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29895 | KEMPINSKI, ROBERT M. (JSC-OS) <robert.m.kempinski1@j...> | 1997‑11‑04 | Raining Castings and Dogs |
Short version - I've been making planes from my own castings. Long version follows: <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I knew the air was bad in Houston, but lately it's been raining castings. Having made the St. James Bay smoother and block plane, and then Russ Allen's Stanley 51 replica, I figured it was time to make my own planes from my own castings. Never one to start small and build up, I decided to go for it and for my first pattern, make a replica of the Stanley 52 shooting board. (To match Russ Allen's 51 plane.) After studying Kingshott's description of the 51 project, and comparing it to a drawing of an actual one, I decided Kingshott's replica wasn't accurate enough. Some snooping found a collector in Dallas with a mint one (still had the original decal.) He was gracious enough to let me measure it for my pattern. With a good drawing, and some shrink rules, I set to work making the patterns. I had some black walnut lying around. Since pattern makers liked to use mahogany, I figured black walnut would work just as well. I started with the quadrant and the hold down. These were pretty easy, although I choose not to emboss Stanley into the quadrant out of respect for the company and to deter any claims of forgery. The bosses for the lock pin looked wimpy to me, so I decided to beef them up. I think this will be an improvement for a small run. For mass production, you could save money by making this section smaller. It took a few tricks to hog out the semicircular cut out for the pivot pin in the quadrant. Being a wood worker, I probably lavished more time on the patterns than needed, but hey, I was having fun. To make the fillets in the pattern corners I used a very ungalootish material - bondo. After making the quadrant and hold down, I paid a visit to the foundry to get their opinion. (A nice thing about Houston is with all the heavy industry around, there are lots of shops that cater to this sort of affliction. As long as you are casting less than 1,500 lb., they can accommodate your needs. - Wow, it just occurred to me, a 1,500 lb. hand plane. That would make a no. 8 bedrock look like a toy for Ken, Barbie's boy friend. 1,500 lb. of smoother would snort at curly grain. Scoff at cocobolla. Of course, you'd have to be Arnold Schwatzenager to pick it up. Oh well, never mind.) The foundry foreman was great. He seemed almost amazed that someone would even be interested and somewhat knowledgeable about this stuff. Then he showed me some of the galoot type tools they had scattered around the foundry. Next, I got the $5 tour of the joint. As a mechanical engineer, I ate this up. Then came the critical examination of the patterns. They passed with only one tweak needed - add more draft to one corner of the quadrant. Some of his observations: - you can never have enough draft, particularly for a tall part. - no sharp internal corners. - make a simple tool from a piece of steel to shape the fillet radii - use pattern boards, it makes the process less expensive. The shooting board pattern would have to be cast loose, and hence be more expensive. Gray iron would work, be stable and stay flat. It is a little brittle, so don't drop it. Charged with this encouragement, I went home. After slaving hours over the shooting board, I had a pattern that was a pretty darn good replica of the Stanley version. Even carved "No. 52" into a recess, just like the boys from Connecticut. Then the casting storm hit. Me thinks - if I can make the 52, how about a chisel plane. And what about that adjustable mouthed infill I'd been thinking about. Sure enough, chips flew, shavings fluttered, and bonded stunk. Before SWMBO could even complain, I had another pattern board with a chisel plane and an infill of my own design. Off to the foundry I go. By now, I had been developed a good relationship with the foreman, the kind that comes from mutual respect for and appreciation of making things with your hands. Something that appears to be on the decline in America... Oops, sorry, I digress. When I delivered the patterns, the foreman seemed impressed. He actually offered me a job as a pattern maker. That was a hoot. Hmmm, I wonder what it pays? Anyway, after wearing a path in the carpet at home, pacing back and forth like an expectant father, waiting for the castings, the call arrived. They were ready. Now a lot of parents wax poetically about the moment of their child's birth. How it is such a thrill and joy. A sublime experience. I'm here to say this was not quite like that, but it was fun to see the result of all that work. To see how the iron, molten and mean, had raced through the molds, and left as it's imprint, a shape conjured by man. (Whoa, get the boots on.) Anyway, the castings came out great, with the exception of one of the infill castings. It looks like the mold for that one had a partial collapse. I may have stretched the draft angle a little too far. The shooting board is dead flat, with great surface detail. It should require only a little grinding and smoothing. The quadrant and hold down look like Stanely made 'em. My little chisel plane, modified from the Stanley 97 by shortening and angling the knob, should make a cute tool. On the other hand, the infill casting looks like a job to machine, but it should work. Anyway, that's it for adventures in pattern making. Don't forget to join our host for the next exciting episode - metal working in a wood working shop. (If I can find my way past the metal chips.) Rob Kempinski Lurking, but working in Houston |
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29927 | David Hunkins <drhunk@c...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
At 11:03 AM 11/4/97 -0600, KEMPINSKI, ROBERT M. (JSC-OS) wrote: |
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29917 | Jack Kamishlian <KamishlianJ@p...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
KEMPINSKI, ROBERT M. (JSC-OS) wrote: > > Short version - I've been making planes from my own castings. > > Long version follows: > > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > > Rob Kempinski > Lurking, but working in Houston > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- Great tale!!! Better than anything I've read recently. Can't wait to hear the next edition. You sure didn't start out with something simple. Thanks loads for sharing it with us. Jack |
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29953 | Bob Brode <bob2@p...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
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29955 | Steven Torrens <torrenss@c...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Wow this sounds like great stuff. Robert seems to know his stuff. I have been dreaming of making some tools but I am only familiar with lost wax casting. Sand casting with patterns is a mystery to me. Maybe if asked by a few more enquiring minds Robert could expand his posting into a lesson on casting and patterns. REgards Steve, Wonder if the Klingshot book was an inspiration? |
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29960 | Michael D Sohn <msda+@a...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Rob, great posts. A couple of questions to you or other knowledgeable folks: (1) Can you recommend a book describing the process? I doubt I will cast but it sure sounds interesting. (2) If you wouldn't mind, can you tell us the approximate costs for the casting. General estimates would be find. Just curious what these things costs. Mike. |
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29965 | David Hegedusich <dhege@e...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Rob sez: > Short version - I've been making planes from my own castings. > > Long version follows: |
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29966 | Esther Heller <eoh@k...> | 1997‑11‑05 | Slippery slope, was: Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Mike asks, > Rob, great posts. A couple of questions to you or other knowledgeable folks: > > (1) Can you recommend a book describing the process? I doubt I will > cast but it sure sounds interesting. > > (2) If you wouldn't mind, can you tell us the approximate costs for the > casting. General estimates would be find. Just curious what these > things costs. > > Mike. > Warning, I have not done this, but I have seen it done. From here it looks like a slight tuck while sliding down the smithing cliff, you have been duely warned! 1. A book that I don't own yet but that keeps coming up is by Tom McCreight. If his general metalworking/jewelry book is any sample it ought to be good. Some obvious title like Casting. 2. It all depends, mostly on what kind of scrounger you are. I saw a casting demo at my first Pennsic, 2 people could carry all the stuff. One DYI variation on a propane forge with the funny white insulating lining stuff, running off a 20# tank, a small (couple quart) crucible, (see recent suggestions on the list or go buy one), a mold made out of 3' of T&G flooring, some special sand, baby powder for parting compound, and some dead plumbing parts to make bronze (I think they added some extra tin from don't know what). A couple old butter knives to carve the sprues in the sand and a block of wood to tamp the sand down, and a reworked slipjoint pliers to handle the crucible. The smith I met at the same event pointed out that you don't need the fancy heater, you can easily heat the crucible on a blacksmith's forge.. So if you have a forge and blower all you need are a crucible and it's tongs, and the rest can be made from scrap. I warned you it's slippery here! For one guy's story, check out: http://reality.sgi.com/employees/kurts_engr/foundry.page.html I found it through the Electrik Anvil someone posted a while back. Esther eoh@k... |
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30061 | Jake Spiller <spiller@B...> | 1997‑11‑06 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Rob Kempinski wrote: Short version - I've been making planes from my own castings. Some of his observations: - you can never have enough draft, particularly for a tall part. - no sharp internal corners. - make a simple tool from a piece of st eel to shape the fillet radii - use pattern boards, it makes the process less ex pensive. appreciation of making things with your hands. Something that appears to be on the decline in America... Oops, sorry, I digress. When I delivered the patter ns, the foreman seemed impressed. He actually offered me a job as a pattern ma ker. That was a hoot. Hmmm, I wonder what it pays? There is nothing more gratifying than being recognized for your work by people t hat know what good work is. Anyway, that's it for adventures in pattern making. Don't forget to join our host for the next exciting episode - metal working in a wood working shop. (If I can find my way past the metal chips.) I really enjoyed this. I found your little adventure pretty fascinating. BTW you make any extra castings? Just as a little aside, Keith DeGrau and I went to Pete's Maple Sale last week. Because of the rain, the turnout was light, but there was a silver lining in thi s for us. Pete's father Paul, has a complete foundry under his barn. He was kind enough to give Keith and I a very thorough tour of it, as well as the whole process of casting. I promise I'll write moer about later, I've just been a little busy. Jake -- Bear Stearns is not responsible for any recommendation, solicitation, offer or a greement or any information about any transaction, customer account or account a ctivity contained in this communication. |
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31689 | Russ Allen <rallen@m...> | 1997‑12‑05 | Re: Raining Castings and Dogs |
Last month Rob Kempinski posted about his plane making and pattern making. I made the 51 like pattern from Kingshott's book and Rob has made the 52 like shooting board, quadrant and hold down. I've put a few pictures at http://www.mcs.net/~rallen/pattern.html The thread that followed from Rob's post can be found there too. Russ Allen |
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