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January 04, 2012

Bell Replica Foundry Project

This aluminum bell casting project is relatively easy. As a pattern I used a small brass bell that is hanging on my workshop door for the last few years .
Making the mould is a very easy process but the tricky part is getting all the aluminum to fill the mould cavity. The bell pattern is about 3mm thick and as I thought it didn't fill properly the first pour.
The second pour I carved some of the sand off the cope part of the mould. This time the sand mould was filled properly. I like the contrast between the aluminum silver shine and the brass. Now I plan to make a back mounting plate for both of the bells.
Using my gas burner for the foundry it takes about 35-45 min for the aluminum to melt. I use all the scrap sprue and risers from the other castings, No aluminum goes to waste ;-)
Aluminum bell casting video: