Hi,

just have to share the excitement. Last weekend I finally
finished all the accessories to do a melt, and fired up the
foundry!! For safety, I melted a very small amount of aluminum,
and cast it. It melted in about 15 minutes and I left it in for
another 5 to pour at a higher temperature. Casting didn't
quite work (sprue too thin, sand too wet) but I'm learning
from my mistakes.

I'm thinking of casting sculptures and parts for a Gingery
Lathe. What is the interest out there for rough castings for
such a lathe? I've built the foundry a bit bigger than the
charcoal foundry, so I can make a longer or thicker bed...

The other thing is the resulting cast seemed a bit soft...
I've looked through the archives and heat treating the cast
seems like a bit of a pain. Would a longer sprue make the
cast denser/harder? Or is it just the lawn chair aluminum
that's not too great for this?

Thanks,
Tom.
http://www.TomEberhard.com