[MikeK]

Originally Posted by lazlobassett

Well first casting was a fail. The seal was too far inboard. Today I made a new casting with more " meat" and I am sure it will work fine.

Do other people do stuff like this or just buy things? I kinda wonder , some of my friends look at me kinda weird, like why do you do these things? Just go buy it...

Doesn't seem to be much interest here so either everyone does this sort of stuff or you all saying, whats wrong with that guy...

Don't rush off for that frontal lobotomy just yet. (There's a waiting list here on Fordbarn!). Sure, there's interest. You have over 400 viewings of this thread so far.

There are not too many here that scratch fabricate mechanical parts, so not tons of comments on this tiny aspect. Plenty of guys here who can do magician sheetmetal and welding work, but most, as you stated, will take the easy route and buy something if available. That doesn't mean no interest, just a crowd unable to make relevant comments.

Many will overlook a thread entirely if the tag line for it is not within their scope or interests, and I must say starting with "Scat Crank. . . leaves out quite a bunch here on a forum focused mainly on stock resto. As to which mods are "in" and which are relegated to heresy here is an unclear line and really a learning experience.

FWIW, "Petrobond" is that red clay/oil binder sand you are using. I poured several hundred TONS of iron, bronze, and aluminum castings from <1lb to near 300lbs into petrobond over a 28 year period teaching metal casting.

Be glad you are one of the 'chosen' who has their head together and can measure, think, design, and produce from scratch. Believe me, guys here LIKE to see that stuff, even if it is out of their own personal realm. Reminds me of an old dead guy named HENRY. I would think a thread such as this without thousands of views and a hundred or so posts is more a testament to your abilities and equipment at hand than a lack of interest.

With that said, I'll comment within my expertise and offer just two tiny comments about your castings. 1) Use Al alloy 319, or 356. Don't mix garbage. 2) All those terrible breakouts on the cope (top) surface are caused by the crude flasks. You can't successfully use a wooden 'V' for alignment. Real foundry flasks have iron or steel alignment pins with near zero clearance. That allows a vertical cope draw from the pattern, eliminating sand breakouts. I'm sure you can make some! The cope needs sufficient length to the ears (pin receptors) to prevent any tilting on the draw off the pins. The pins can be V or W shaped, double round (pair) or simple single round like these.

LATE ADD:OMG! I just went back and looked at your pix, #4 you pouring without a full face shield. You do know, one of the disadvantages of oil bond foundry sand like neobond and petrobond is the mold can EXPLODE VIOLENTLY from ignition of HC vapors. Rare, but in 28 years I had at least a dozen severe explosions, one knocked out a door and several windows. I have discarded lots of protective head and body gear with imbedded molten metal damage. Get a hard hat with a full face shield. About the same price as a good white cane with a red tip.