ALUMINIUM QUESTION REVISITED

[Tel]

Well I finally got around to trying some head metal the other day - actually we cut up and 'ingotted' two Datsun L18 heads. Made a couple of castings wehile we were at it & then I had a play with a failed casting.

Conditions were totally wrong for doing al. - did it in the big new/old lathe, which was running far too slow, with the tool that was already in it, which was just a l/h HSS flat top knife tool (unsharpened) To make matters worse, the round casting had a considerable flat on one side (the reason for the failure)

The piece turned up with quite an acceptable finish, with no sign of tool wear.

If time permits tomorrow I'll get a shot of it still in situ in the lathe, then move the piece in to the Myford, where I fully expect it will almost turn to a mirror finish, then I'll try carving a flat along it with the shaper (both with HSS tools). Watch This Space

[Tel]

OK - got a chance to finish the experiment this afternoon. The mirror finish I expected on the Myford didn't happen - finish is about the same as the first stage cut. Still no tool wear tho & if I'd bothered to sharpen the tool I could have got it a lot better.

then took it to the shaper & cut a flat on the side, again I just used the tool that was in it (a roughing tool set up for vertical cutting) - cuts were 0.025" deep & cross feed about 0.005". Results were really good (but that's shapers for yer). Again no tool wear.

I've posted some pics in the Images page (Messin' with my head) - sorry about the quality, I've really gotta get a better digital camera, but you'll get the idea.

[alanstepney]

Sounds and looks like an interesting experiment.

Now, if only I had the space to set up a foundry!

[Roger Mason]

Hi Tel,

You said: " ...actually we cut up and 'ingotted' two Datsun L18 heads. "

Now that is pure sacrilege - I still own and run regularly a Datsun 180B - a simple reliable car!

Cheers,


Roger Mason, in St. Agnes.

[Tel]

Ah, there's a bit more to the story Rog - my (1981) 720 one-tonner is still going as well, but in the twenty some years in was on active service I accumulated a lot of bits from odd places. Still got two or three of those heads, three blocks & a bunch of other stuff. The ones we melted down were pretty much beyond resucitation so we went for the full reincarnation.

Currently the old 'RED DEVIL' is hosting an L20 engine that I fully rebuilt.