| Australian grassroots motor racing grew up with the | | | | employed by modelengineers, home mechanics, car |
| home built special. Many examples of these historic | | | | & motorbike restorers etc, to createhigh quality |
| cars are still in existence today. Some were built as | | | | cast parts that would be otherwise unobtainable. If |
| circuit racers, but many were built for the | | | | you have never contemplated casting your own |
| ever-popular hill climb events held at the various | | | | metal parts, then you'd be amazed at the many |
| climbs scattered around Australia. | | | | different things that can be made, especially if you |
| To build a competitive home built racecar today | | | | have a well-equipped machine shop. It is possible to |
| requires many skills. | | | | make those hard to get parts right in your own |
| Most importantly the racecar enthusiast constructor | | | | home foundry workshop... for a very low cost. |
| will need to havehands on knowledge of metal | | | | The foundry process is basically carried out by |
| fabrication skills, i.e., knowing how toweld or braze | | | | producing a pattern,which is normally made from |
| metal, or machining skills may also be required to | | | | timber, but patterns can also be madefrom many |
| operatelathes and milling machines to produce many | | | | other materials, one particular compound that can |
| of the special one offparts. Just as in the early days | | | | beused to reproduce broken parts to make a new |
| of Australian motor racing, today's constructor needs | | | | pattern is RTV silicone. |
| to be extremely resourceful. | | | | Once a pattern is produced, it is imbedded into the |
| If the budget is tight, the home race-car builder can | | | | foundry sand to make a cavity, green sand is a |
| use many avenuesto keep the construction costs | | | | common type of foundry sand, but there are many |
| down to an acceptable level, being multiskilled will | | | | other types of easy to use sand moulding mediums. |
| allow the home fabricator to construct all manner of | | | | After the sand is rammed around the pattern, or the |
| thingsinstead of resorting to expensive of the shelf | | | | silicate sand has set, the pattern is carefully removed |
| custom made parts. | | | | from the sand mould, and the mould is closed and |
| Many people are unaware that metal casting | | | | made ready for the pour.. |
| techniques can be used in the home workshop to | | | | A simple gas fired furnace can be constructed to |
| cast lightweight aluminium parts. Metal casting is not | | | | melt the metal whichis then poured into the sand |
| that difficult to do, and in the last couple of years | | | | mould to create the casting. Once thecasting has |
| there has been a worldwide resurgence of home | | | | cooled, it is removed from the sand mould, cleaned |
| metal casting, i.e., people have been busy setting up | | | | andprepared for the machining & finishing |
| a simple home workshop foundry to cast special | | | | operations. Quite often, the complete operation; from |
| metal parts that would otherwise be quite expensive | | | | pattern to finished casting can be achievedin just a |
| if sourced professionally. | | | | few days, and that is the great advantage of being |
| Basically all you really need is to build some simple | | | | in full control of the whole operation, you can |
| foundry equipment,and learn & practice the basic | | | | manufacture and finish everything in house, while |
| skills, and before long you will soon becreating some | | | | reducing the overall cost to an absolute minimum. |
| amazing things in metal with your own mini foundry. | | | | Once you are familiar with the basic foundry |
| A basic understanding of foundry knowledge and self | | | | techniques, and youunderstand the techniques |
| - built equipmentis the key to your metal casting | | | | involved, you will be able to create manythings in |
| success. | | | | metal that you would otherwise not thought possible. |
| Proven foundry methods and techniques are | | | | |