twisted brass

[xlchainsaw]

i made a mold from some 1/4,7/32 and 3/16 brass tubing and casted it. cleaned it up and twisted it! im needing plenty of it for my showmans canopy supports and at the high cost of square brass i came up with this idea. these are only proto types.

 

[RobWilson]

GREAT IDEA !

Rob

 

[Noitoen]

The end result looks much better than the unclean part. Since you're casting casting square brass, wouldn't it be easier to make a metal mould to cast the bars? Just a thought. :

 

[xlchainsaw]

The end result looks much better than the unclean part. Since you're casting casting square brass, wouldn't it be easier to make a metal mould to cast the bars? Just a thought. :

thanks for the idea /thought but it would pose greater difficulty. i would need expense release type agents and on such a small amount it wouldnt pay dividends.it takes me five minutes to clean a bar up on the disk sander and they are only 6 inches long. altho i need 40 i intend to do a few at a time.

 

[10K Pete]

If you turn the pattern so the parting is on the corners the mould would come off much cleaner and you'd have less grinding.

If you make a metal mould with the parting on the corners you won't need any release materials.

Pete

 

[xlchainsaw]

you might have something there mike.

 

[Noitoen]

when the brass cools doesn't it shrink? Would the MAG welding torch anti stick spray serve as releasing agent? If the mould pattern consisted of 2 90º grooves to make the square bars, I don't think the casting would stick to the mould, but then again it's just a thought woohoo1

 

[abby]

Hi I have just joined your forum and am browsing through, I like your canopy supports and would suggest that you may find it easier to cast them as square and twist in the vice , casting copper alloys into metal moulds is not as easy as sand , but releasing the casting from the die should not be difficult even without a release agent. A die wash of water thinned fire-clay will help to give a good surface finish and die temperature will be pretty hot.

 

[xlchainsaw]

i agree abbey. casting square and twisting for such a small amount is the way to go. by the time i made a die i may have just abouted casted and twisted up as many as i need!