Apron

The apron is made of chromeleather. It's not so stif but it is resistant against a certain level of heat. The size of the necktie is adjusted in a way that at the low-end the gap between shoes an trousers is covered. The belt has been attached to prevent the apron hanging in the way while pouring.

Gloves

The gloves are ordinary weldinggloves made of leather with a lining inside. The heatresistantcy is not very high so you kan hold real hot items only for a short period. Glowing or molten metal cant be hold at all. Theyre main purpose is to project you from slightly heated handles and the radiation when you open the ovenlid. Also they can protect you for a very, very short moment when things go wrong an melted metal hits your hands. I suppose the gloves will be burned then and have to be disposed off.

Rammers

The rammers are made from pinewood sized 45x45 mm.There are a few different lenghts. One of the sides is sanded smaller so its possible to ram in an small gap between items and to ram along the sides of the flask. Another ram was made longer to ram in deep flasks. Unfinished there clogs sand on the ramming surface. When painted (laquered) this problem gets lesser.

Tong

This tong has been tailormade to the crucible and the oven. The tong has a combined function as lifting and pouring tong. It has a close fit so it can slide in the narrow opening between the oven and the crucible. After carefully brought in place the tong is closed and the crucible can be lifted out of the oven. It holds the crucible secure enough to do the pouring with it.

Temperature Chart

In absence of a pyrometer this chart can be used to have an aproximate gues at the temperature.

Mouldingsand

To my honest opinion the moulding sand is one of the most important factors in creating a nice pouring result. I bought a mixed and ready bag of sand from Gieterijtechniek Holland. Wether you melt the metal in a big or small or round or square or 'just a pile of brickstype' oven, in a tube, a pan or claycrucible: the result won't be that much different. But if you use mouldingsand thats to coarse, not sticky enough or worse to wet your mould will crumble and your workpiece will look awfull on the outside and inside (airbubbles). Just buy a nice bag with 100 pounds of quality moulding oilsand and get a lot of fun with your first castings. Later on you can make your own sand if you wish.

Safetymask

The safety faceprotection is very convenient when peeking in the chimney of the oven and when skimming of the dross. Besides this it is absolute nessecary when things go wrong and melted metal is flying in the air as a result of some unspotted moisture somewhere. I think its much safer and more convenient then just safety goggles.

Partingdust

As parting dust i use the left over babypowder. Since my childeren have grown out of the dipers theres is only little need for this stuff. Before use I put it in a small linen bag. When I shake this little bag there whirls a nice finedustcloud in the air that covers the surface in an very even way.

Skimmingspoon

To get the dross off the molten metal I used a stainless kitchenspoon mounted at a metalpipe. After five pouringsessions the spoon was burned trough. It it has just dissolved in the molten liquid. Now I made one of 3 mm thick stainless sheet metal welded to a massive stainless rod

Degasser

To get the endresult with no airbubbles and contamination, drossingsalt and degassingsalt can be used. I have not used it till now.

Flask

The smaller flasks are made of 18 mm plywood. The bigger ones are made of pinwood because they are better standing up against the forces which are a result of ramming the sand. To line up the drag and cope positioning pins are needed. It is better to have long pins so the two halves are guided over a extended slideway so a complex mould is prevented from being scorned when finally put together.

Scraper

To remove little pieces of dross and drops of aluminium from the crucible when it's stil hot I made a stainless scraper. The scraper has a blade with a variable radius, so it fits in every part of the crucible by twisting a little.

Moulding tools

These are the tools which I use preparing the moulds.

Toolrack

This is the rack where the tools are placed during the pouring session. Espessially the hot tools need a protected place where they don't burn other things and where you don't accidently step on them.

Pliers

The pliers are home made and used to put pieces of metal in the preheatingbasket and from the preheating basket in the crucible.