Fun with Molten Metal. My first casting! As a "proof of concept", (and because it's one of the cooler looking parts of the Gingery metal lathe project) I decided to start out with a pot-metal casting of a crank for the cross-feed adjustment. The pattern is made of wooden beads, dowels, and some custom wooden shapes. After gathering all the required tools and protective gear, and getting my nice new flask, sandbox, and riddle all covered with sand, I proceeded to prepare the mold. I rammed up a blank drag, flipped it over, and pressed the pattern in to the parting line.
At that point began a comedy of errors. In my excitement, I forgot to apply parting dust (heck, I don't even have any!) It worked! I did it! Melting metal in a home foundry, backyard metalcasting, metal ca. Casting | ArtMetal. My Heap.