Thread: Scrap Ali for Casting

Do any of you Sydney fellows do your own Ali casting?

I'm not in Sydney but I do a little aluminium casting.

Ray, if you have the time, look up YouTube for a guy called either Tubal Cane or Tubal Caine. He has put together the most informative series of videos about this you will find.
Rgds,
Crocy

Car wheels.

Originally Posted by Old Croc

Ray, if you have the time, look up YouTube for a guy called either Tubal Cane or Tubal Caine. He has put together the most informative series of videos about this you will find.
Rgds,
Crocy

Hi Ray,
I think Tubal Cain has officially changed all his videos to mrpete222.
I'm pretty confident he has.

Phil

Have been told that old Ali pistons are an excellent material for casting, and have certainly seen some beautiful products made from them. Worth asking and engine recon shop if they will sell a few at scrap price, or see if your scrap dealer collects them. Worth a try.
Combustor.

Thank you all for the info as for casting on utube I have followed John on his doubleboost channel at least I can handle the accent LOL.

In fact it wasn't a case of me wishing to know or do it myself, although after the two days I spent at Uralla when doing my prac side of Mech Eng TAFE Dip to see the works in progress I wish I had the room and gear, not to be but man would I love to I wonder if there are any other wheelchair hot metal guys out there LOL.


I have just stripped down an old 12" thicknesser for parts for steel and such to raise some workable/machineable steel.

I now have the Ali casting base and such and thought if there was someone close by who could use it they could have it.
I should possibly have made myself clearer to start with.

I would like to again say thanks for the vote of confidence from you all it did boost my sprits somewhat.

Originally Posted by nadroj

Car wheels.

I was sitting back waiting to see what wheelinround had in mind before I put my foot in my mouth yet again.

I think it would be handy to know what car components and other common items are made from Ali. I scrapped a Mag wheel a couple of years ago because it had a tiny wee crack in the edge and leaked ever so slowly. To be honest I would prefer to have steel wheels considering the types of roads I travel on, but when our cars keep coming with Mags! Even our 4WD ute has mags. At least they are not those pathetic big diameter ones with rubberband tyres that are completely useless for anything you can do legally. What a con. Anyway, when I got rid of the mag I spoke to the guy that runs the tyre place and he said it would be Magnesium. I have since discovered this would be highly unlikely, read "NO".

I have collected quite a bit of Ali over the last couple of years. I also have some engine parts that I guess would be Ali such as EFI, manifolds etc. I am saving them up until I get time to use them.

Dean

I also prefer steel wheels for the same reason - durability. Cast wheels are just what's fashionable now, and usually aren't any lighter than a pressed steel equivalent, with exception of forged ones like on early Porsche 911.
Large diameter rims are needed for large diameter brakes, which most cars that have the big wheels don't have - sacrificing comfort for style only, not performance.
Wheels are a good sized lump of aluminium, and you only have to remove the tyre.
My '98 Falcon has an enormous cast Al chassis member under the engine.

Jordan

Lots of aluminium in late model cars, but the trouble is it's all big lumps (gearbox housing, clutch bell housing, wheels, cylinder head) and needs smashing/cutting up into smaller manageable sizes.

Lots of different grades of hardness too.

Depends what you want to do with it.

Rob

Forget car wheels there is bigger fish as they say. How about truck ones now there's a decent amount of casting could be done out of even just one of those.

Now Dean brought up an interesting point VW engine cases are Magnesium and this casting has similar properties.


Anyway should anyone wish to have a small amount to add to their collection in Sydney let me know ASAP or it goes to recycle in other ways.

Ray

Originally Posted by nearnexus

Lots of aluminium in late model cars, but the trouble is it's all big lumps (gearbox housing, clutch bell housing, wheels, cylinder head) and needs smashing/cutting up into smaller manageable sizes.

This how I avoid using manual labour when reducing large lumps of aluminium into crucible size pieces.

http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/showth...-for-aluminium

Originally Posted by bob ward

This how I avoid using manual labour when reducing large lumps of aluminium into crucible size pieces.

http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/showth...-for-aluminium

Very nice Bob. Very simple.

Phil

Thanks all for the additional info been great.

The Ali has now gone recyclers picked up this morning.