My Daughter Has Caught the MetalCasting Bug

by John

For some reason which I do not really understand, my youngest daughter has become interested in my metal casting activities.

First she watched me do a molten aluminium pour.

Then she rang me a day or two later and asked if she could have a go.  She really wanted to do it in brass or bronze, but as a relative beginner myself, and with only one episode of molten brass, and that one did not go so well, I demurred, and said that her first effort would have to be in aluminium.

So I prepared 3 flasks, printing the plastic parts, and gluing them into a wax tree, then slowly heating the flasks in the potters oven, up to 750ºc over 8 hours.  Then lowered the oven temperature to the pouring temp of 710ºc.  And preparing the aluminium melt at 710ºc.

When Eleanor arrived, we had a couple of practice runs with flasks full of sand, so she could get used to the weights and handling the tongs, and the various movements while wearing the protective gear.

Then the pour.   This is Eleanor’s video of the event.

 

I admit to some substantial reservations about this exercise, but Eleanor listens carefully, asks intelligent penetrating questions, and follows instructions precisely.   Full marks.

And, a very successful pour!