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Here we go again....
Posted 2 weeks agoFor some reason I decided it was a good idea to enter myself into the 3 Day Novel contest. Now to somehow write a book in 3 days...
Caffeine guide my hand, snacks foods steady my spelling and brain...stay out of the way...
Caffeine guide my hand, snacks foods steady my spelling and brain...stay out of the way...
Finally got a new camera
Posted 7 months agoFilmed my first melt in a while. Still some tinkering needing to be done with the camera and mount.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcee1VSDMA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcee1VSDMA
Time to try something dumb
Posted 11 months agoWith all the coins I have been making, I think I need to try making at least 1 out of a precious metal. Going to fire up the shop torch and make a coin with silver. Crossing my paws that this works...
Oh how I learned
Posted a year agoIn preparation for the next con I go to, Vancoufur 2025, where the theme is Pirates, I have been working on making pirate coins.
This has gone well as I really enjoy the metallurgy side of this process. I've settled on making the coins either in Aluminum Bronze(95% copper and 5% aluminum) or in Nordic Gold(89% copper, 5% aluminum, 5% zinc and 1% tin) since I want a golden colour and brass is too...temperamental in my molds. Which is honestly fine with me as I have a crapload of copper in the workshop from some old UPS units I....borrowed from my old job when they got tossed in the recycling bin.
Things started off REALLY well. Cast some special coral as with every metal I do. Just so I can add it to the collection covering my mom's mantle.
The mixture looked and poured wonderfully, but then things went sideways.
My plan was to use a set of quick release clamps to hold the mold together when making coins so that I could open it quickly, remove the solid coin and then close it and pour again. Sadly the clamps that I spent good money on, a massive $5, did not hold up to the heat and locked up. This lead to a bad pour that left a small overhang that kept the coin stuck inside the mold. After a large degree of cursing, I set it aside and decided to make some small bars of aluminum for use later. I've been collecting aluminum pistol casings, which melt quick and easily enough, but I was made very aware that I had a small hole in my glove.
There is now a small, not serious, but painful burn on my left thumb. But I managed to get the coin out of the mold with some creativity in the form of an angle grinder with a cutoff disc.
This has gone well as I really enjoy the metallurgy side of this process. I've settled on making the coins either in Aluminum Bronze(95% copper and 5% aluminum) or in Nordic Gold(89% copper, 5% aluminum, 5% zinc and 1% tin) since I want a golden colour and brass is too...temperamental in my molds. Which is honestly fine with me as I have a crapload of copper in the workshop from some old UPS units I....borrowed from my old job when they got tossed in the recycling bin.
Things started off REALLY well. Cast some special coral as with every metal I do. Just so I can add it to the collection covering my mom's mantle.
The mixture looked and poured wonderfully, but then things went sideways.
My plan was to use a set of quick release clamps to hold the mold together when making coins so that I could open it quickly, remove the solid coin and then close it and pour again. Sadly the clamps that I spent good money on, a massive $5, did not hold up to the heat and locked up. This lead to a bad pour that left a small overhang that kept the coin stuck inside the mold. After a large degree of cursing, I set it aside and decided to make some small bars of aluminum for use later. I've been collecting aluminum pistol casings, which melt quick and easily enough, but I was made very aware that I had a small hole in my glove.
There is now a small, not serious, but painful burn on my left thumb. But I managed to get the coin out of the mold with some creativity in the form of an angle grinder with a cutoff disc.
Writing again....
Posted a year agoGot inspired to create a series based on a group having a night out. Now I love to write, but I think I honestly spend more time with a word document thinkin about the characters and putting notes in about them.
For example;
Typical spoiled shitty prince – totally going to end up dead at some point
For example;
Typical spoiled shitty prince – totally going to end up dead at some point
Lessons learned...Part 2
Posted 3 years agoNever ever try to use a belt sander when you are exhausted. It does not end well.
Lessons learned...
Posted 3 years agoIt was a normal Saturday. I hauled the furnace outside to smelt down some brass for some artsy things. The sky was clear, birds were chirping and I had 2 freshly filled propane tanks and no other plans for the entire day.
So when I get brass for smelting it is all from my gun range. I will go up, pour buckets of spent casings into my big blue "To Sort" bin and drive home. Then I will sit down in front of the TV to sort through and divide up between good brass(that I will give/sell for reloaders), bad brass(damaged for the furnace), aluminum(direct to the furnace since you can't reload it) and steel(sold to a metal scrapper). When I have a surplus of some calibers they go into the melt bucket. I also pick out all the rocks, twigs, sticks, dead bugs, and misfired rounds. Those misfires get put into a metal bin that I had made of AR500 steel(same stuff they make shooting targets out of) for a friend that will take the round apart and reuse what they can.
Apparently I was a bit dozy or something because a few little 22 rounds got past me and I tossed them into the furnace. They may not have gone off when someone tried to use them at the range, but a 900 degree fire seems to have helped. 2 loud pops sent me diving for cover. Thankfully without a barrel the rounds were harmless and didn't even crack my crucible.
....They did however make my neighbours call the police. 3 cop cars pulled up with lights on as I was sitting there in my driveway, wearing a faceshield, respirator and apron looking like a slightly hairier Heisenberg. Once I explained what happened, I had 3 cops cars hanging around because they wanted to see how it all worked. One of the officers even stopped into my work and brought me a giant bag of brass from one of their training days to use for making arts.
So when I get brass for smelting it is all from my gun range. I will go up, pour buckets of spent casings into my big blue "To Sort" bin and drive home. Then I will sit down in front of the TV to sort through and divide up between good brass(that I will give/sell for reloaders), bad brass(damaged for the furnace), aluminum(direct to the furnace since you can't reload it) and steel(sold to a metal scrapper). When I have a surplus of some calibers they go into the melt bucket. I also pick out all the rocks, twigs, sticks, dead bugs, and misfired rounds. Those misfires get put into a metal bin that I had made of AR500 steel(same stuff they make shooting targets out of) for a friend that will take the round apart and reuse what they can.
Apparently I was a bit dozy or something because a few little 22 rounds got past me and I tossed them into the furnace. They may not have gone off when someone tried to use them at the range, but a 900 degree fire seems to have helped. 2 loud pops sent me diving for cover. Thankfully without a barrel the rounds were harmless and didn't even crack my crucible.
....They did however make my neighbours call the police. 3 cop cars pulled up with lights on as I was sitting there in my driveway, wearing a faceshield, respirator and apron looking like a slightly hairier Heisenberg. Once I explained what happened, I had 3 cops cars hanging around because they wanted to see how it all worked. One of the officers even stopped into my work and brought me a giant bag of brass from one of their training days to use for making arts.
