Lead Lead Everywhere
1000 pounds, the first of 20,000 pounds. Besides a small leak in the old melting pot our Harbor Freight dual burner propane stove converted to lead smelter was doing good. 1000 pounds ready in 5 1/2 hours having burner 14 pounds of propane. So now we know we are going to need 280 pounds or about 66 gallons . … Read More
Step by Step Aluminum Casting with Sodium Silicate Sand
There is just something incredibly fulfilling about the heat, the noise, and making something from liquid metal. Sodium Silica Sand Casting Rocks! * Fewer Failures * Faster Results * Bigger Castings * Less Equipment * No storage Resources: Foundry Practices http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1529 Building a Furnace https://youtu.be/f10hqYGIJCE More Furnaces: https://svseeker.com/casting_furnaces.htm Building a Burner https://youtu.be/P-A8uoWdBB8 Casting Propellers: https://svseeker.com/casting_boat_props.htm
Like Molasses in January
Somebody mentioned the molasses treatment for steel. There are lots of YouTube videos with car parts sitting for weeks in fermenting tanks of molasses and water, 1:10. I dismissed it, as I sure as hell am not going to turn the insides of Seeker into a fermentation tank. But then I found a bottle of molasses in the pantry today. … Read More
Paint
Paint — It’s one of those things you want to get right. But it’s also apparently one of those things that can cost $100,000 if your boat happens to be in the 40 ton range. Our criteria.1) Good, not pretty. I could care less about gloss. Durable, is much better than gloss. Epoxy chalks in the sun and chalking is fine.2) … Read More
Keels and Casting
I finally got the keel patched and put the crew to work doing the nastiest job of the year. During the last few years of construction the keels have been collecting inches of grinding dust, plasma dust, weld spatter, tools, leaves and other assorted trash. Just add water and you get the picture. Now we wait for them to dry … Read More
Casting, Rudder, Hatches and other
The engine room hatch has a gasket. A second deadlight is cast. The rudder quadrant now has put out dowel pins as several of you suggested. Thank you! The chain to cable connectors are done for the chain and cable steering system. And you get to see me continue to fail to patch a hole in a keel. 🙂 Many … Read More