Float Lock Vice from Aluminium Castings
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- #foundry #metalcasting #homeshop
The Float Lock Vice is a handy way of holding parts on the table of the drilling machine. It can securely grip the parts in a range of orientations and it makes the operation safe and it's quick to position the parts under the axis of the spindle. Unfortunately, they are expensive and used examples are practically non existent here in Australia.
So, I decided to make my own from aluminium castings. The type that I want to reproduce has a quick set mechanism so that the locking handle doesn't need to be cranked too far to close the jaws onto the part.
In this episode:
Investigation into the Wahlstrom Float Lock Vice by Penn Tools.
How the quick set mechanism will work on my example
Making the epoxy sand cores for the two jaw castings and the anchor bracket
Making the moulds from K-Bond sand
Making the castings
Removing the cores
Apologies for the rubbish sound quality on this video! 
Наука
Hey, thanks for the mention! 😄 This will be a great project and you’ll love the result. It’s easily the best drill press vice design ever, IMHO. It makes me smile every time I use it.
I feel your pain on audio. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on microphones and still have some issues. Audio is hard.
Quinn & Mark, I 'built' the version that Neil over at PaskMakes made and it has made work holding so much simpler on the drill press; admittedly I already had a H&F drill press vice and the steel already in stock. However, I realise that you are using it as a content provider but I was just wanting to get it done.
I’m concerned about the concerns over audio in shop content. I suffer considerably from tinnitus, and have trouble hearing SWMBO, but understand every word that you speak. And I don’t even have a British Ear. Sometimes the Aussie accent throws me, but y’all do fine. Gotta be old ears, or those picky audiophiles whining 😂. Yer fine!
Thanks Quinn. I cannot do voice over after filming. I think it's a rare skill and not for me. Neighbours with chain saws, leaf blowers and contractors chipping tree trunks for days on end also add to my misery.
Regards,
Mark
You're too modest Mark. Every video you make is so interesting and well explained. Thanks. 👍
Some random thoughts to feed the algorithm;
You deserve a higher resolution weight scales. When measuring sticky stuff, I find placing the scales in a thin plastic bag a good compromise - keeps it clean. Or it would have, had I started the practice sooner.
For the tube, you could possibly 3d print it. Leave a 0.3mm thick wall in two places, it's trivial to cut through with a knife when you want to de-mold.
I generally 3D print my core boxes and I will print in a flexure so that I can prise open the box easily. In this case I just got lazy and used the conduit because it was at hand. Given that it was only going to be used once I could have just heated it with a torch or heat gun and retrieved the core that way. I honestly thought the hardened core would just push out from one end. I also have a much more sensitive set of scales (I call them my drug dealers scales), but you are correct that a plastic bag is a good precaution against spills.
Regards,
Mark
20:00 absolutely love the pattern lifting tool. As my hands become shakier I really have a need to build something like this
I can send you the 3D models of the parts but it's all really basic. It could be made out of wood and it would still work. I think my issue is that I don't have enough blood in my alcohol steam.😁
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Man that anemia stuff sucks, I just went through a bout of it 😀
Enjoyed…great video production/discussion/demonstration/build….let me know if you need any info from my unit, happy to provide
Thanks Chuck. I am interested to know how the rack mechanism was machined or fitted into the bar. I can't think how it could be done in-situ. If you do have any close up photos or info on how you think it would be done please let me know mark.presling@gmail.com
Regards,
Mark
Your flask is empty. What a drag! How do you cope?
You can go now.
Those are great castings as I knew they would be. You have very good sound compared to lots of other guys who tend to have muddy sound. I have so far done my best with the built in microphone in a canon camera. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.
Hi Harold, I second the Canon camera built in microphones, they've got it figured out..
ATB....
I use a Sony Handicam and the built in microphone is pretty good. The only time it gets difficult is when I have to stand a long way from the camera. I still need to do some experimentation but I won't use the Boya microphone until I am confident I have sorted the audio levels. Unfortunately, there is only a volume control on the Boya receiver and no other settings that can be tweaked.
Regards,
Mark
Hello Mark,
Sorry, I have been on the missing list, back now... I had not seen the core process in action, interesting viewing... Catch you on the next one.
Take care.
Paul,,
Thanks Paul. It was something of a revelation when I found the epoxy/sand core method. Sodium silicate works great and it's quick but I don't want to have any more gas cylinders in my workshop for setting the cores.
Regards,
Mark
Going to be a good series Mark. Cheers
I love the casting videos, thanks for your work on them... It brings a bit of relief that an experienced bloke like yourself has a good buy Vs goodbye moment with new gear! Looking forward to the next installment!
Great project. I can't wait for the next installment!
Love the hacksaw blade in the vise as a depth stop. That's something I'll be using.
MMMMMMM I am confused, Perry has ditched petrobond for green sand and you have ditched green sand for petrobond? By the way those castings in your video are the best I have ever seen from you!
I still use greensand. I just hadn't gotten around to mulling up a new batch at the time. I got rid of all my old greensand because I had used beach sand and bentonite. Even though the sand looked very fine, it still had some large grains in it. For the new batch I bought some "play sand" from Bunnings, I dried it and then sieved it all to get rid of the organic matter and the bigger grains. I also bought new bentonite and ran it all through a kitchen blender to make it super fine. It is much better than my original batch. I took Martin West's advice and bought new ingots of aluminium for my castings. It makes a world of difference to the quality of the finished castings. Very little porosity and they machine beautifully.
Regards,
Mark
Your "little brain" did a right nice job.
Really nice Mark, came out great.
Thanks Randy. The new furnace burner helps speed things up in the foundry.
Regards,
Mark
Successfully sand casting with shaking hands = impressive :-)
I've been wanting to make one of these ever since Mr. Pete made his. Very cool project.
The Blondihacks and Tubalcain versions had the long acme screw to move the jaw and although they work great, you do have to do a lot of cranking to open the clamp right up. I am hoping this version will do away with the need for making such a long acme screw and also the need to buy a matching tap unless you are one of those clever types that can single point a female acme thread in steel! I am afraid I am not so bold.
Regards,
Mark
Great job on the castings Mark, I haven't seen the core sand epoxy method before, looks stronger and more stable than the other methods. I'm a long way from doing any metal casting, but adding it to my file manager....
I also have a Float Lock so if you any details let me know...looks like Chuck is on it 👍
Cheers....ATB...
Thanks Dean, Chuck did send me some detailed photos of his vice and another viewer sent me the patent number and I was able to find the drawings on Google Patents. I was pretty close to the correct geometry for the rack in the main bar but now I can modify it to be the same as the original. I have never had a failure when using the epoxy sand cores. However I have had a few sodium silicate cores that failed to harden all the way through.
Regards,
Mark
I like your device for lifting. I have shaky hands too.
I'm with you on the price of these vises! A vise for the mill might be worth $350 but I can't afford that for a drill press vise.
Good start on the float lock vice Mark. And, good to see the new burner system in action on a job.
I think the angled pins will still work ok because the round bar is incapsulated by the jaw. I think the pressure on the pin would try to kink the jaw out, but it wont be able to move with the snug fit of the jaw on the bar. But, I would have thought that the pins should be pointing at the bar the other way (e.g. the pins pointing more in the direction of the clamping pressure). May be there is no room on the jaw to point them the other way?
I had some misgivings about the pin/hole alignment but the mock-up seems to confirm that it locks up solid as soon as the screw closes the jaws. If it all fails there is still the option of re-machining the bar and using a stepped rack like the original. I have had some offers of closeup photos of how the original Wahlstrom device works.
Regards,
Mark
I would love to make this my first casting attempt!!! So very cool. Can't wait to see the finished product. I am just starting the casting journey. Got a few of the necessary tools and waiting for a few things before I try melting something.
I did make a float lock vice out of steel and threaded rod from the schematics shared by Mr. Pete ( @mrpete222 ) . But I would like to make one like you are doing. So cool! So cool!!👍
Being able to make my own castings at home opened up a whole new set of possibilities. Sometimes, fabrication methods just don't work. Making your own castings isn't as hard as it is sometimes made out to be but the failure rate can be high and that tends to put first time users off. Perseverance is the key.
Regards,
Mark
I think your castings are getting better and better Paul. I'm wondering how long it will be before you take on the challenge of cast iron? Brilliant video again.
Cast iron is for real men!
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Your doing yourself down.
As always very well done! Much thanks.
G’Day Mark, listening today with headphones I found the audio to be just fine as-is. That said, I understand the quest for better, particularly where there is a distance from the camera.
I’ll be following this Float-lock build with interest. I particularly admire at-home foundry work. 👍
Thanks. I need to do some more experimenting with the Boya microphone. It may actually be the camera that is at fault since all the audio settings are disabled as soon as you plug in an external microphone. I need to find a good (and free) audio engineering consultant!
Regards,
Mark
Another source of excessive audio gain is normalization. I have NO idea what software you use or what checkboxes are available to you, and you of course might be entirely right about the microphone, but... in my estimation, that much gain could more easily come from some software somewhere than from the actual original signal level of the microphone. So... I'm happy to be totally wrong; and I often am -- I'm just taking a guess, in the off chance it will actually help.
Normalization is where the software will scan a whole clip, find the loudest sound of the original recording, and then increase the level through the whole clip to bring that loudest sound to the upper limit of what the digital signal can handle. So I clip that's already got a pretty loud section will get amplified a little bit, and a clip that has only very quiet bits... breathing, etc... :-) will get amplified a whole lot, turning all those quiet sounds into Mad Scientist.
Now, IF that's what's actually happening, and IF you have some control over the process, one workaround would be to put a known fairly loud noise in every clip you make, normalize it, and *then* cut the ends off and put it where it belongs in your edit.
Of course, my personal preference would be to find a checkbox somewhere that says "normalize" and clear it. :-)
This might be a good chance to do some testing offline, to try to figure out what's really going on. Maybe you've already done that, and I should just stop talking. :-)
I am using DaVinci Resolve however the problem only showed up after I plugged the Bluetooth receiver into my Sony Handicam. If I use the Sony's built in mic the audio levels remain fairly consistent. There are audio controls in the Sony camera menu that allows me to turn off the zoom audio function and a few other settings but all of those settings become unavailable when I plug in the Boya mic. I do have to do some more testing before I commit to using the Boya mic again. I probably need to be a bit more careful where I position it on my clothing too. Looks like another big learning curve to come.
Regards,
Mark
That’s great Mark! I absolutely love wildlife especially there in Australia! I can’t even imagine how cool it must be to see kangaroos running around and even large and small parrots. I love parrots! I’ve been wanting to build a foundry and try cast iron. My like new 13x40 Clausing lathe did not come with the follow rest. Somehow the guys that bought this machine shop to sell most of the tools and equipment lost it. They had an entire warehouse somehow. But anyway keep up the great work and do you think you will try cast iron in the future?
Having a home foundry is a real game changer when it comes to making difficult to machine parts. I hope I can summon up the courage to try cast iron one day.
Regards,
Mark
I've always been curious about the legality of these things. Have you checked that this design isn't under a patent, because I would assume that copying it (especially for a youtube video) could cause leagal issues?
But as always, love your video and am looking forward to the rest of the series!
I actually have the patent drawings and the patent expired in 1972 patents.google.com/patent/US2724295
I think there is no issue unless you are making the design in bulk and selling them without a licence agreement with the original patent holder but then again I am not a patent attorney.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark. Nice job 😎😎😎😎😃😃😃😀😃😀
Another good descriptive video Mark. Do you make your own k-bond? If so what recipe do you use?
I was sent the ingredients to make the K-Bond by a viewer in the USA. He had purchased a large batch of the binder and catalyst which is typical for home shop enthusiasts looking for these ingredients. The suppliers will generally only sell in bulk and then you have to sell it on to others who might need smaller amounts. I do have a recipe though. This is what was sent to me with the ingredients "The typical mixing ratios are: 100 pounds of dried silica sand (local pickup), 5 pounds of Petrobond binder, 2 pound of Petrobond oil (30 weight nondetergent oil, local pickup) and 1 ounce of P-1 catalyst."
Regards,
Mark
I'm excited to see this project unfold. I have a friend that owns a small foundry in the city. I helped him pour some brass a couple months back. This might be a fun project to learn to make patterns, molds and then cast the parts. Curious - did you ever consider just 3D printing core molds, so rather than having to split the PVC, just separate the two halves of the mold? Just a thought.
Generally, I do 3D print the coreboxes and I will print in a flexure so that it is easy to pry them apart later but this core seemed so simple I didn't think it was worth modelling and printing something when the PVC conduit was just sitting there begging to be used. I will be making the STL files for the castings available when I have finished the series.
Regards,
Mark
Which sand/material can replace the K-bond sand?
(It's not available where I live)
I made the first mould (not shown in this video) using regular greensand (a mix of fine "play sand" from the hardware store and 10% bentonite clay) but the mix was a bit too wet at the time and the cope stuck to the drag. I was able to purchase the bentonite clay from our rural supplier. It is sold as a sealer for earth dams and also as a feed supplement for horses.
Regards,
Mark
Hey mate, great video mate. Are the stl files available to download anywhere? Cheers mate, great job.
I will make the STL files and the 2D drawings available when I have finished the build. I just want to be sure there are no errors or issues.
Regards,
Mark
Your videos make me want to get into casting SO MUCH. You do a great job of showing that you can get very good castings from a home shop setup.
I always thought that metal casting at home would be a lot more difficult than it actually is. My very first casting was successful and I still have it and use it. It was a lathe driving dog made from aluminium. Some castings can be troublesome though and the biggest problem is that you can invest a lot of time and effort making a mould and then have the casting fail but you don't find out until after you have poured the metal. That gets a bit frustrating.
Regards,
Mark
Looking forward to each video I have always wanted a float lock vise for my drill press. They use to sell a model for bandsaw to hold parts to cut also.
I saw that one on the original Wahlstrom sales brochure.
Regards,
Mark
Ripper Mark. Me, I'm impressed.😮
Did you do the cores just for practice? I mean couldn't you just drill those holes.
Yes, you could easily drill out the holes but I do like to practise making cores.
Regards,
Mark
I've never noticed any real audio issues in any of your videos. Love the content though, appreciate the effort you put into it!
Thanks, that's good to know.
Regards,
Mark
Can the regular 1:1 epoxy used for art be used for the core or there are special requirements for that usage?
Absolutely. Just about any epoxy would be fine. I have used marine epoxy (West System 105) which is a 5:1 mix and some of the thin epoxy's would be a little easier to mix with the sand.
Regards,
Mark
Another great video.
Hi Presso,
Wondering when you were going to get around to making one. Looking forward to the build series.
Yes, this one's been on the wish list for some time.
Regards,
Mark
Dont get me wrong, i love your casting videos, but i dont really like the float lock vise concept... I think its a solution to a problem that doesnt really exist... The machinist`s vise or grinding vise is oft a good enough clamping solution to the drill press issues, but sure, they have the ``how do you clamp that vise then`` issue? to which i really cant give the answer, as its really drill dependent, but mostly, you use the t-slots in the drill table... Which is the same approach i use with any drill press clamping situation...
The whole point of a pair of swiveling fixtures is that they mimic the radial arm drill flexibility in positioning, and the t-slots are there to affix the hold down clamps as to best be able to utilize the whole table surface, rather than relying on a limited vise...
I would rather machine a 1 or 2 inch flat plate with a fence on one side(square flat plate in other words) and a bunch of holes for pins and bolts which sure will get full of crap over time, but a vacuum is oft a good enough solution to that issue, and if the holes are through drilled, then its even easier to clean out that mess with either vac or compr. air(tho, if the plate is 2 inches, that will be a lot of drilling)... The pin holes would ease the x-y fixturing of any part on the ``specific coordinates of the plate``, and the bolt holes would logically offer the ``z axis`` of clamping the part down to prevent the drill from sucking the part up as it breaks through on the other side...
A float lock always seemed like more of a fancy project for the sake of creativity, rather than a real answer to a glaring issue of a certain machine or operation thereon... But, i wont bitch, as said, i love your work and greatly enjoy your content, so even if its not a project i will undertake, it sure is one i will enjoy fully in this case!
All the best and kindest regards!
Steuss
I have gotten by for nearly 50 years without a float lock vice so it does seem like a bit of a vanity project. When I watched Tom Lipton discussing the one he had he showed a much simpler solution which is basically a regular drill press vice attached to a long arm that can be locked in place on the drill press table. I keeps the vice from rotating and from lifting to a certain degree. My drill press doesn't have tee slots but it does have through slots. It's always a bit of a fiddle to find the right length bolts and nuts to hold down parts. I have had some close calls when I drill jammed up in a part and even the heaviest drill press vice can get out of control if you are just gripping it in your hands at the time. I think the biggest attraction with the float lock version is the ability to hold round work in different orientations quickly.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 yeah, i get the quick setup of float lock, but the swiveling arm of the table and the table`s ability to rotate already offer a quick positioning solution, as said, akin to radial arm drill...
Regarding your through slots, sure, those a bit fiddly, but i would consider making a few ``t-nuts`` without the threads, just a countersunk clearance hole for say m6, m8, m10, m12 and that is likely good enough with some large custom nuts... you would need 2 or 3 if you want of each size, so thats 12+12 easily done parts that would allow you to use the any length of regular caphead screws as clamping device for the stepped clamps...
Its more fiddly than float lock, but its astronomically more secure, and with all the eq. at ready in a small custom box attached to table arm casting(likely on the backside, facing away from you), it would be quick and easy to just pick the adequate clamps, ``t-nuts`` and bolts and clamp the part, using the swiveling motion of the arm and the table for drill centering and locating the part...
You could even make the ``t-nuts`` into actual nuts and just make custom thick washers for the clamp side, as you would not be making the custom nuts, as the head of the screw would not be on the underside of the table...
I dont know, it seems easier to make two series of ultra simple parts over whats a relatively demanding device that doesnt offer exponential improvement in any area, while offering a sketchy at best solution to what its actually supposed to do, which is to hold the damn part steady so it doesnt obliterate you or result in a wonky hole...
I know that drills arent ``precision`` equipment, but hell, a drill press of your caliber should be a precision device, not a jig borer grade, but hell, it aint a handheld drill, its a stationary mass of good ol` iron... It sure as hell is a precision device, at least rigidity-wise and with regards to its origin and production...
All the best and kindest regards!
Steuss
Just curious, would some heat to soften the PVC be an idea?
Yes, I have done that before with 3D printed coreboxes made of PLA. I honestly thought that those tubes wouldn't fight me so much.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, while I love making castings, I also hate making castings. I have to ponder whether I want to just machine the parts or cast them. Unless it’s a really intricate part, machining usually wins out. You did a really nice job with this vise.
it's great when I can get a casting out in one try but some will fail repeatedly. My problem is that I cannot find a reliable supplier of small quantities of raw steel and aluminium stock. I get really jealous when I see some RUclipsr's displaying racks and racks full of lovely steel bar stock ends in every grade imaginable. (think Inheritance Machining) If I can cast a part it saves me the bother of trying to find a piece of stock large enough to machine what I need out of it.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 the problem these days, I find, is that metal has gone up in price dramatically since Trump raised tariffs in late 2016. Then every metal producer used that as an excuse to continually raise prices. Some I buy is now three times what I used to pay then, and only some of that rise is from covid related supply problems, which should be over by now. Fortunately, here in the USA there are a number of suppliers such as McMastercarr who carries vast types of metals in many sizes, shapes and sells small amounts.
Nice project choice. These float lock vises are very cool, and aluminum castings are a good idea.
Woo hoo, third time in a row.
John 🇨🇦
Great
I gotta say that lifting tool is awesome Preso.
It's a game changer if you regularly ruin moulds like I used to.
Regards,
Mark
Project to make a vise, and it's straight to castings...😂😂😂
Hi Preso, great new project. The new furnace setup looks like its running well. Regards Kevin
Thanks Kevin. The new furnace burner is great. I think with a bit more practice I can get excellent results with it. I was able to tune the flame so it was running a little lean and the interior of the refractory lining was pure white when I finished the melt. No more soot, or very little anyway.
Regards,
Mark
Great video, those castings turned out well. Looking forward to the rest of this project.
Any details in the relevant patents ? ‘float lock vise patent’ turns up several results such as us pat 23519
That patent is for a different type of vice. It has a screw thread running through the centre of the main bar with a sort of half nut which is spring loaded against the thread. It also allows for quick repositioning of the fixed jaw but the type that I had in mind doesn't need the long screw thread down the centre of the bar. That feature would be quite hard to make unless you had a gun drill or some hollow bar stock. I only recently found out about Google Patents and it's quite possible that the patent for the type of vice I am looking to build is available. I will do some searching to try to find it.
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 Mark, These look like the rack type float lock VISE patents US2552580, US2724295, US3520527
Regards Martin
@@MartinE63 Thanks Martin, it was patent number US2724295 that had the detail that I was looking for. I did try Google Patents and searched for "float lock vice" but I got hundreds of hits for all sorts of devices that were totally unrelated. In the meantime, Chuck Bommarito had sent me some close up photos of the rack mechanism in his vice and I can now see that I was close to the correct features but I had just drilled the pockets deeper than they need to be. With his photos and the patent drawings I should be able to recreate the ratcheting action fairly closely.
Regards,
Mark
Nice video, good project. I hate AGC (automatic gain control) I too had to look for a system that would let me control the gain manually.
I have yet to find a way of turning it off. I suspect the camera is also to blame. the controls for the audio are disabled as soon as you plug in an external mic.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, another great video, love your channel!
Good Show Mate: As per normal. I don't do casting so I really enjoy seeing someone, who knows what they are doing, do casting. Waiting for the next installment.
I always thought that metal casting at home was way too hard for me but it turns out that it's one of those pursuits that can yield good results. It's probably one of the oldest metalworking skills alongside forging and given that it was carried out with very basic tools and equipment for thousands of years it should be attainable in a modern and modest workshop.
Regards,
Mark
Great video. I like the mold removal tool you made. You missed the boat though, hydraulics would have made it so much more exciting. Oh well, next iteration.
Don't get me started. I actually have a small hydraulic pump and a box of hydraulic cylinders and control valves! How cool would that be?
Regards,
Mark
That is great Mark, looking forward to the next one in the series.... would you consider making the castings to sell?
No, unfortunately, the amount of work involved in making a small run of castings is hardly worth it. I will make the STL files for the patterns available, and the drawings when I am finished on the project.
Regards,
Mark
looks good Mark, I have one of these, if you need some detailed pictures, I'll help out if i can.
Thanks. Chuck Bommarito sent me some very useful photos of his vice and I also have the patent drawings now. I will be discussing that in the next video.
Regards,
Mark
Mark, when making the cores with epoxy-mixed sand, is it necessary to pack the sand since the epoxy ought to stick to itself? This will be an interesting series. Thumbs up!
Ramming the mix is mainly to ensure there are no voids inside the core box. I never have to ram it very hard. Some more complex core boxes can be a challenge if there are overhangs or return cavities that cannot be seen easily from the end where you are loading the mix.
Regards,
Mark
Nice project coming along there👍
Great job of doing the casting. Pretty much perfect.
It's nice when everything goes to plan. 😁
Regards,
Mark
our alaska and hawaii, etc. are like that the shipping is always extra and massive....
Our rubbish Aussie exchange rate only adds to the misery.
Regards,
Mark
I cant be the only one wondering why you cast that in two parts. Definitely looks like there was room to do all three in a single casting.
It could have been done and I have bigger flasks but gating tends to get a bit more complex when making three castings in the one flask. I should have 3D printed the gates and runners connected to all three patterns but for a one off set of castings it's a lot of extra work. If you were going to do multiple batches it would pay off.
Regards,
Mark
I will enjoy this one
👏👏👏👌
Cheers Chris
👍😎👍
I have an original float lock vice ca. 1960 I inherited from my grandfather. I had no idea what it was until I saw Mr. Pete’s video. But I still have yet to use it because I can’t figure out how to anchor it to the table. It has what looks like a pipe clamp on that end but I sure don’t have a pipe on the drill press to clamp it to! It’s a nice tool and well made but serves no purpose in my shop at all. I hope to gain some insight into this thing here. And Mark always has good stuff regardless.
You can find the drawings of the clamping mechanism here patents.google.com/patent/US2724295A/en?oq=US2724295
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58 wow! Thanks for digging that out and sending it along. The drawing makes clear how it’s fastened to the table. I have an idea…..
Great castings. Luckygen would be proud 😁
It was Luckygen that got me started with making epoxy sand cores. It was one of those eureka moments!
Regards,
Mark
@@Preso58He is one of the elders in casting.
Great video Mark. Could you do one on the pattern please. How do you get it so smooooth?
I think I have shown part of the process in some other videos but I print the patterns on my Prusa printer using PETG filament with a 0.2mm layer height. I then sand the prints with 120grit paper and spray on about three coats of automotive spray putty from a rattle can. This is then sanded back with 240 grit paper. The final coat is done with an automotive acrylic lacquer, again, from a rattle can. The main aim is to fill in the layer lines which can actually show up on the finished casting and they also make it more difficult to pull the pattern from the mould.
Regards,
Mark
Thanks for your reply Mark. I am from Orange in NSW but just now it is 1:00pm Saturday. I am sailing down the Danube River on a Scenic River cruise. We are on our way to Amsterdam and then GB for 2 weeks before home. I am glad I can watch your videos and talk to you in such luxurious conditions. Kind regards Paul.
I love your pattern lifting tool! I’m only 38 but a cycling accident left me with a pretty serious tremor that makes tasks like that nearly impossible. I love your creative approach to solving this kind of issue! Great video too! Those castings turned out great!
I had ruined quite a few moulds before I realised that I needed some help in getting the patterns out of the moulds. I have seen a few good ideas like using heavy blocks of steel placed on the surface of the cope and drag to guide the pattern and that method works great for patterns with flat sides but odd shaped patterns can still be a challenge.
Regards,
Mark
Push the button for more of these interesting how to videos 😊. It’s FREE! ! ! 😂
Gday Preso, the castings look great and the furnace worked well, interesting the core epoxy holds up to the heat, great video mate, cheers
I was very sceptical when I first saw the epoxy sand method. It was Luckygen1001 that got me started with the method. He hasn't released a video for a while but he does some excellent castings.
Regards,
Mark
Nice work! Thanks for the look see.