Lost Foam Casting
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lost_foam_casting_-_grade_8.pdf | |
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Basic Guidelines:
- Start with your design on paper.
- Once you have a full size template made get your foam and begin tracing on your design
- Use any tools you think you may need to carve your foam piece into an EXACT representation of your final aluminum piece
-Recommended tools: Hacksaw, mini files, dremel, "milling dremel", sandpaper, etc.
Add the "snorkle" as per the teachers demo.
-In the foundry area pick an appropriate "circle sand holder"
-Sift, fill, and pack so that your foam piece will be approximately halfway down and with the snorkle above the top of the "circle sand holder".
-Place your foam piece in and sift/fill/pack around it. If you have small details use your finger to pack the sand into the cracks. If the sand is packed too loosely any fine details will not turn out well and will end up as a BLOB
-Once filled to the top of the "circle mold" you need to make a small funnel around the "snorkle" so that the molten aluminum can be guided into the hole made after the foam is vaporized.
Casting:
We need at least 45 minutes for the kiln to heat up and melt our aluminum. We will always add more than we need to the melting crucible to ensure your mold gets filled up and then a little on top to fill up the snorkle. This is how we know that the aluminum made it all the way through and filled every space of your casting.
Wait at least ten minutes for the aluminum to harden and then use the long handled "blacksmith pliers" to dig out your aluminum casting. Let it sit on top of your mold or a safe place to cool down a bit more before quenching in the sink. Try and get all the sand/dirt off before quenching in the sink to avoid clogging the drain with dirt
Cut off the snorkle and any extra pieces. Save them so we can re-melt them down again for the next person.
Sand, file, mill, dremel, paint, etc anything you need to make your final piece amazing.
- Once you have a full size template made get your foam and begin tracing on your design
- Use any tools you think you may need to carve your foam piece into an EXACT representation of your final aluminum piece
-Recommended tools: Hacksaw, mini files, dremel, "milling dremel", sandpaper, etc.
Add the "snorkle" as per the teachers demo.
-In the foundry area pick an appropriate "circle sand holder"
-Sift, fill, and pack so that your foam piece will be approximately halfway down and with the snorkle above the top of the "circle sand holder".
-Place your foam piece in and sift/fill/pack around it. If you have small details use your finger to pack the sand into the cracks. If the sand is packed too loosely any fine details will not turn out well and will end up as a BLOB
-Once filled to the top of the "circle mold" you need to make a small funnel around the "snorkle" so that the molten aluminum can be guided into the hole made after the foam is vaporized.
Casting:
We need at least 45 minutes for the kiln to heat up and melt our aluminum. We will always add more than we need to the melting crucible to ensure your mold gets filled up and then a little on top to fill up the snorkle. This is how we know that the aluminum made it all the way through and filled every space of your casting.
Wait at least ten minutes for the aluminum to harden and then use the long handled "blacksmith pliers" to dig out your aluminum casting. Let it sit on top of your mold or a safe place to cool down a bit more before quenching in the sink. Try and get all the sand/dirt off before quenching in the sink to avoid clogging the drain with dirt
Cut off the snorkle and any extra pieces. Save them so we can re-melt them down again for the next person.
Sand, file, mill, dremel, paint, etc anything you need to make your final piece amazing.