The offcuts are all T6061 but I dont know the alloy the cases are made of. Good point though, I'll keep them separate. Like I said, I think the biggest issue with the remelted metal will be porosity. Judging from that video, pouring the liquid metal filters out a lot of impurities so i guess the best thing to do is test it and find out.fixxervi6 wrote:Any concerns around the strength/quality of the re-used metal? I'm sure you'll be mixing different alloys together in the process, creating in the end, an unknown alloy unless of course it's all 100% straight aluminum.RC30rdr wrote:I'll be recycling the offcuts into larger, usable pieces. That will save me from having to buy more plate as often. I just hope I can keep porosity down as I'm making braking components.
I found some molds at Home Depot I can use to cast the sand/plaster, but they didnt have any plaster of paris or I would have started casting today. The nearest place that has it in stock is a walmart in ft. worth so next time i have some spare time I'll go get it - $30 for 50lbs of plaster, $4 for 50lbs of sand. The forms are $30 for both. I have steel pipe for the inlet that I'll cast in place versus cutting a hole in the hardened furnace.
i have a small propane canister that I'd like to use as a crucible but I dont know if its 100% empty or not - or how to cut it open without finding it has enough gas inside to detonate...
i can either use a hair dryer like in the video or a shop vac.
could be fun. Should be interesting.