Foundry

This page last updated09/17/2008
CAUTION! Metalworking can be dangerous.  These pages should not be taken as a step by step guide on how to construct any items or carry out any particular procedure, nor should any references to safety contained herein be taken to guarantee safety in all situations.  Use your head!
I started my foundry so that I could make some missing/broken pieces for the fire truck as well as wanting to make my own lathe, shaper and mill from the Gingery series "Build a Complete Metal Working Shop from Scrap".  I bought the whole series of books about 5 years ago and about a year ago I decided that I was going to finally get going on it.  I found a lot of info on the web, which has really helped.   Here are some pictures of my home foundry. 

Here is a picture of my furnace.  It's made from a 5 quart pot that I got from Wal Mart.  It's based on the one that I saw on the "Fun with molten metal" web page.  The burner runs on propane and is designed after this one on Ron Reil's web page.  I use a piece of 6" diameter pipe with a 1/4" thick plate welded on the bottom for my crucible.
Here are my lifting and tilting tongs.  They are made from 1/4" diameter steel rod that has been formed and welded.  I got the idea from "Backyard Metalcasting".

This is my molding bench.  It's made from plywood and 2x8's.  It's bolted to the wall and has two legs in the front.  The plywood ramming surface on the right side is removable to help with cleanup of the sand.
Another shot of my molding bench and the shelf above it, where all of my tools are within easy reach when I'm ramming up a mold.
This is my pouring area.  It's made from 2x4's and has a plywood bottom.  It's filled about 3" thick with sand to contain any accidental spills.  The muffin tin in the upper left corner is for making ingots.
After using homemade green sand for two years, I finally bit the bullet and purchased 100 lbs. of Petrobond sand from Budget Casting Supplies.  I've cast a couple of things now with it and am very impressed.  The surface finish is incredible and is much easier to use that green sand.  If you are thinking about casting aluminum at all, get the good stuff right away.  It will save you many headaches down the road.
When I first set up my foundry I went out and bought a digital pyrometer and thermocouple.  I wanted to know what temperature my metal was at when I poured.  The meter itself cost around $30.00 and the thermocouple was about $20.00.  Money well spent in my opinion.

Here are some tools that I use for making runners and sprues.  From left to right: a trowel, a piece of electrical conduit, a spoon, and two mason's tuck pointing tools.
This is a new flask that I made out of plywood for making small parts.  It has a 6" x 6" inside dimension and is 7" tall.  The guide pin is a 1/2" diameter bolt with the head cut off bolted to some angle iron.
Another view.