Casting alloy.... interesting link

[SamT]

Was shown this 2day, thought it may interest alot of you, looks very cool.

Some real good stuff made here, would love to have a crack at some of this...

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4662626-The-complete-guide-on-casting-parts

 

[graffian]

For a good overview of casting a block look up: Australian aluminium Healey block. You should find some really good pics with all the cores and patterns. oh and the final block and machining.
I have seen the patterns and core boxes for a JAP KTOR Vtwin cylinder head, the Weslake Essex ford heads and the Weslake A series min heads, at a local foundry.

The JAP head took 15 cores plus the pattern to make it!
The Essex heads used loads of core boxes, the blokes office was completely full of core boxes.

 

[rtbcomp]

I've put Sam's link in Links > Materials > Aluminium and Its Alloys.

IMHO pattern makers are the unsung heroes of the engineering industry.

 

[Shox Dr]

One talented guy, He doesn't even have a mill, he uses a Router

 

[Wedg1e]

One of my clients used to be West Yorkshire Foundries in Leeds, latterly part of Hydro Aluminium but now sadly closed... they sand-cast the Rover V8 and Rolls-Royce 6.75L V8 until the end of production (ie until the Germans took over ).
Dunno what happened to the patterns but I gather that someone is still casting the RV8... whether it's in the UK though, I know not.

 

[the artfull-codger]

interesting link sam,don't know why he says it's near impossible to obtain info on casting though, there's plenty available especially now, also he keeps refering to his ''smelter'' & ''smelting'' it's a ''furnace'' for ''melting'' metal, smelting is when you're extracting the metal from the raw ore, frost plugs as he calls them are usually refered to as core plugs, used to hold the cores in place when casting, interesting all the same.

slan go fol

 

[Robotstar5]

Recognised a lot of it from my apprenticeship in a foundry except our furnaces were a bit bigger

 

[Angusdog]

Damn, another hour and a half wasted Very interesting thread though.

 

[Nimbus]

Aside from melting the alloy it's a reasonably easy process - I learned how to do basic stuff in school casting inlet manifolds for hill climbers. Don't think I want to try engine blocks though...