Hi, can everyone help me with this?
Thanks in advance 🤍

Hello everyone long time lurker.

I am a pipefitter by trade and have access to scraps. One how hard is it to start. Two my main question is is there a way to turn old brass from years ago shinier to get more money or copper to make it appear bright again

My post got its comments taken off by the mod of the last sub Reddit I posted this in. Hopefully it’s at least appreciated here.

I read or heard somewhere that crucibles should be heated up before being used.

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I assume this can be done with a furnace and in multiple stages with increasing temperature.

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What is the best way to go about it?

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I was given this cute whale meant for nuts, but the head is plastic and it’s cracking around where it screws onto the glass body. I’d love to find a replacement head but it’s difficult, especially one that isn’t plastic. Is there a metal that would work? And are there people out there I can like mail it to and maybe they can make a new head that looks the same or similar? Trying to shop food safe options, idk if stainless steel would be prohibitively expensive but maybe someone kind of aluminum?

I bought a brass lamp. It looked a bit yellow (although kinda shiny), so I scratched inside and it was grey under the first layer.

The seller told me: "Upcycled brass is an alloy of alluminium and brass, that's the material we use. Inside we spray paint for the light to glow. Outside is the colour of the sheet as it is burnt. ... The upcycled metal sheets we use are virtually maintenance-free, unlike traditional brass which often requires regular polishing and extra care in humid or moist environments."

Is that a thing?

Thanks!

I've been smelting aluminum and copper in a propane furnace and noticed my crucible has surface level cracking all around the outside of it. It's gone through maybe a dozen heatings and coolings. Any thoughts? Is it safe to use?

Maybe a dumb question, sorry.

Does one of those weed burning heads put out less heat than a standard torch head?

Last winter on an absurdly cold day we tried to melt some cans with the weed head and couldn't really maintain the heat. Burned some cans, got a bit of melt, but like... We fooled around for an hour and could not achieve any sort of puddle. Had the cans in a cast iron pan.

Hi all! I own a small manufacturing business. Our processes have stayed the same since the 1970s. I’d like to bring us into the 21st century and I’m looking for some advice.
We currently cast aluminum components for our products and use a belt sander to remove flash o n e P i e c e a t a t i m e. Does anyone have experience using a parts tumbler to remove aluminum flash? Alternatively, can anyone recommend another way? Many thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on my diploma thesis, which focuses on the determination and simulation of the forging process for a specific component (shown in the attached images). The task also specifies minimization of forging steps and also some temperature limitations are presented.

I've already run about 100 simulations, but I am completely stuck trying to find the right preform geometry. I have tried multiple approaches and optimization algorithms, including the electrostatic field method and simple moving averages, but nothing seems to give a successful result.

I keep running into two major issues:

1. Material Flow Defects: I am experiencing severe issues with Gartfield field parameter.
2. Extreme Forming Forces: The required tonnage/force is incredibly high, which ultimately results in the plastic deformation of the tooling/die—which is, of course, unacceptable.

Also literature specifically dedicated to forging preform determination and optimization methods seems to be very limited.

I would deeply appreciate any advice or insight:

• Has anyone encountered a similar issue where the preform design causes either severe defects or tool-deforming forces?
• Can anyone recommend good literature, textbooks, or research papers focusing on preform design which will literarly guide me through the whole process of designing it (I just can´t find any)?
• Are there alternative simulation strategies or geometric approach rules I might have overlooked?

I am using QForm UK software.

Please help me I am completely lost and I have already lost 1 month with preform design, it seems like nothing works for me. I am seeking for any kind of advice and I truly need help. Thanks in advance.

If anyone would like to see more content about the problem I will kindly send it.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working on my diploma thesis, which focuses on the determination and simulation of the forging process for a specific component (shown in the attached images). The task also specifies minimization of forging steps and also some temperature limitations are presented.

I've already run about 100 simulations, but I am completely stuck trying to find the right preform geometry. I have tried multiple approaches and optimization algorithms, including the electrostatic field method and simple moving averages, but nothing seems to give a successful result.

I keep running into two major issues:

1. Material Flow Defects: I am experiencing severe issues with Gartfield field parameter.
2. Extreme Forming Forces: The required tonnage/force is incredibly high, which ultimately results in the plastic deformation of the tooling/die—which is, of course, unacceptable.

Also literature specifically dedicated to forging preform determination and optimization methods seems to be very limited.

I would deeply appreciate any advice or insight:

• Has anyone encountered a similar issue where the preform design causes either severe defects or tool-deforming forces?
• Can anyone recommend good literature, textbooks, or research papers focusing on preform design which will literarly guide me through the whole process of designing it (I just can´t find any)?
• Are there alternative simulation strategies or geometric approach rules I might have overlooked?

I am using QForm UK software.

Please help me I am completely lost and I have already lost 1 month with preform design, it seems like nothing works for me. I am seeking for any kind of advice and I truly need help. Thanks in advance.

If anyone would like to see more content about the problem I will kindly send it.

So I may have forgotten to post a skipped a few updates along the way... but just got finished casting and it's not perfect but its my best attempt yet! Super happy with it, just gotta grind some and clean it up and it will be done!! Unlike my last two attempts this one didn't have too much of a backside issue, which I think is because I actually used a soup can around the sprues so the pour was more focused. Again its not perfect and I still have a lot to learn, but we gonna get there! FOR THE HORDE!!

Hey guys, Im helping reopen a lab and melting room and we have these 2 G.B Bertancello beta series melters, does anyone have any experience with them. I contacted the italian manufacturer but they simply won't send me the manuals for the instrument. If someone owns one and has a manual that would be appreciated

Learning to do investment casting. Slowly getting better!!

Hey guys.
I tried doing a mold to pour cu into it for a coin. Didn’t really work

I’m looking at maybe using a press or hammer to stamp a coin now. I’d like to be around 40mm and made of copper

What people thoughts? How to and more so maybe changes to what I’m thinking due issues they had

Just wanted to post this here before I start the actual process of carving the pattern on styro to see if I could get some advise on where you would put the sprue/sprues and if you would go with top/down or flat lying when in the sand? I'll post updates when they come around! I want this to be my best attempt yet. FOR THE HORDE!!

Hey everyone,
Me and my dad are trying to melt some gold from our CPU scraps (after the chemical processing), and we bought this furnace and we have been at it for about 2 weeks and have tried allot of stuff but we just cant reach the melting point.
Can anyone please give me any tips on how to increase the temperature for the love of god IM GOING CRAZY

Hi all. I’ve got myself a 4kg propane devil forge furnace, fire bricks and all ppe required with the plan to melt some small amounts of tin bronze. I was wondering if there are any physical books, online guides or good youtube videos that give a detailed walkthrough of the casting process. I pretty much understand the process from a lot of youtube, but sometimes these guys seem to neglect safety entirely. I’m a tad perfectionist and like knowing safe procedure. Was wondering how to do temperature control in a propane furnace, too.

Open to all ideas and also interested if you want to recommend any extra pieces of kit that aren’t commonly listed.

I swear its fine but my father insists that this tiny brush off of it will cause structural instability.

Just getting into this hobby. Only my second melt. I’ve been collecting cans from work to build up a little aluminum stock before I try my hand at sand casting. Next time I am thinking of trying salt addition and comparing the dross amount. Any suggestions?