Casting Deadlights – Part 1

DougAluminum, Casting, Portholes, Steel Boat

Sodium Silicate Sand Rocks! Especially for the occasional casting or big casting. Traditional Green Sand requires, skill, storage, and a sand muller to recondition your sand. And the difficulty increases with the size of the casting. Sodium silicate sand uses inexpensive fine silica sand, and sodium silicate (water glass) which reacts with CO2 to harden the sand. 200 pounds of … Read More

Casting Porthole Deadlights – First Failure

DougCasting, Portholes, Steel Boat

It didn’t work but I am accustomed to that on the first try.  Come to think of it, I am accustomed to that on the second and third try too.   But we have great hope for our plans based on watching the sand slowly crack and fall out while we carefully moved the top have of the mold.  But … Read More

Casting Test

DougCasting, Steel Boat

Remember those winch capstans we were trying to cast? We’ll we’re back messing with it.  I had one more bock mold that I know is too thin to work, but it made a great test sample.  Paul and I used 2″ thick ceramic blanket to make a temporary burn our furnace that will let me use larger block molds.  And … Read More

Rudder, Hatch, ROV and other

DougHatches, ROV, Rudder, Steel Boat

I had a great Thanksgiving vacation with an old salt. Dave spent his time steering a destroyer and gave me an ear full of advice. Much of it was actually useful. 🙂 And we got several projects moved down the trail.