First video shows the mini foundry in use. Second video shows how to make it. My 18yo son and I are going to give this a try. We're saving up our soda cans. We just have to figure out some ideas of what to mold.
Interesting. My 15 year old son was just telling me yesterday how he had seen somewhere where they poured molten aluminum down an ant hill and then dug it up and cleaned it once it has hardened.
Very interesting. I really need to make a few comments for safety's sake. These videos don't emphasize enough on safety like they should. Using a foundry is very serious business, with some very high temperatures. The sparks, commonly called "fireflies" created by charcoal can fly out rapidly, and many at a time, and travel some decent distances. They are shockingly hot and will cause small painful burns. They will go right through synthetic materials. Use welding gloves if you have them. Use some stronger tongs and not the flimsy stamped steel ones if you can. Their "crucible" glowing orange puts it near 1700 degrees. Steel can melt, especially with charcoal and forced air. Lastly, where they poured the molten aluminum into the baking pans, the smoke coming from the non-stick coating can be pretty nasty. Here is a color temperature chart for steel to help give you an idea of what temps you will be working with. I am a member over at the I forge iron website. They have a foundry section in their forums that have some good information. Have fun and be safe. Looking forward to see what you come up with.
Great advice, thanks. I had a hand cranked antique forge a number of years ago that we used for pouring Babbitt bearings and other projects so we know some of the basics. (It's now part of a private gun smith museum that a friend is putting together.) But safety with these kinds of temps cannot be stressed enough.
