Blacksmithing and Casting Cause!

Teams Blacksmithing
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So after the previous Blacksmithing cause never reached official cause status and months of stagnation, I’m excited to let everyone know this cause has received exec approval and merely waiting on paperwork to become official.

With that laid out, onto the details.

My name is Alex Wixted, and most of you will have seen me around the space over the past 8 months or so. After not seeing anyone else willing to step up and be active as a Cause Champion, I have taken that upon myself, mostly because I wanted to play with fire and bang on hot metal, but also to see what projects members will come up with when they have a usable workspace and tooling. I have very little experience when it comes to all this stuff, so will be making up as I go along with guidance from the internet and other cause members when it comes to projects and classes.

I have submitted the cause proposal found here to the exec and have received majority approval, with the final approval resting on completion of registration with the treasurer.

Currently the Cause is looking a little like this:

Cause Champion: Alex Wixted (@wixted)

Members:

Matthew Costa @mattcosta18

Brendan Halliday @nogthree

Will Stobo @nezara

Chang­yi Yao @subzerofusion

Colin houltham @firedrake

Area to be maintained

To be confirmed. either behind woodworking or at end of shed. awaiting awning to be built

by Landlord.

Classes:

Once the area and equipment have been properly established, we will be running monthly

aluminium smelting classes, starting as creating soft­drink can aluminium billets and later

more complex forms.

@mattcosta18 is also willing to run blacksmithing classes, free time withstanding.

Maintenance plan:

General:

Tools etc away in proper places, area swept clean regularly.

Consumables:

Fuel ­ Coal for forge (generally purchased from supplier)

Fuel ­ Waste oil for furnace (can be acquired from fish and chip shops etc)

Materials:

Aluminium ­ Cans acquired from drinks bin or supplied by member

Steel ­ scraps etc acquired or materials supplied by member.

Inductions process to be determined once area is operational.

Current Projects:

New Furnace for smelting aluminium

Potential future Projects:

fume extraction system

Wiki will be updated over the next few weeks.

Meetings to be announced on forum, in this thread. Next meeting in one month to report on progress of projects and awning for the cause.

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If you are interested in signing up to the cause, message me/post in this thread and email the treasurer to change your preferences!

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Have you considered a microwave furnace?

  • Instructible1
  • Pop Sci article2
  • “Lost PLA” 3

Ingredients;

  • 1000+w microwave (Emitter must be in top, not side of unit)
  • Graphite crucible
  • Silicon Carbide susceptor
  • cinder bricks, cement paste, high-temp insulation
  • Venting apparatus
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@AussieLauren: @Svenska has experimented with a microwave furnace at HSBNE before, and pointed me in the direction of The FossCar project Lost PLA casting.

I’m keen to give it a go, but it will be after we have basic functionality!

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I’m happy to help with that and add my very little experience.

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I approve of your reasons for becoming the Cause Champion!

I’m still sorting out what needs to be done on the Treasury end of things, and I will advise as soon as that’s completed.

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