I want to cast an aluminium plate and I'd love some advice (around 10" x 10" and 1" thick). Ideally id just use a blowlamp over coke cans and foil in a steel pan. I thought I might save some money on gas cylinders if I ran a blowlamp on the natural gas that fuels my boiler (british gas). Think that might work? I wonder how Id connect things up etc. anyway its just a thought, thanks!
diverting gas from a boiler to a blowlamp
Nov 03, 2003
7 Replies
In message , sten writes
I'd say that you are in seriously dubious legal territory here.
I'd use a propane cylinder with the appropriate burner
I'll let The Corgis Of War comment on your gas connection plans (I'd be interested too)
But if you're making any gas-fired forges, Ron Reil's pages are worth a look
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Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
If you want a uniform plate, you will need to heat the pan and allow the aluminium to melt into a pool of aluminium in it. You will also probably need false teeth if you drink enough Coke to make a plate that size out of the cans. That is about 4.5kg, which is roughly what an agricultural chemical sack (the most common thing scrap metal merchants round here hand out) full of aluminium scrap turnings weighs.
A 13kg propane gas cylinder is not that expensive and it is easy to get all the right fittings. However, if you only want to do a one-off, you would probably be better off asking a local blacksmith if he can do it, or perhaps even let you do it, in his forge.
Colin Bignell
If you have a gas stove, that may be hot enough for what you want. Use an old iron saucepan of course.
Consider your neighbours. I hope you don't live anywhere near me! Sounds like the nutter who did welding on his motorbike in his terraced house's integral garage, burnt down the whole row of houses..
In article , BillR writes
Sounds on a par with the guy who was tired of having his acetylene cylinders pinched so he welded his name into the side of one. Documented in an article on bomb disposal I read once.
Ouch.
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