RogueRose
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Registered: 16-6-2014
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Home made Stands & clamps
I was doing some thinking the other day and realized that I needed a few more stands than I currently had. These are the ones I have:
Instead of spending like $30-40 a piece for them I was going to cast my own (using my original to make the casting void).
Now the only problem is what kind of metal to use. I think mine is cast iron, which has a nice heaviness (although I would like something heavier for
some setups), but cast iron can be a major PITA to cast with my current setup (need a larger carbide crucible).
So I am thinking of either using ZA12 or ZA27 (Zinc Aluminum & little copper) which gives strength close to cast iron, is very easy to make (can
often be done on a kitchen stove (though not necessary in my situ) or lead (possibly some zinc & antimony mixed in as contaminate).
My question is, for those who use stands like this, would the added weight be of benefit? I could make an additional screw on lead weight for the
stand to go underneath the stand or immediately above (slide down pole).
Also, I'm wondering about reactivity of the ZA with things like HCL & bases which may spill.
Any suggestions on which metal may be best?
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UC235
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Castaloy clamps (that go on the stands) are usually a zinc-aluminum alloy anyway. They corrode over time (especially when heated or exposed to acid
vapors), but it's not a big deal. They remain servicable though universally look like shit.
I've had good results making my own stands out of some 1/2" galvanized steel rod embedded into a large block of plaster. No heat needed.
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aga
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Concrete in a slightly damp sand mould, or something like the bottom cut off a 5L milk jug would work well.
Put a couple of nuts on the bar, stick it in the mould and pour the concrete.
Vibrating the concrete a bit after you pour it gets some bubbles out and gives a smoother finish.
For a small mould like this, just tapping the sides will do.
Personally i just drilled and tapped a short length of steel joist, maybe 2" x 4" and use 1m threaded bar for the uprights.
Works well.
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eesakiwi
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Try using drum kit stands. They have plenty of clamps of different shapes and sizes.
They have angle adjusters to lean the rods over at a angle and they can be mounted directy to the benchtop. (Cymbal stands)
Any other clamps you have will help you out too.
For some reason theres different 'generations' of drum clamps and drummers end up with a mix of them and lots of extra redundant peices.
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Pumukli
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Thanks for the tips, Aga!
I bought five 1 meter long threaded steel rods and a couple of fitting nuts (12 mm diameter) this afternoon based on what you described! I have some
portland cement somewhere in the shed (hopefully not dead yet) and will make the concrete base for the rods in PE food boxes.
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