The following Tweetroll covers my experiments over the first half of October, mostly experimenting with a homemade foundry built from a propane tank.
The original article I used to construct the build can be found here:
Build an electric foundry for melting scrap aluminum
Oct3
Found a cheapo propane tank at a flea market. Filled it completely with water just to make sure there was no gas left trapped inside.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 3, 2020
I didn't want the damn thing to explode when I started hitting it with the angle grinder cutoff wheel.😅
One step downhttps://t.co/FVDhI9dGc4 pic.twitter.com/qD2wkkPxAR
This looked like a good side-project to try out🧐🔧
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 3, 2020
And I always wanted to have an aluminum foundry onhand in case the need ever came up:https://t.co/DA0Nd8PymZ pic.twitter.com/SVIuJeE9yt
Oct4
I did manage to squeeze in a quick 2-stage turbine test while waiting for the furnace to fail to get up to temperature.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 5, 2020
It has a very neat harmonic sound to ithttps://t.co/6OBPPYBSsB pic.twitter.com/syjenwU6GW
2hrs later and it looks like it came close. The aluminum pile pile shrank a bit🤔
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 5, 2020
But the outside heated up a lot too. Looks like it was a 240v stove element after all.
I have a 240 outlet but will have to grab a plug from the hardware store sometime.https://t.co/uiPnRFZlq1 pic.twitter.com/eVkyB6MbdZ
In honor of the Propane Foundry Instrumentality project:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
😜https://t.co/F2DE3cy9IW
Aluminum melt going pretty slow, but getting there….
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
I think.
Apparently the FLIR only goes up to ~260c and I can't find the themocouple probe meter, so it's anyone's guess at this point.https://t.co/EjIjx3FtR9 pic.twitter.com/b191SUfg3c
Foundry project update:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
I packed enough insulation to do a quick test.
I think it might be a 240v stove element so I'm not sure if it will manage to reach the target temp with a 120 source.
Now we wait….🧐https://t.co/xv9hhqymbC pic.twitter.com/AXgPMIpkWB
Electric foundry project update:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
Currently adding+attaching the heating element.
I used some wingnuts as standoffs to serve as a solid base for the heater.
Next up is to add the insulationhttps://t.co/qIoL27Ncdx pic.twitter.com/rHw7LOCe0d
Temperatures in Science vs Imperial: pic.twitter.com/RYWEZI47vn
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
😷😷The shop still reeks of propane.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 4, 2020
I shoulda left the fan running overnighthttps://t.co/qIoL27Ncdx
Oct6
Granted I've since expanded and now have a lot of tools out-of-reach to the amateur, but I started like everyone else, randomly screwing around in the garage. pic.twitter.com/HZbgrNTwXV
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 7, 2020
One of the main reasons I'm on Twitter is to document these projects step-by-step to show the process of how everything comes together.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 7, 2020
To inspire and prove that almost anyone can do really high-level science and engineering projects with basically garbage.🔧😉 https://t.co/AlDYFZrUWM
Maybe I should do Youtube videos as the first Anime Avatar Engineer?
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 7, 2020
😉
Completely untapped market lol pic.twitter.com/plFdECRt6H
Now that I know the prototype actually works I can order the remaining parts to round it out.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 6, 2020
High-temp thermocouple, PID controller, 220 converter, couple cables and a box to mount everything in.https://t.co/wngaFxh0km
I also melted down a couple hard-drives and that seemed to have a much higher yield compared to chips
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 6, 2020
(because of the much lower surface area) pic.twitter.com/lCuaD1Mt6m
The oxidized aluminum that wouldn't melt ended up as this gray-fuzzy clump.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 6, 2020
I think if I wanted to melt chips into ingots I need to pump in some inert gas to keep the aluminum from oxidizing.
CO2 would be the cheapest by-far but Argon would stand a better chance of working?🧐 pic.twitter.com/yjHTNRCh3M
Foundry project:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 6, 2020
Just finished the first-ever batch of aluminum, which worked pretty well for a first run.🥰
It looks like a lot of the chips I swept up to do the test oxidized instead of melting, but I still got some usable metal out of it.🙂https://t.co/9e6k3YIvET pic.twitter.com/DXWNYaqRbe
Aluminum Foundry project update:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 6, 2020
I borrowed the 110-220v converter for the Lathe to test with. Yep, that's definitely the trick.
Coming up to temp much faster than before, you can see the orange glow through the insulation on the 1st pic🙂♨️https://t.co/WDBOSHUl4C pic.twitter.com/yzRCZLoY0r
Oct8
Well the aluminum foundry parts came in.😊🔧
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 9, 2020
Did a quick test just to confirm the thermocouple and PID worked good. EXTREMELY OSHA noncompliant.😅
Next up is finding a big enough project box and mounting everything inside.https://t.co/wngaFxh0km pic.twitter.com/e4soljUcNn
Oct9
Turbine project update:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 9, 2020
I really need a good way to start measuring efficiency.
'Watts out' is easy, just hook a generator up to it.
'Watts in' means measuring the amount and pressure of air going into the turbine,
so I need to build a tool/sensor to measure this next.🔧 pic.twitter.com/iLHUHbUb8H
This is the back-of-envelope design right now.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 9, 2020
Will probably take a couplefew weeks to put together and test since my day job has been busier lately.
I'll probably finish the foundry first though. pic.twitter.com/nKzGBpDIAA
Amateur radio magazine from 1919:
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
🤓#Science #Engineering #ElectricUniversehttps://t.co/Ym6qxXSVMB pic.twitter.com/3XiO2yn4YA
Oct10
Everyone's early welds look like this.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. https://t.co/QkGKci7SwO
Testing out the Aluminum foundry again.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
Any suggestions what I should try casting first?
I was thinking something simple like a Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/WMl65glWkH
To be fair, I don't really know what I'm doing most of the time either.😄 https://t.co/K8BHcmRb7F pic.twitter.com/e6W94GIzZ9
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
It's a surprisingly simple build.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
The only real tools you need to build are an angle-grinder/saw, cordless drill, and a full set of drill bits.
The rest you can scrounge from hardware store+flea market:https://t.co/DA0Nd8PymZ https://t.co/6JpYzqkQmy
The shop was really starting to smell like cancer,
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
so I just cast the aluminum I had into ingots while I work on some kind of mold.😅
Apparently the chips I melted had a lot of machine oil stuck to them stillhttps://t.co/tN5xbzt9ic pic.twitter.com/GcRkmuRcqa
Well, an attempt was made…/😅
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 10, 2020
Lesson learned: Some types of clay have the tenancy to melt rather than scorch.
Looks like I'll have to make a proper steel mold and test that wayhttps://t.co/tN5xbzt9ic pic.twitter.com/4UxxvLBYT6
Oct11
Anyone interested in cutting-edge science should be following @ZKomala.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 11, 2020
He's been building+testing #QuantitizedInertia 'warp drive' thrusters in his free time, and has been starting to get some good results.
It's only micrograms of thrust, but it has huge ramifications.🛸😉 https://t.co/b6ern4e24f
I ordered some casting sand to hopefully try out next weekend.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 11, 2020
In the meantime I'm 3d-printing some random coins+trinkets to test out.https://t.co/KMXiHCEenG pic.twitter.com/yrYk8xhyLf
It's been a semi-tradition that one of the first things I make on any new machine is the HalfLife/Lambda symbol. https://t.co/y4XbNpTqG4 pic.twitter.com/6YzYPKhEHC
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 11, 2020
Working on a couple different styles of lost-PLA castings with plaster.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 11, 2020
– Add wax/putty to part to serve as a sprue (pour spout)
– Coat entire part in plaster, dry thoroughly
– Melt out the plastic with heat
– Fill the empty shell w/ aluminumhttps://t.co/ozKjIHP1j2 pic.twitter.com/3slDfbnIAr
Oct12
A friend asked about making a water/gas cutoff tool and dropped off some pipe and the original tool.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 12, 2020
Should be a quick+fun 1-2hr project.😄🔧 pic.twitter.com/NTZ2wbZFz0
Homemade shutoff valve went alright. Pretty simple design.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 12, 2020
Quick coat of rustproofing paint and I'll call this one done.😋🔧https://t.co/tKz1P0SZjg pic.twitter.com/MhAO4EJEmz
So I did have a chance to play with the lever-driven crescent wrench.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 12, 2020
Good: it locks well, holds tons of force
Bad: due to the ratchet design it locks it's a little loose (maybe 10 thou/1/4mm?)
Very nice for larger bolts, might strip 1/4" and smaller.https://t.co/S1yhsT8rPT pic.twitter.com/fE3fZMqcSQ
Oct13
Server farm, 1st year vs 10th year:#truestory pic.twitter.com/6yID17FoGH
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 13, 2020
Been watching some various aluminum casting videos while I wait for the casting sand to come in. I guess you'd call it 'studying'🤓
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 14, 2020
Hopefully this weekend🤞https://t.co/6q6R1ygu2K
Oct16
Platforms like Twitter are so large and complex, I always wonder if the backend is a well-oiled machine or if the system is constantly on the verge of collapse. pic.twitter.com/lIpQASHRdt
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 16, 2020
The casting sand came in.
— Hakasays (@Hakasays) October 16, 2020
All set to do some aluminum foundry tests this weekend.😁https://t.co/tN5xbzt9ic pic.twitter.com/izXhIpgmiW