquid needed. I haven't seen any vehicles with a liquid silenced exhaust other than a boat. There are liquid cooled exhausts that I'm familiar with but the liquid in those are not for making the exhaust quiet.

 

[Elmo]

If you have ever been around an oil well being drilled you know how nasty drilling mud is. This area was one hugh oil field when I was growing up.

The sacks are labeled drilling mud and it is a very fine powder, grey colored. I wonder if quick dry for oil spills is bentonite, I know it is clay but I think it comes only from Mexico or some South American country. It breaks down to a very fine powder also. Years ago I built a tumbler to clean the cartridge cases for reloading. I tried quick dry for media and when I opened the tumbler all the brass was packed full of clay, quite a mess to clean up.

 

[Norman]

that is Benoite or known as drilling mud. If you can get some you will have the clay you need for making the green sand. Yea I kind of know about oil fields I broke out in them in 1974 I retired from there just 1.5 years ago.
almost 5.5 years on work over rigs. started as a floor hand worked my way to operator. I liked the derrick hand job the best most of the time.
I've had my share of oil baths and been drowned in mud at different times.
The last 30 years was for a major oil company. I worked as a maintenance operator/ mechanic etc.

 

[juliman]

hey!, i have cast aluminium before and it is fun, but dangerous, but it can also be Very handy,

 

[Norman]

I've done more work on the dividing head. here's some photos.

crank handle frame with the worm gear

worm gear fitted to the worm wheel

dividing head frame assembled with the crank in place. The 3 discs under the dividing head are the cast blanks that will be machined then drilled with an 1/8" drill bit. These will allow precise movement of the dividing head.

the back side of the assembled dividing head sitting on the mill's table

 

[Norman]

this is the indexing pin that fits inside of the crank handle

the indexing pin fitted into the crank handle. I have the indexing pin in the retracted and locked position the pins 1/8" tip will set in the indexing wheels holes

pattern for the indexing wheels

the cast blanks of the indexing wheels. these get machined and drilled with a bunch of holes.

 

[Elmo]

Norman where did you find the worm gear and wheel? Looking good.

 

[Norman]

The worm and worm wheel is from Mc Master Carr.

 

[Norman]

more dividing head work.
This is my new lathe Grizzly G0602

boring the indexing plate after facing off both sides and trimming the O.D. of the plate

this is where the pates will sit on the dividing head

I have the dividing head bolted to my drill press to start drilling the indexing holes. My drill press is almost too small for this , I can't use the press's table so the dividing head is bolted to the base of the drill press which will work.

I'll have to make indexing strips for the O.D. of each plate then start drilling the holes.
Plate #1 will have110 holes
Plate #2 will have 168 holes
Plate #3 will have 211 holes
I'll be busy for a while. All holes will be 1/8".

 

[Elmo]

The worm and worm wheel is from Mc Master Carr.

Thanks Norman, looks like you are almost through. Way ahead of me I havent gotten my furnace built yet. I dug some clay on my property that is close to fireclay and dried it in a temporary kiln and got the sand from the creek at the back of my place. I have a 5 gallon bucket for the furnace and the top 3 inches from another for the top. I plan to use waste motor oil for heat and have a small electric blower for air.

 

[Norman]

that's cool Elmo! I'm looking forward to seeing you cast some metal.
Must be nice to find the raw materials you need, that will save a bunch on expenses.

 

[Norman]

here is the plate being drilled and the finished plates.

start of the drilling

using strips of paper with the divisions marked on it I rotate the plate to each mark, set the brake on the dividing head then drill the hole.

first plate done it had the most holes.

all 3 plate are done.

now to cast the tail stand for the dividing head.

 

[Elmo]

Very neat work Norman. Are you sure that you worked in the oil patch?