[TheForge] RE: Casting; to be or not to be...

[Washington, Aubrey O.]

Bruce and Mickey,
 
To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I'm asking about.  I have several ingots of gold-colored metal that I know came from a company that used to cast belt buckles.  But, as someone pointed out, I don't really know if it is bronze, brass, or gold ;-)  I know the ingots have some wording cast into them, but I haven't looked at them recently and don't remember what they say.  (It may just be the name of the company.)
 
How dangerous are brass fumes?  Is melting and pouring outside in a breeze good enough?
 
Aubrey

________________________________

From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Bruce Freeman
Sent: Wed 8/2/2006 1:26 PM
To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [TheForge] RE: Casting; to be or not to be...



Bronze?  Seems to me Aubrey was asking about casting brass.  There
really is no question that casting aluminum is easier and safer than
casting brass.  Temperature.  Fumes.  Weight.  Composition of melt.

You crawl before you walk and walk before you run.  Or do you believe
in throwing a non-swimmer in the deep end?

BTW, my Gingery furnace has a lid and is fine to work around.

Bruce
NJ



>>> michael.a.porter at comcast.net 8/2/2006 12:40:24 PM >>>
We all have hopes and fears. The fact that it is the former from which
the
latter grow is so well established as to be all but forgotten; that is
itself a stumbling block for everyone looking to accomplish their
heart's
desire, because above all, fear blinds. The more we want a thing, the
greater the temptation to "throw the race," avoiding the risk of real
failure. With the addition of self deceit to protect our pride it is a
wonder that people ever accomplish anything.



Possibly aluminum is safer than bronze. It is also possible that a
charcoal
furnace and a steel tube crucible are easier to build than a gas-fired
jeweler's furnace holding a clay-graphite crucible. That all sounds
very
plausible; the shaded by-way often looks more inviting than the
bustling
highway, but will it take us where we want to go?



Yes, aluminum casts at several hundred degrees less than bronze, yet
liquid
aluminum will strip flesh from bones just as effectively; safety
precautions
are needed for both. The only variable factor that applies to this
particular situation is pour size; the smaller the pour, the easier to
control; this is why so much time and effort has been devoted on
Castinghobby to building coffee-can furnaces by those of us with no
particular interest in them; to smooth the path for novices. 



A charcoal furnace is about two-thirds the work and expense of a well
built
gas-fired furnace, because it doesn't need a lid. With a lid the gas
furnace
is more pleasant, and healthier, to be around.



A properly built steel tube crucible is going to be more expensive than
a
small clay graphite crucible, if your son's time is worth anything.
The
risks involved will be about equal for a novice; the answer in either
case
is to place a sheet metal firewall between the operator's legs and the
mold.
If we plan for crucible failure it need be nothing more than a minor
aggravation (drain hole in furnace bottom; firewall; furnace and mold
both
set over a sufficient amount of contained sand).



One thing is certain though, and that is he will get no joy from the
effort
of casting aluminum when bronze parts are what he really wants to use.
After
he has done all the work to build a charcoal furnace and finally gets
to the
place where he can pour aluminum successfully, there will remain a
different
mountain to climb. If he wished to make large pours, starting with
aluminum
would be good advice, but in this case I would recommend the right way;
not
the "easy" way.

Mikey




Subject: Re: Casting Newbie [Was: RE: [TheForge] Casting a power
hammer?]





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