Brake drum forge, am I heading in the right direction?

[Parnell]

We melted down about 200 soda cans in a brake drum last night in my welding class last night.  Adding them into a pipe crucible placed into the bowl of the drum.  Tongs just pulled off the non aluminum slag on top and we poured the pour aluminum into a form to make an ingot - like a gold bar but aluminum.  Man was it fun. 

The class instructor was pointing out the difference that these bowl shaped brake drum designs are more so considered a foundry.  He has a swiveling lid that sits over top to better enclose the heat for forging but he was pretty insistent that "forges" have are enclosed and load from the side for the most part.

Sorry if I'm coming across like a know it all Poindexter, type...but, I was thinking of this thread when we were doing the aluminum work.

I'm gonna build me one of these in my class, soon.  Hopefully next week.

[mhof86]

Thanks for the laugh on the kitchen oven / wife stories mine would end up the same way if I tried.

Katt, I will look for that book, I have been trying to find a couple good ones to start the blacksmithing portion of my "library".

parnell, melting pop cans does sound like fun but I think I will hold off for now. Baby steps for this guy until I get comfortable around the equipment.

[Del the cat]

Hey Parnell, you could cast a load of Aluminium riser blanks to sell to gullible target archers
Del

[DC]

When I was a kid I used to cast aluminum sling shots(still got a mark on my forehead from one that broke) We got the aluminum from a pile of parts behind a chain saw shop. One day I had a pot of aluminum melted and just needed a little more so I threw in a piston(I believe it was a piston) that turned out to be magnesium. It caught fire. It was so bright you couldn't look at it. It caught the aluminum on fire and the whole thing burned for more than a half hour. Couldn't put it out. Filled the whole neighborhood with smoke. Nowadays you would have every cop and fireman in town there but in those days(60's) the neighbors just shrugged and wondered."What's that Case kid up to today?"