Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/L13XJeL.jpg)
Actually looks really cool. If only it had a stem :(
Actually looks really cool. If only it had a stem :(
That should be coming in an update next week. It's very difficult if not impossible to cast a stem with the way I'm casing since it's too fine of a detail. I've got to prep the inside of the cap a little more, make another silicon mold, then see if I can cast a resin stem in it without too much problem.
Actually looks really cool. If only it had a stem :(
So awesome, Jocelyn. So awesome.Actually looks really cool. If only it had a stem :(
Stem :)Show Image(http://imageshack.us/a/img521/6159/stemh.jpg)
Show Image(http://imageshack.us/a/img521/6159/stemh.jpg)
Are you mulling long enough? Is you sand actually casting sand? Right % water? Right % clay? Are you sifting before packing?
Your pour temp seems to high. 1250F is just about perfect for alum.
hey, you're local! cool!
do you know about the hackerspace machine shop in your area? (it might technically be in like fullerton or something, but it's within driving distance of you). they have higher temp torches, crucibles, etc. all you would need to bring is your casting material and cast.
they are listed here: http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces
and it's pretty obvious which one it is, because they don't have a small electricals workshop at all.
a little bit of pressure might fill those voids a bit better. a silicone tube into the sprue or something?
would be cool to see a mixed grain size cast. i'm totally in love with the texture of sandcasting since i got my d-frame. we've gotten so used to shiny metal forgings and castings that we've forgotten how hard it is to get that kind of finish. ironic that we're more likely these days to gravity cast into a very smooth mold and then bead blast or sand blast to get the surface rough enough to accept paint. lol
oh, and for your temps, just get a cheap non-contact thermometer (IR spectrum). they're wildly inaccurate atthoseany temps, but you just want to know ballpark how hot you're getting crucible and pour, so meh.
for the stem and base, just mold a cap with a flat interior and epoxy a printed plastic cruciform in. you're never going to get a consistent cruciform to the datasheet tolerances with a sand gravity casting; that's kind of the point of sandcasting :Phey, you're local! cool!
do you know about the hackerspace machine shop in your area? (it might technically be in like fullerton or something, but it's within driving distance of you). they have higher temp torches, crucibles, etc. all you would need to bring is your casting material and cast.
they are listed here: http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces
and it's pretty obvious which one it is, because they don't have a small electricals workshop at all.
a little bit of pressure might fill those voids a bit better. a silicone tube into the sprue or something?
would be cool to see a mixed grain size cast. i'm totally in love with the texture of sandcasting since i got my d-frame. we've gotten so used to shiny metal forgings and castings that we've forgotten how hard it is to get that kind of finish. ironic that we're more likely these days to gravity cast into a very smooth mold and then bead blast or sand blast to get the surface rough enough to accept paint. lol
oh, and for your temps, just get a cheap non-contact thermometer (IR spectrum). they're wildly inaccurate atthoseany temps, but you just want to know ballpark how hot you're getting crucible and pour, so meh.
Yeah, I was looking into them, but I don't know what kind of hours they keep since their website really doesn't give any typical hours people are there. I have been meaning to head up there and check it out. I plan on powder coating my GH60 plate up there when it comes in. If they do have all that stuff you say, I definitely need to head up there and check them out. Once I get some molds working properly with pewter and zinc, I'm going to try some aluminum and white bronze pieces (white bronze is just sexy as none other). I'm also trying to get my sister to help me with some carving so I can get a proper mold. I really want something like a triceratops key cap. Of course, that's just once I get to be casting more consistently.
I might have sprued it wrong and that's why I have some voids. I need to play with my spruing more to get it figured out. It could also just be that I need less sand up top so it has less area to travel down to the mold. Gravity casting is really fickle though.
And I agree with you on the texture of sand casting. I really want to find some finer sand so the green sand holds up better, but I love the texture the larger sand imparts on the casting. And once it gets polished up a little, it looks even better.
The hardest part with this is coming up with a way to make a consistent stem and base since shrinkage and casting without a metal mold can cause all kinds of headaches.
I was looking at some IR thermometers, but the ones that can read north of 800F tend to start to get outside of my current price range. While $40-60 isn't too bad, it's a little too expensive for me right now. Generally you can guesstimate temps by the way the metal flows.
Edit: Oh, I just saw that there's one in Irvine with an incoming laser cutter/engraver, PCB prototyping, and CNC machine. That could be a lot of fun and sounds like the perfect place for keyboard prototyping. Need to get some spending money first so I can afford the fees and material costs.