Make your own wheels

[Gandalf]

Just added three photos taken while I was casting some small wheels and the finished results.
John. (G)

[Trev]

John, what are the cucumber slices planted in? John Innes number 3?

[John H-T]

They look very impressive John, wishe I could do things like that!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

[Gandalf]

So I painted the wheels that colour,
As to what they were planted in I can only say it started off silver sand and now it is burnt black. Next lot will have thinner spokes and maybe a more conventional 6 of them but for first attempts I am quite pleased with the results and changes to the furnace have resulted in a much hotter temperature so I should not get the gaps where the metal cooled off too quickly.
The name of the game is Recycling whereby Japanese motorbike wheels get reCycled into English railway ones.
Now run out of Japanese wheels and toilet roll tubes so will go to bed.
John. (G)

[Shed Cat]

Originally Posted by Gandalf

changes to the furnace have resulted in a much hotter temperature so I should not get the gaps where the metal cooled off too quickly.

Although I haven't done wheel casting, it does look like the chilling faults I got when I did some lead casting. The trick I found after much trial and error was to get the mould temprature hot enough. The metal temperature was much less critical. But if the mould was too hot (blowlamp ) the metal ran straight through and out the bottom, like water.

Originally Posted by Gandalf

Now run out of Japanese wheels.......

Uh Oh ! Better check the locking wheel nuts on the Honda's alloys tonight

[Gandalf]

Not yet started on the car wheels as they are a bit bigger in section so need more cutting but be very afraid as I will be getting a battery powered angle grinder. Regarding the temperature, that is what Ithought but I also need to increase the depth I bury the foam patterns so I can get greater pressuer and help force the molten metal through the foam.
Latest development has been to produce foam patterns with curly spokes which has taken me back to why I started metal casting in the first place and why I had to build a CNC router with which to make the foam patterns.
My world seems to go round and round in circles, but then that is what wheels are supposed to do.
John.