Lost Foam Casting a Copper Gear

Casting the King Of Random Copper Gear Tribute

I got into metal casting unexpectedly. I was watching videos on the King Of Random channel and saw Grant Thompson’s Mini Metal Foundry. It fascinated me. I couldn't believe it was possible for anyone to melt metals at home and cast their own metal objects. So when I saw Nate at KoR making a gear out of Copper, I just had to have a go. It's a metal I hadn't worked with before and I applied my foam preparation, green sand and plaster feeders and vents technique, as you can see in the video below....

The results surprised me. The difference in the flow rate of the metal was astonishing. I found aluminium flowed like thick cream, whilst copper poured like water. This led to turbulence issues and increased gas retention which spoiled the overall finish. But it was a worthwhile project that taught me plenty - and importantly said 'Thank You' to someone who inspired me.