Miniature Metal Foundry

Back in secondary school, using information available online, I decided to make a metal foundry to cast parts for future projects. I researched green sand casting, which uses clay-infused sand to mould the metal into place, and lost foam casting, where a foam "positive" is melted and evaporated through a series of holes. The foundry was a partial success. It worked quite well for a time, and I could melt aluminium into a graphite crucible, as well as some types of steel, meaning it must have reached temperatures around 1500°C.

The main problems were equipment and funding. I built a green sand casting pit, but due to the rudimentary tools I had at the time, the top and bottom of the pit didn’t fit snugly, leaving gaps that would have been a serious safety hazard had I attempted to contain molten metal. I would have needed something like a circular saw to properly cut the wooden structure for the green sand casting pit.