lost foam casting - follow up - 2

First off - I regret that I'm starting all these new threads, on the same topic, but when I try to "Reply to message" it takes me to a new thread window... But that's NOT what I want to say!!!

Thanks for the various suggestions...

I do want to follow-up on a couple of the responses...

Degassing/Flux solution & Porosity due to Excessive melt Temps...

I have come to understand that Degassing agents & Flux agents are essentially the same thing is this true? Also the idea that I can have the slag/dross precipitate into a dry powder on top of the melt sounds very desirable as I typically skim a pound or more of slag with good material melted in per melt.

I'm slowly getting the idea that Chlorine is the active ingredient, or is it sodium (I will go back and re-read the reply's one more time)... The supplies that I have coming from

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essentially were thrown in for free along with the Petro-Bond order. I'll try some comparisons on a pot per pot basis to assay the difference between the commercial product vs a readily available substitute... Though Smelko sells the degasser for about $1.50/lb CDN.

Also, any additional info on the "water glass (solution of sodium silicate)" would be greatly appreciated as I've never heard of this process. In the mean time I'll google on both water glass & sodium silicate, to get somewhat upto speed.

Lastly, my gut feeling is that porosity (pitting or bubbles in the solidified pattern) is due to pouring the metal too hot. Or is it a result of bringing the metal to high in temp and would result in the pour regardless of the pouring temp once the temp threshold has been exceeded in the initial melting temp???

Thanks for all the info!!!

Frank

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Reply to
Frank
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sounds

Only in that these tend to be chlorine compounds which combine with the hydrogen in the molten aluminium. Flux protects the molten metal by floting on top and helping contaminates separate out in either the bottom of the pot or in the slag/dross layer on top. The degasser liberates quantities of chlorine that combines with the hydrogen to make hydrogen chloride that comes off the melt as white smoke.

time)...

Sodium silicate is sold as an adhesive. Most anything that is heat resistant can be used. Some people use dry wall compound. You can sand your foam patterns smooth and although I have never tried it, I have heard that you can paint the patterns with latex paint to fill in the pores in the plastic foam, before you coat with refactory. Also you might want to try different foam materials. I get different results from regular insulation bats, the blue foam bats and the much finer foam used as packing material and cheap ice chests.

If you have not done so already, check

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for their foundry books. Their reprint of the Navy foundry manual is invaluable and I used it as the text in our foundry class. The other books on pattern making and foundry work are reprints of manuals for the old manual methods which is exactly what we are looking for. Chastains series is also very good. Gingerys books are for the cheap at heart (like me.) When you read the old books and look at what these people managed to make, it is clear that while modern equipment is very helpful, extraordinary work can be produced with the simplest of materials. As my Dad used to tell me -- its a poor workman that blaims his tools! While a mixture of potassium and sodium chloride does melt at a lower temperature, I found that when the melt was just hot enough to melt regular salt, by the time I got it out of the furnace and was ready to pour it had cooled to about the right temp. Also the sub-zero deicing compound that many stores sell in place of rock salt is potassium chloride. Never tried it as canning salt worked for me, but it is cheap enough. Also avoid splashing when pouring. You can entrap air.

Reply to
gmcduffee

Most I've seen are calcium chloride, so check the label before buying.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Sodium is pretty much just a carrier. You could use chlorine gas, if you felt like having a cylinder on hand...

Flux basically sticks to the slag the way oil sticks to metal and displaces water. Thus it forms the metal into clean, neat droplets like mercury. Like any good flux does! :)

Just after the metal melts, in fact. I need some calcium chloride or other additions to see if I can reduce it further. Some sodium fluoride would be nice, but there's probably regulations against sale of THAT... Preferably, it should be molten while the metal still melts, protecting the surface as it rises.

D'OH, overheated!! :O (NaCl melts at 1474°F.)

D'OH, now the flux is solidified and not doing anything.

As long as you know what it is, how much of it and what proportions to mix it in. I don't know what eutectic mixtures form with calcium..

Tim

-- "I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!" - Homer Simpson Website @

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Reply to
Tim Williams

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