GE - Casting

[Eadric Anstapa]

A few quick notes about regarding the casting discussion 
that has taken place on this list.  Then I suggest that 
this discussion be taken off this list.

First you CAN successfully and easily cast aluminum in 
your you backyard with a homebuilt furnace and foundry 
heated by normal propane or charcoal.  I can point you do 
dozens of web sites devoted to hobby/backyard casting of 
aluminum.  Aluminum is easy to find at any scrap yard in 
the form of old car parts.  The best aluminum I ever cast 
was from old aluminum gutter material that I melted 
down.  I dunno what it was alloyed with, but it flowed 
real nicely and remained flexible rather than getting 
brittle as aluminum sometimes does.

Lead shouldn't be discounted completely.  It is easy to 
get as fishing simkers or old tire weights.  I would not 
use it for a final piece because it is too soft but it is 
nice to use to test with.

For small volumes of low temp casting metals look at   
http://www.miniaturemolds.com/  Specifically the page  
http://www.miniaturemolds.com/metals__.htm

For supplies and a nice viariety of alloys look at 
http://www.shorinternational.com/   For some neat casting 
alloys look at 
http://www.shorinternational.com/CastAlloys.htm For their 
general casting page look at  
http://www.shorinternational.com/casting.htm Here you can 
find sand casting supplies and kits, crucibles, 
investment casting materials, etc.

Other sources of metals include 
http://www.conquestind.com/main.htm
http://www.atlasmetal.com/
http://www.riogrande.com/

If you are going to do a good bit of casting, once you 
get your metals I suggest that you go down and buy a cast-
iron cornbread or muffin pan.  They make great ingot 
molds for casting your spare metal into and they come in 
neat shapes.  My SOP was to first  all take the scrap 
lead and aluminum and melt it down and pour it into 
muffin pans first so that when I had a casting project I 
had clean ingots to start with (we actually called them 
lead, aluminum or pewter "thingies"). 
     
For the low-temp alloys and pewters you wont need a 
furnace.  You can melt then right in a crucible with a 
torch.

Good luck with the ceramic molds,  Don't expect to get 
too may castings out of them.

Regards,

Eadric


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