Coffee Can Furnace |
My first castings were done using the Lost Foam method, with about the smallest furnace
I could build. It consisted of 2 coffee cans lined with furnace cement.
I used my regular propane torch for the burner. For a melting
pot I used a cut off half of a oxygen cyclinder from a portable propane
oxygen torch. They are heavier than the propane cyclinder, but I have used
them also. |
Setting the furnace up to cast some zinc die- casting alloy.(old hard drives).
Much of the time my day job involves repairing computers, and it gives me great
satisfaction to see a old dead hard drive just melting into a puddle.
As you can see the small portable propane torch gets the job done. |
Lost foam pattern and the pour |
for casting one of a kind parts that are to be machined later, the lost foam method
is by far the quickes method to use. Here the foam patterns are just embeded
in sand and a sprue is fitted to the pattern. I also surround the
sprue with a broken brick to help keep the sprue open during the pour |
The finished parts as cast, and other parts after machining. The finish on
the parts was rather rough, as the only sand I had available at that time was sand-box
sand from the local hardware store. The patterns were made from 1/2"
foam insulation also from the hardware store. I will do another
page dedicated to a more advanced foam casting. |
Watch the Movie of this casting session |