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cast iron in Victoria? Anybody?

jaydag71

Member
I'm no expert but AIUI if cast iron is cooled very quickly, it becomes VERY hard. If it is intended to be machined, it should be cooled quite gradually. When casting weight plates, I doubt they would go to the extra bother of cooling slowly. I believe you can anneal the metal by heating and then slowly cooling. I think I've read that tossing the pieces into a bonfire will get them hot enough and the ashes will cool slow enough. Never tried it.

Craig
thanks man, thats some intetesting info I'll havta look into a bit more. In my hopes and dreams I would have a place for my own little foundry eventually...but one thing at a time obviously...
 

jaydag71

Member
if your in a bind for C.I.... Urban municipalities leave thousands of chunks just laying around in the streets...might want to be careful whose watching when your picking some up tho....
Just to look like an authentic city employee, you might want to put on a hardhat and fluorescent red "target" vest and let 3 or 4 empty "timmies" coffee cups roll out of your pick-up.

actually, in all seriousness now, lots of manhole covers get damaged & chipped over the years and a city yard probably has a pile of them just rusting away.
"i like the cut of your jib.", or, thats my kind of problem solving....well, the first part, not so much the latter....
 

DavidR8

Scrap maker
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
hiya, good question and one that took a whole lotta research since itll be my first tig machine (have a mig and some gas torches currently, but have always wanted a tig!)...im going for the primeweld tig225. wasnt able to find anything in Canukada that came close in spec, price AND positive reviews. After some back n forth with the owner and some brief whining about the state of our trade situation with the states vs china, he offered me a couple of discounts that just sweeten the deal... im just "resaving" my sheckles after an expensive xmas....
I have the Primeweld 225, it's a fantastic machine.
caeac08e70c26ed2ebc44b50c31323aa.jpg
 
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jaydag71

Member
Windy hill foundry or luckygen1001 on YouTube gives you vids on cast iron Windy hill talks about anealing in some of his. You might want to call some ot these they would know where.
https://www.yellowpages.ca/search/si/1/Foundries/Victoria+BC
thanks for the tip- i actually havent really looked around too hard yet but assumed somebody on island would be offering up their services. I have watched several videos about home foundries and casting techniques and will eventually be trying to put something together myself no doubt- but one thing at a time i suppose...certainly dont need any more unfinished projects or plans atm....hehe.
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
My Dad had the block of this cast in Victoria I belive maybe Vancouver he’s gone now so can’t ask. 30669588-882C-4929-B01B-6CB79A9FDFBE.jpeg
 

jaydag71

Member
ill havta look more into it then- my guess would be theres got to be at least something on island but certainly Vancouver will and isn't all that far away- its only $75 each way....

oh, it deleted my crying sad faced emoji....was trying for some sarcasm there....
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
ill havta look more into it then- my guess would be theres got to be at least something on island but certainly Vancouver will and isn't all that far away- its only $75 each way....

oh, it deleted my crying sad faced emoji....was trying for some sarcasm there....
I hear you we use to ride our motorcycles over to Van for parts.
Sometime this summer I’m hoping to head to Victoria to see Mom and other relations and to nab some cast iron on the way back.
 
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