Just some thoughts relating to the Neycraft casting thread.
I’ve used a Neycraft spinner for a long while and find it meets
my small-scale casting needs very well (I also have a vacuum
set-up). If it’s located on a very heavy bench it would only
need hold-downs (someone mentioned C-clamps, which I’ve also
used on a temporary basis). My present arrangement involves a
Home Depot cabinet (C-3 from the Mill’s Pride line with optional
top, permanently attached) with a drawer and storage shelves
below. The back was open so I attached a thin sheet of plywood
so contents won’t fall from the shelves, then ran a couple of
horizontal lengths of 2 x 4 across the back, top and bottom. I
drilled the 2 x 4’s and attached them to wall studs with lag
bolts. Then I lag-bolted the spinner to the table top. That
baby isn’t going anywhere unless the whole building goes!
The Neycraft is built with a heavy metal flask holder. I’ve had
a couple of blow-outs and found it stopped the metal very well
and deflected it all into the tub. The only problem I can
imagine with flying hot metal would come from overfilling the
crucible. If there’s too much metal for the sprue opening and
mold, it just might decide to decorate the room and operator in
silver or gold. Failure to calculate the proper amount of metal
falls into the area of carelessness in my book.
The only problem I’ve had with my Neycraft is the size of the
standard crucibles. They’re really a little big for small pours
like one or two rings, and take lots of pre-heating to avoid
metal “freezing” before it gets to the mold. For a time Rio
Grande sold a smaller crucible but it was no longer available
when I tried to order one.
As for containment vessels, some of the smaller broken-arm
machines fit neatly into an old-time galvanized washtub. The
tubs come in several sizes and you merely need to drill the
tub’s bottom for the machine’s mounting bolts and mount the
machine inside the tub. Yes, they’re still available. I found
several sources in a quick Dogpile search for “tubs,
galvanized.” Most large hardware stores probably carry them,
especially in rural areas. I’ve also seen machines set into
recessed cabinets. They sit on a shelf inside the cabinet just
below the “lip,” with access through a hinged top that is
opened during casting. Any flying metal is contained within the
cabinet. With the top closed, the machine is stored neatly out
of sight when not needed. Just be careful where you point your
torch!
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