Been a while (busy with things, some of which will become evident in later videos), but did a quick shoot of an aluminum can melt I did the other night using my on-the-cheap charcoal foundry. Was fun and went pretty well. Hope you enjoy!
Category Archives: Videos
Video: TIG Brazing – Cast Iron Handplane Repair
I’m a big fan of The Accidental Woodworker, a blog where amateur woodworker Ralph writes daily about his growth as a woodworker. One of his interests includes restoring old handplanes. He does a great job bringing them back to looking like new, and performing even better. So when he recently posted about his difficulties locatingContinue reading “Video: TIG Brazing – Cast Iron Handplane Repair”
Video: What’s On the Bench January 2022
I don’t record everything I do in the shop. For one thing, it makes everything take three times as long. But I thought maybe it would be interesting to people to at least see what other things I’ve been working on, as well as giving me something I can put out while I work onContinue reading “Video: What’s On the Bench January 2022”
Video: Water Heater Maintenance
Recently, one of my coworkers had a water heater that failed. It was twenty years old, so he was lucky that it lasted as long as it did, but it reminded me of something that I wish someone had told me when I first bought a house: you should at least partially drain your waterContinue reading “Video: Water Heater Maintenance”
Video: Two-Part Silicone Alternatives, Part 3
Or, as I like to call it, “A crazy person tries to make molds with silicone caulk.” But I think I actually got it to work! The secret was to use injection wax, which for reasons I have not bothered to find out, hardens better and faster than the other waxes I have tried. ThisContinue reading “Video: Two-Part Silicone Alternatives, Part 3”
Video: One Hundred Subscriber Special – Shop Update Preview
I was out to dinner with the family a couple of weeks ago, and I told the kids, “Oh hey the YouTube channel has 99 subscribers. One more and maybe I’ll have to figure out some way to mark the occasion.” The 17yo took out her phone and subscribed. “Welp. Guess I’ll figure something out.”Continue reading “Video: One Hundred Subscriber Special – Shop Update Preview”
Video: Two-part Silicone Alternatives, Part 2
My high school friends and I had a term, “Crazy Quest,” that I think accurately describes my search for an alternative to two-part silicone mold making materials like OOMOO 30. At this point I’ve spent well over a hundred dollars on hardware-store silicone caulk, mineral spirits, and multiple different types of wax, all supposedly motivatedContinue reading “Video: Two-part Silicone Alternatives, Part 2”
Video: Simplifying STL Meshes
I sometimes joke that my hobbies combine only the best of the 17th and 21st centuries. But it’s sort of true – a lot of what I like to do is to move as seamlessly as possible between the virtual world of 3D models and plans and the physical where I deal with metal, wood,Continue reading “Video: Simplifying STL Meshes”
Video: Two-Part Silicone Alternatives, Part 1
As part of my exploration of metalworking in general, I’ve been gearing up to pour aluminum. But of course I need something to pour it into. Sand casting is traditional, and I’ll get to that at some point, but first I’m exploring lost wax casting. I’m interested in being able to go from a 3DContinue reading “Video: Two-Part Silicone Alternatives, Part 1”
Video: Electronic Leadscrew Complete!
It works! I have completed by build of James Clough’s lathe electronic leadscrew. It was a rather straightforward matter of replacing my 3D-printed pulleys with some aluminum ones I purchased. But I’m thrilled with the result. Not only does it add push-button convenience for turning and threading, but I learned a lot about machining, electronics,Continue reading “Video: Electronic Leadscrew Complete!”
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