| Pages:
1
2
3 |
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Well, this trophy thing isn't going well.
So far i've melted copper in a mini arc furnace a-la King of Random design :-
Note the melted circle in the lid - that stuff is rated to 1560 C !
Then i tried making a template for the inner and outer flames from 1/4 inch steel plate.
Lots of angle-grindind and hack-sawing :-
The idea is to make the smaller inner part of the 'flames' from copper, then set them in the 'flames proper' made from brass, then stick that onto an
aluminium base with the rest of the logo and stamped-in writing.
Each time i try to use the steel template, the molten copper explodes on contact, spattering all over the place, no matter how much i heat the steel
template.
This approach gave a slightly sub-optimal product :-
Not quite the shape i wanted.
Abandoned that idea as it didn't work, and is very scary when it explodes.
The Hidden fire caused by an exploding bit took about 5 minutes to get discovered and extinguished (i eventually noticed a phenolic kind of smell so
went looking, and found flames ...)
So, what next ? Investment casting with polystyrene as the 'form' to cast in sand.
Need a polystyrene cutter seeing as the last one i built and lent to someone never returned. Guess they liked it :-
When i pluck up the courage to put the polystyrene into some dry sand, then zap the hell out of a bunch of copper, then pour it, hopefully some
progress will happen.
At this rate, they might be ready for the 2017 awards !
[Edited on 10-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Tried it again today and got somewhere ... nowhere good, but somewhere !
The bit on the right kinda shows the effect that was hoped for - the pinky copper as the centre of the flames and then brass as the main flame part.
Needs a LOT more brass melting, so will abandon the mini-arc furnace in favour of a big-ass fire.
Strange when melting the brass with an arc : wisps of white smoke appear, which then solidify.
One second smoke, next second solid, in exactly the same shape.
[Edited on 13-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
m1tanker78
National Hazard
Posts: 685
Registered: 5-1-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Aga, thanks for the mention!
Quote: Originally posted by aga  |
Strange when melting the brass with an arc : wisps of white smoke appear, which then solidify.
One second smoke, next second solid, in exactly the same shape.
[Edited on 13-11-2016 by aga] |
This is most likely zinc burning off, the solidified smoke being zinc oxide. Same thing happens when you try to tig with filler rod that's meant for
oxy-fuel brazing.
Have you considered buying some thin brass/copper sheet and cutting out patterns. Hammer some solder flat and cut into small pieces. Distribute the
solder pieces (along with a tiny bit of flux) between the metal sheets and bake in a furnace, oven or BBQ pit.
The inner flame: White opaque cover with a yellow and red LED. Flea power microcontroller with a pseudo-random number generator to chaotically alter
the intensity and interval of each LED. Or hack one of those fake decorative candles? 
Chemical CURIOSITY KILLED THE CATalyst.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
You're welcome !
You're in the firing line to receive a trophy (if you win the vote) as are all mentioned in the thread, so prepare yourself, mentally and physically,
as today i had some success !
382g of scabby cast Brass in some kind of desired shape !
Bollocks to tiny arc furnaces : a big-ass charcoal fire and a hairdryer won the day.
Cleanup, pour molten copper into the middle bit, chop into slices, set in a cast aluminium stand, polish, stamp in the name, then they'll be ready to
terrify the vote winners with !
Haaaaaaaaaaa Haa Ha Haa Ha Ha ha ha ha.
|
|
|
crystal grower
Hazard to Others
Posts: 474
Registered: 3-1-2016
Location: Os Petrosum
Member Is Offline
Mood: Puzzled
|
|
Wow  that's quite an improvement aga!
This one is really pretty  .
[Edited on 14-11-2016 by crystal grower]
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
It should look a lot prettier when it's cleaned up and polished : Brass is Shiny !
Progress ! The Joy !
Sorry for not starting the Votes thing yet, despite it being week 2 of November.
Can't start until the Trophies physically exist, as i could screw it up at any point in the process, which is an unknown process, to me at least.
A bit like any (most !) experiments really.
[Edited on 14-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
Texium
Administrator
Posts: 4508
Registered: 11-1-2014
Location: Salt Lake City
Member Is Offline
Mood: PhD candidate!
|
|
Wow, nice job on the trophies, aga, I like how you're doing it. I think they'll turn out to be very nice looking!
Will it just be a poll where people vote on who they think deserves it the most, and the trophies are sent out to the top
however-many-trophies-were-made? Or will the selection process be more complicated than that?
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Nobody has said how it should all work, so i guess i'll just make some trophies of highly dubious quality and start some vote threads for random
categories using the names of the people suggested.
So, the non-plan is just random crazy nuts stuff as per usual, but with the Intention of Honoring the Good and the Great.
Always open to suggestions though.
Edit:
Begging for suggestions really, or for someone sane to take over the organising.
I just want to make metal melt into trophies and see people Acknowledged for their awesome contributions to this site.
[Edited on 14-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
crystal grower
Hazard to Others
Posts: 474
Registered: 3-1-2016
Location: Os Petrosum
Member Is Offline
Mood: Puzzled
|
|
Just a humble suggestion, I think that we should keep things as simple as possibel and make only as much categories as is really needed. For example
Best synthesis of the year, Most helpful madscientist of the year, Best newcomer of the year, and maybe a prize for someone who had survived the
biggest armagedon in his garage.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Today's Copper melt failed using the B.A.F.
Got the copper hot (950 C ?) but simply not hot enough to melt or pour.
Have to try the tiny arc thing again in the morning, but with quite a full tiny cruicible, which is far from ideal - the whole chunk must be poured in
one go.
Got some ideas of the possible categories, although having anything to award is dubious.
Thinking now that a cash reward is demeaning, so withdraw that offer.
Winning the vote and accolade of the members should be reward enough.
Winning a trophy will be a Miracle given today's progress !
|
|
|
crystal grower
Hazard to Others
Posts: 474
Registered: 3-1-2016
Location: Os Petrosum
Member Is Offline
Mood: Puzzled
|
|
Well I didn't mean the prizes should be necessarily something materially.
If you manage to create one or two of those cool trophies it would be really cool (it could be reward for some kind of "main" category). Winners of
other categories and maybe also runner-ups could recieve a reward in form special forum status (for example "Best SM Youtube channel of 2016").
|
|
|
m1tanker78
National Hazard
Posts: 685
Registered: 5-1-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Looks much better. Are you using any sort of flux and/or charcoal cover? I vaguely remember watching my friend's dad spin-casting some bronze or brass
figures back in the day at his machine/plating shop. It was a nail-biter at times especially with the way that damned drum wobbled like a crazed
washing machine.
Does anyone have a copy of the complete SM logo in decent resolution? Is it OK to use and modify it?
As for categories... I guess it's not so straight forward after all.
"Whomsoever winneth this trophy shall be endowed with aga's craftsmanship, blood, sweat and tears!?" 
Chemical CURIOSITY KILLED THE CATalyst.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Phew ! Glad that part is finished.
Melting and casting a pile of copper is scarier than using chlorine gas.
 
Onwards to the chopping & cleaning ...
|
|
|
wg48
National Hazard
Posts: 821
Registered: 21-11-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Like this one
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Perfect ? Nah !
You weren't kidding about the blood part.
|
|
|
MrHomeScientist
International Hazard
Posts: 1806
Registered: 24-10-2010
Location: Flerovium
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Very cool! I think it looks awesome, and extra meaningful that it was created by one of our own.
The one time I melted copper perfectly, with the right excess of heat, it flowed just like water. Really crazy to see.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
For the individual trophies that block 'just' needs chopping into slices, each slice carved around a bit and then polished.
Each finished bit will then be set on top of the main aluminium part.
The word 'just' really should not be used in an amateur context, as i discovered the hard way !
The redder copper simply got hotter, which was a chance discovery when swapping to an angle grinder (the power hacksaw went off at an angle, hence the
half-flame part).
Nicer effect IHMO.
[Edited on 17-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
j_sum1
Administrator
Posts: 6221
Registered: 4-10-2014
Location: Unmoved
Member Is Offline
Mood: Organised
|
|
Brass to aluminium. That's going to be a fun weld to do.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Not likely i'd get anywhere with that - better/easier to drill & fix with a bit of steel.
Tried the 'lost wax' casting method today and got a thick-walled Al cylinder to form the 'ring' part, once chopped into slices.
Not sure of the dimensions as a Pringle tube was used as the outer part and a tube of silicone sealant as the inner, wrapped in tinfoil.
Think it might work after cleanup/polishing despite the wonky lettering.
Just the .RG baseplate and the crucible to go.
Think i might do the crucible in 3-D seeing as the rest is basically 2-D.
Edit:
That's just a mock-up. The finished product will be shinier.
[Edited on 19-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
j_sum1
Administrator
Posts: 6221
Registered: 4-10-2014
Location: Unmoved
Member Is Offline
Mood: Organised
|
|
Looking amazing aga.
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
It'd be nice to anodise the mortar Black, with a stainless steel pestle sticking out.
So far i found out that the Al gets electrolysed in dilute sulphuric acid, then dunked in water, then dunked in a Commercial dye to achieve this.
Not found the recipe for Black yet.
Might try potassium dichromate solution to see what happens.
Blue or Orange will be OK, Black best.
Edit:
Nobody mentioned if the tropies should be non-toxic
[Edited on 19-11-2016 by aga]
|
|
|
violet sin
International Hazard
Posts: 1475
Registered: 2-9-2012
Location: Daydreaming of uraninite...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Good
|
|
Out-figgin-standing work aga!!! Looks terific, and you get to learn in the process. I havent been following this thread, but now glad to have given
it a glance. Deffinitely pop in a vote when the time comes, though it will be hard to choose. Soo many have contributed throughout the year, it in
part comes down to what kind of chem you like to follow. Sure there will be votes for the crystal growers here, furnace guys, organic fellers, rock
hounds and all maner of active posters. Thinking Dan will have one on lock for the exquisite thorium work.
Really wish I had more time to devote to sciencing my self. Plenty of ideas, so little time. And good lord, now I want one of them glorious, shiny
bastards!! Well there is alwayse next year, and hopefully many, many, more to come.
Again, simply awesome work on the awards
...Hey, what about selenium(selenic acid) to darken it... Aka like gun barrels with the blueing kits. Local here at wallyworld ~8$. Alternately, try
superficially oxidize steel and ospho that sucker black
[Edited on 20-11-2016 by violet sin]
|
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
Amazing how easy anodising aluminium actually is !
Found this document :-
http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/activities/anodising.ht...
All i used was a car battery, a small sheet of Al chopped into strips (to make the wires & cathode) a bit of sulphuric acid and 1 litre disposable
beaker.
A meter was used to measure the current, so acid was added until a decent current was flowing (~3.5A)
No actual dyes exist here, and all the shops are closed (without exception) on Sundays, so various things were tested without success.
Eventually dark soy sauce was tried out as the dye ...
Gold ! (ish)
All three bits of Al came from a 3/4" bar cast yesterday. The top one wasn't anodised just for reference.
With any luck i might get access to a lathe tomorrow and turn those bars into tiny crucibles, which can then be made Gold coloured with the soy sauce
anodising trick.
Just the crucibles and the <u>. RG</u> baseplate to go, and a lot of sandpapering.
The baseplate will be another lost wax casting. Incredibly hard to make a flat plate, never mind an 'R' and a 'G' from wax candles.
The idea is to melt/stick those to the cast sheet of wax, dollop a plaster 'slip' all over them, coat in sand, then repeat a few times before burning
the wax out in an oven (or over a fire).
When finished, the molten aluminium gets poured into the space, so you end up with a metal version of whatever shape the wax was.
|
|
|
phlogiston
International Hazard
Posts: 1376
Registered: 26-4-2008
Location: Neon Thorium Erbium Lanthanum Neodymium Sulphur
Member Is Offline
Mood: pyrophoric
|
|
Very cool aga, Looks amazing already.
Many common fabric dyes (Dylon is a common brand) work well for dying anodized aluminium. You can get a decent black with some of them.
-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
|
|
crystal grower
Hazard to Others
Posts: 474
Registered: 3-1-2016
Location: Os Petrosum
Member Is Offline
Mood: Puzzled
|
|
Wow, these trophies will be really magnificent (Go to hell Oscar ).
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
2
3 |
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
