Today we tested our sand casting skills in our micro-foundry at Monterey Peninsula College. Our sculpture class is experimenting with making new objects out of recycled aluminum. Today we attempted to pour a copy of a garden trowel. This is how it proceeded.
Above, you can see an image of the original form (the pattern) from two views. Next we see the cope and drag fitted together to form the mold box. The cope is the top half and the drag, the lower. Next the trowel pattern can be seen bedded into the sand in the drag. We are now ready to continue with the other half of the mold that will be held in the cope. Here we go.
The upper half of the mold, in the cope, is shown here, open, next to the lower half of the mold, in the drag. Two detail shots show how the two halves of the mold compare. At this stage the pattern is removed and the box is carefully and firmly closed. The top of the mold box is now opened and placed near the furnace in preparation for the pour! Is this exciting yet?!
The crucible full of molten aluminum is carefully removed from the furnace. After the dross is removed from the surface of the melt, the metal is carefully poured into the mold.
15 minutes later, the mold is opened revealing the casting, warts and all. After two or three hours of trimming, filing, sanding and buffing, the nearly finished aluminum trowel is ready for first inspection. How cool is that?!
No comments:
Post a Comment