Nearly flat

So the casting came out pretty flat. But taking it to machine flat is (as expected) a lot of work.

Next time I'll make the cores a 1/2 mm too short. I think they were slightly too long and pushed up the center of the sand a fraction.

I've been working so far with a wood rasp, then a coarse diamond stone to remove burrs. I tried a woodplane, but it didn't really work very well.

Hands again

 I found that if I use a gas torch from the Large propane tank, and dump a LOT of heat into the ceramic, the wax melts out without breaking the shell. So I have 2 bronze hands. There's still flaws, both have a damaged finder tip. I think this is from the way I've been resting the ceramic shell on the bottom of the pot of slurry while I've been coating the hands, I think they are probably good enough. I'll clean them up over the next day or two and decide.

I may get a small oxy-propane kit and braze some silicon bronze onto the end of the fingers and then file it to shape. See how that turns out.

I think that worked

 The cast used up 2.3 kilos of aluminium including the sprue and risers. I had enough aluminium left over for about 6 muffin ingots. It's a big crucible, it felt like I just kept adding more and more scrap.

My biggest, most complex cast yet

 

This casting is 60cm (2 feet) long, and has 4 cores, it needs to be dead flat, so I can't live with any shrinkage. A liberal coating of talc to make sure everything separates, I'd hate to do all that work and have the whole thing stick together like a previous smaller casting did.

It's all rammed up, with a tapered sprue, and some pretty big risers over the ends and over the webbing.

It separated cleanly, with the pattern stuck in the cope. Not a huge surprise, and not a problem.

 I cut the gates, and the pattern came out cleanly, I used the split patterns the I made the cores with to make sure the cores were placed correctly.

And now it's all closed up, and waiting for the pour.
 
Cores in place ✓
Gates Cut ✓
Pouring Basin ✓
Clamps Locked ✓

I know that I have left very little room around the pattern, I have no more sand, I was left with about 2 mugs full of sand when I finished ramming this up. I also know that my pouring spout and center riser are too close to the flask. It will catch fire. I'll chuck some sand over it. I hope I only need to pour this once. If I mess up, then by the time I chuck out the burnt sand, I won't have enough left for another try so I'll have to shell out and buy another bag.

Wish me luck