Metal Casting Zone Info Blog

Napoleon2222 asked:

Buffalo Iron experimental metal casting furnace!!!!

Casting Furnace

Gaia Raain asked:


I have a cast iron pan that is just a HORRIBLE mess. My husband tried cooking chicken with honey on it (the honey is mixed with corn syrup). I’m not sure if it’s just because the chicken burned, or if the honey has something to do with it, but we have been scraping and scrubbing on this pan for a WEEK! We’ve tried boiling water in the pan, scraping it with a metal spatula, scouring with an SOS pad, and we’ve put in hours of plain old elbow grease with brillo pads. The burnt-on stuff is coming off just a teeny bit at a time. Any suggestions?

Iron Metal Casting

cathy_cmr asked:


Asked before, but added info, and no one’s been able to answer.

Hard to explain, but I’m looking for the term for what these would’ve been…if they even existed.

They are mitts or gloves of sorts, without fingers. Each one would’ve been 2 pieces and would’ve had key locks of sorts on the outside. The hand and wrist would’ve been set inside, then the top put over it. Each would have a “shelf” inside with a curved cut out, to allow for a tight fit, around the wrist and fist, then lock together. They would’ve been made of metal…iron? Not actually hand cuffs but whole hand or fist cuffs.

Also, how much would one weigh if made of iron?

I’m writing a story where I’ve a magical character, who is “shackled” in these things so she can’t use her hands in casting spells.

Cuffs, shackles, and Manacles are all just around the wrist, leaving the hand exposed. Needs to be like a oven mitt without the thumb…but iron.
Okay…it’s NOT bondage. The character is taken prisoner for being a Priestess of Io in a long line of Dragons, to which this particular fallen angel has taken a disliking to over the years. In the story, I’ve just explained how she was “cuffed.” But I was hoping there might actually be something out there with a real name. You see them and deviations of them in sci-fi shows and the like. Many time in those, the cuffs are like a metal hand muff, where both hands are inserted into a tube, one from each side, and they’re connected at the center. These are essentially the same, but separate, like putting metal socks over each hand…only obviously bigger, and they lock together to lock the hand or more likely, closed fist into. They’d be extremely heavy, making it hard to lift one’s arm and if restrained properly, they wouldn’t be able to move.

Iron Metal Casting

Steve Manik asked:


Iron casting

Cast iron generally means grey cast iron, but is identifies a group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic.

Overview:

Iron accounts for more than 95% the alloy material, while the main alloying elements are carbon and silicon. The amount of carbon in cast iron is 2.1-4% while ferrous alloys with less carbon are called carbon steel by definition. Cast iron has appreciable amount of silicon normally 1.3%. Therefore, these alloys should be considered ternary Fe-C-Si alloys.

In spite of this, the principles of cast iron solidification are understood from the binary iron carbon phase diagram, where the eutectic point lies at 1154 °C and 4.3 wt% carbon. Because cast iron has this composition, its melting temperature of 1150 to 1200 °C is about 300 degrees less than the melting point of pure iron. Cast iron tends to be brittle, though the name of particular alloy may suggest opposite. The color of a fracture surface may be utilized to identify an alloy; carbide impurities allow cracks to pass straight through resulting in a smooth “white” surface, while graphic flakes deflect a passing crack and initiate countless new cracks as the material breaks, leading to a rough surface that looks grey with its low melting point, good fluidity, castability, excellent machinability and wear rising resistance, cast irons have become an engineering material with a wide range of uses like pipes, machine and auto parts.

Products:

Cast iron is produced by remelting pig iron, normally with large quantities of scrap iron and steel and initiating steps to remove unwanted contaminants like phosphorus and sulfur. Depending on use carbon and silicon content are lessened to the required levels which may be anywhere from 2% to 3.5% and 1% 3% respectively. Other elements are then added to the melt prior to the final form being made by casting.

Iron is generally melted in a small blast furnace called cupola. After melting is over the melted iron is ladled from the forehearth of blast furnace. This system was developed by the Chinese whose innovative ideas brought revolution in field of metallurgy. Before that iron was melted in an air furnace, which is a type of reverberatory furnace.

Some advantages of cast iron in engineering uses:

a) A family of metals having capacity of being used for engineering and production needs.

b) You can have it in a wide range of mechanical and physical properties.

c) Good strength to weight ratio.

d) Generally cheaper than other competing metals and lower financial cost per unit of strength compared to other metals.

e) Lesser density and higher thermal conductivity then steels at comparable tensile strength levels.

f) Easily mechniable, allows high speeds and feeds and less energy due to free graphite being presence.

g) Many iron castings may be utilized without heat treatment (as cast) but when required may be heat treated to increase overall properties or local property like surface hardness.

h) Very good damping capability especially in grey irons.

i) Chemical analysis may be changed to give improved special properties like corrosion resistance, oxidation and wear resistance.

j) Quickly changes from design to finished goods.

k) Capable of having highly complex sizes from ounces to 100 tons.

l) Of flexible pattern and capacity to improve appearance for sales appeal.

m) You can make intricate shapes as well as very thin to very thick sections.

n) Capable of redesigning and combining two or more parts from metals into a single casting thereby lessening assembly cost and time.

o) Capable of being cast with inserts of other metals.

p) Many casting systems for low, medium or high production.

q) Less tendency toward residual stress and warpage than other competing metals.

Metal Casting Blog

bethwickerson asked:

Getting ready for the first wood-fire iron pour performed at 7 Rivers Resort in the middle of America. Michael Wickerson, Fall 2007

Metal Casting DIY

great_and_mighty_adam_levine asked:


I use cast iron frypans and love them for the most part. No sticking, no teflon, easy to clean, and the freedom to use metal.

However, they don’t appear to cook evenly. I use an electric stove with burners large enough to heat the entire bottom of the frypan. However, the center of the frypan is still significantly hotter than the edges. This causes a problem with pancakes, omelettes, etc.., because parts of the item will burn while others are just barely solidifying. This effect continues regardless of how long I am cooking – just waiting for the pan to heat doesn’t fix it.

I’m using the typical Lodge cast iron frypans that you find anywhere. To my knowledge, there are no other/better cast iron manufacturers out there.

Metal Casting Blog

me asked:


I have a cast iron crucible, and a MAPP gas torch. I can get copper/zinc/brass/aluminum to melt but can I get the metal hot enough without a furnace to melt the metal? If not what cheap small additions would I need? I live in an appartment with a ground floor patio so no room to store anything big, or even medium. I am only trying to cast small shapes. (1 inch or so)

I can sometimes use a portable forge to heat the metal, would that work?

Also what fluxes for the different metals would I need?

Iron Metal Casting