(10-28-2016, 02:23 PM)dallen Wrote:(10-28-2016, 06:50 AM)Pete O Wrote: A few more simple aluminium castings and I might have the confidence to try some iron.
nice looking part you dug out of the sand
Indeed pouring iron is not nearly as easy as aluminum. Iron melts at 2800 degrees F or 1,538° C. Just a bit warm for the backyard foundry. It's also harder to pour as it tends to freeze/solidify faster than aluminum. I poured bronze when my wife made some bronze sculptures, and even that was pushing the limit on a Johnson Crucible Furnace. It was a bit long in the tooth, but eventually did the job. BTW the melting point of bronze is about 950 °C (1,742 °F) depending on the alloy and we used the lost wax method of casting. Not absolutely necessary, but it produces more accurate castings if the process is followed appropriately.