Casting Aluminum

During my work on my Master's degree, I was extremely fortunate to have access to a complete machine shop and foundry through the school. The students there can take a "Materials and Processes" course that teaches the rudiments of welding , lathe and vertical mill, metal forging and casting. I actually obtained special permission to take this undergraduate level course as an elective during my last semester of graduate work. As soon as I complete this post, I will be uploading a video I took of an actual pour to my YouTube site.

Below is a photo of the C-clamp I machined into a finished project from a casting I also made.

Here is the direct linkto the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4t1URw4iiA


And here is the link to my main YouTube site:
www.youtube.com/user/KarlsLabReport

A Great Source of Hard-To-Find Technical Information

Do you have any old machinery you want to restore? Have you ever wanted to know how metal is melted, poured, and then cast into useful objects? How about building a working steam engine? Wanna live "off the grid"? If you are doing your own home built windmill or generator set, you will definitely want their books on car alternator modification and power inverters. This, and much, much more is awaiting you at Lindsay's Technical Books. These people specialize in reprinting old technical manuals and how-to books. A couple caveats: Since they do mostly short runs, their inventory changes regularly. If you see something you like, you'd better get it immediately, as they may run out and NOT get any more copies. I have some fascinating books from them on steam engines, home-made machine shop equipment, metal casting, old radios, alternators and power inverters, ... Go to Lindsay Publications and check out their current offerings. And lest you wonder: NO, I do NOT have any financial interest in the company. I'm just one very satisfied customer.