My First Metal Casting - From a 3D Print!

11 months ago
134

Today's project is a big one...
There is a lot of learning, and a lot of work to get done, but by the end we'll finally finish the DIY 5C Drawtube!
We start off with sand casting the hand wheel using a pattern created in 3D CAD software, and then 3D printed.
We have a brief overview of the casting process, where we'll talk a little bit about the tools we use and how they're made, such as the homemade Kiln / Foundry.
Then, we'll cast the part using a petrobond mold, and Zamak alloy for the material. (ZA-12)
After that, it's off to the lathe for machining.
We'll do some general turning and facing operations as we begin to shape and cleanup the rough casting, before we move on to drilling and boring.
We'll bore to a close tolerance in preparation for the next step, which is to press fit the 5C draw tube into the hand wheel.
Once everything is assembled, it's back to the lathe for finish machining, where we will clean up all of the surfaces and bring them into concentricity with the draw tube OD, while also doing the final shaping and tuning the hand wheel for a nice comfortable fit in the hand.
I hope that you enjoy!

My Lathe: MSC / Prince 9517350 - 13x40 Manual Metal Lathe
My Mill: Bridgeport Series 1 J-head Variable Speed Milling Machine

Who am I?
I am Hersch!
I'm a hobby machinist, with a passion for old machine tools and manual machining.
My favorite place to be, aside from with my wife, is standing in front of the manual lathe.
I like to fix up and restore old machines, make my own tools, and I also take on small jobs fixing, or making parts, etc for others.

Why am I here?
I am here to share and learn.
Being self taught, much of my limited knowledge, has come from others sharing their experiences online, just as I am doing now.
This channel is my way of giving back a bit of that which I have gained from others, while at the same time hopefully being able to learn even more by putting my work in front of far more knowledgable and experienced machinists.

Music and Sound Effects courtesy of: www.epidemicsound.com

Loading 3 comments...