Metal Casting Zone Info Blog

Archive for June, 2011

Autoart a Model Car Company: Brazilian Gp, and Super Gt 1/18 Models

Autoart is a model car company and main manufacturers of die-cast scale model cars and lifestyle items. Autoart make model cars using variety of different makes, scales and models. AUTOart makes diecast model cars, slot racing cars, and in the future radio controlled cars. AUTOart diecast cars, in price and quality, generally fall between Exoto and CMC (at the high end), and Maisto and Bburago (at the low end). They are reputed to have very precise detailing on all features such as: carpeting, wheels & tires, working door handles, seat belts, suspension, engines, sun visor, working door latch, and door/trunk/hood lid dampers.

Fully built scale model cars made of die cast metal are very popular among collectors. These models are manufactured in various scales like 1:18, 1:24, 1:48, and 1:43, among others. Examples die-cast model car brands and manufacturers include Maisto, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Corgi and Yat Ming.

List of Makes of Cars Produced by AUTOart

* Alfa Romeo

* Aston Martin

* Audi

* Austin Healey

* Bentley

* BMW

* Bugatti

* Cadillac

* Callaway

* Chaparral

* Chevrolet/GM Design

* Chrysler

* Citroen

* Dodge

* Fiat

* Ford

* Holden

* Honda

* HSV

* Jaguar

* Jeep

* Koenigsegg

* Lamborghini

* Lancia

* Land Rover

* Lexus

* Lincoln

* Lotus

* Maybach

* Mazda

* Mercedes-Benz

* MG

* Mini

* Mitsubishi

* Nissan

* Panoz

* Piaggio

* Peugeot

* Porsche

* Saleen

* Saturn

* Subaru

* Toyota

* Volkswagen

AUTOart ALMS, Brazilian GP, and Super GT 1/18 Models

Gateway Global, parent company of AUTOart, has released information on their latest 1:18 scale sealed body shell Motorsports offerings.

Included in the “Coming Soon” list will be the 2007 Corvette C6R ALMS Compuware cars; the #3 Johnny O’Connell / Jan Magnussen (AUTOart No. 80704), and (AUTOart No. 80705) #4 Oliver Gavin / Olivier Beretta (incorrectly listed as Beratty by AUTOart). You might remember these drivers as First in GT1 Class at the 2006 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Additionally, AUTOart No. 80645 is the 2005 BMW M3 GTR3 Interlagos at São Paulo Red Bull #11 and AUTOart No. 80580 is the 2005 Nissan Fairlady Z Super GT Test Car.

These and other AUTOart Motorsport 1:18 diecast cars are scheduled to be released this 2nd half of year.

 

Wrought Iron Creates Old World Decorating Charm

Wrought iron-what is it and why use it to decorate your kitchen? You may usually think of wrought iron when you picture a tall, ominous gate in front of a castle. Or, you remember that romantic bench in the park. You may have seen heavy, black metal pot racks in an authentic Italian restaurant. Whether commercial or household, wrought iron has a long history and many uses today.

 

Wrought iron is a tough, malleable, ductile and easily welded iron alloy. The term was used throughout western history, most specifically for finished iron goods, as produced by a blacksmith. This type of iron use dates back to Roman times and was very popular in Europe during the reign of William and Mary. It could stand up to use in battle as well as everyday use in shops and homes. It was preferred over cast iron as cast iron was very brittle.

 

In the 1800s, wrought iron was the most common form of malleable, or bendable, iron. It was typically used to make swords, cutlery, and other blades. Other popular uses were: rivets, nails, wire, chains, nuts, bolts, horseshoes, handrails, racks and ornamental ironwork. This strong metal was very popular in the 1860s for making iron clad warships and railways. The Eiffel tower is actually made from a form of wrought iron called puddle-iron!

 

Cast iron, carbon, or mild steel, and cheaper steel became more available in the 1900′s and caused a gradual decline in wrought iron manufacture. The last production works in Great Britain closed in 1974. True production of this desirable metal was, unfortunately,   labor intensive and expensive. Some of the production machinery originally used in Great Britain is now preserved in the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, in Shropshire, England. It is still used commercially for beautiful restoration projects using recycled iron scrap.

 

Today, when you see garden furniture advertised as wrought iron, it may actually be made of mild steel. The description is still used because the pieces are wrought (or worked) by hand. This metal is used, today, to make home décor items such as Baker’s racks, wine racks, pot racks, étagères , table bases, desks, gates, beds, plant racks, candle holders, curtain rods, bar and bar stools. The beauty, strength and elegance of wrought iron makes it very suited to making unique, handsome products and furnishings.

 

Using wrought iron hand-craftsmanship in your kitchen will add beautiful, Old World, charm to your home. It will also add to the rustic appeal of your cabin or lodge. Hanging, or wall mounted, pot racks can sturdily display cookware and accessories while adding extra storage. Such kitchen accessories can be simple or elaborate, adorned with French curls and scrolls, or classic and elegant. Black is most common, however, the metal can easily be painted any color to compliment your home decor. 

 

Wrought iron is an old fashioned metal that is still an excellent choice for home decorating due to its malleable capabilities, strength, and variety of uses, both indoors and out. Including items such as pot racks, trivets, wine racks, and shelves will give your kitchen a rustic, Tuscan, and classy ambiance. Wrought iron is an Old World metal that you will enjoy in your home today!

More Ornamental Cast Iron Articles

What is Metal Casting?

A wide variety of materials can be used to make molds for metal casting, depending on the metal being worked. The material needs to be strong and durable enough to withstand the hot metal, while being workable enough to be to be carved or worked into a mold. Wood, limestone, plaster of Paris, and ceramic have all been used for molds, and crude metal casting has been performed by pouring molten metal into forms made by hollowing out sand or clay. Re-usable molds for metal casting click together, holding the metal while it sets and then pulling apart.

Some molds are made by carving a form from wax, including a high level of detail so that the piece will be as finished as possible. The wax can be inserted into a wet ceramic or plaster of Paris block and then fired, leaving the shape of the mold behind while the wax flows out. This technique is known as “lost wax casting,” and it is simple enough to be taught in elementary school art classes.

To do metal casting, people usually need access to a foundry, a facility which has been specially outfitted for work with hot metals. Foundries include a very hot furnace or fireplace known as a forge which can be used to work metal directly for blacksmithing, or to melt metals for metal casting. Once metal is molten, it can also be alloyed with other metals to bring out desired properties, and then carefully poured into molds for casting.

Different metals require unique levels of skill to work with, as indicated by the terms “Bronze Age,” “Iron Age,” and so forth for different periods in human history. Some foundries are equipped to handle a range of metals, including metals which need a very high temperature for working, while others are more crude, and designed to be used with softer metals which are easier to work. Metal casting can also be accomplished with fine metals like silver and gold to make cast jewelry.

 

 

A Brief Introduction of Molding Sand

When people speak of sand casting, the first thing that comes to their mind is the sand on the beach. They do not think that sand casting is one of the most popular methods which are used to produce metal parts. In order to help people get a general idea about it, the article will introduce some information about the sand casting.

 

Generally speaking, the sand used in foundry industry includes two kinds, namely molding sand and core sand. The molding sand is composed of 85% natural sand, 9% clay and 6% water. Sometimes, in order to improve its property, coal powder, vegetable oil and wood flour will be added into the mold sand.

 

Although the sand is the main material for sand casting, it is quite different from the common sand on the beach. Anyone who has built sand castles on the beach knows how fragile sand castles are. So it is impossible to use the beach sand to hold molten metal. One question that comes to the mind is what properties can help the molding sand hold molten metal. Generally speaking, the molding sand has the following features. What comes first is permeability. The ability of allowing the steam to pass through the walls of mold material is called permeability. After the high-temperature molten metal is poured into the mold, there are a lot of gases in the mold. If the gas can not be removed successfully, the casting will produce some defeats. In addition, the permeability is also influenced by the clay content, water content and graininess. The next feature is refractoriness. This is the ability of withstanding high temperatures of sand. From this point, people also can deduce that sand used for casting steel must be more refractory than one for brass or aluminum because of the greater pouring temperature. Also, a sand used to cast large heavy castings must be more refractory than one used for light thin castings of the same metal. The third feature is strength. The ability of resisting the external force is called strength. If the strength of mold sand is not high enough, the castings easily collapse. However, the strength can not be too high. Or else, the sand castings will produce some defeats due to the decrease of permeability. The fourth feature is plasticity. It refers to the ability of maintaining the shape under the effect of external force. Because the molding sand has the good plasticity, the molding operation is very convenient and the shape of mold is quite accurate.

Find More Sand Casting Foundry Articles

Here I show the complete pattern making and casting of a 12 1/16″ flywheel.
Although mainly about pattern making I have also shown the casting so the whole process can be seen.
More detail on the actual casting techniques can be seen in my earlier videos.

Making a cylinder head for a single cylinder hit and miss engine.
Core making moulding casting and machining operations.
The engine is an Olds Gearless, a 4 srtoke with no gears.
An eccentric on the crankshaft operates a ratchet wheel to give the necessary timing.

Making a greensand mould and casting an aluminium cylinder for a model hit and miss engine.

This was an experiment to see if carbon dioxide produced with vinegar and bicarbonated soda could be used to harden a sodium silicate sand core.
The result was a success and is a cheaper alternative to buying bottled CO2.

This casting needed a core to produce the required shape. The core could only be supported at one end so a cantilevered one was used.

Casting ten model cars using a snap flask to make the moulds.