Yesterday I made the the first casting with a new mold I machined. The mold will form a 2' long by 1.75" diameter rod. The mold was machined from thick walled (3/8" wall thickness) tubing. This thickness affords a 1/4" lip to seal the seam. The mold has a volume of ~60 cubic inches. I use graphite as a release agent to aid in the extraction of the ingot.

new split mold, first casting-cast-rod-003-jpg

new split mold, first casting-cast-rod-002-jpg

new split mold, first casting-cast-rod-004-jpg

I only noticed one hairline crack about 4" from the top of the pour. I typically find these to be surficial and no more than a mm deep.

I will let the ingot cure for about three weeks before using it in the lathe.

Prior to using this split mold I used to have to press out the ingots.

new split mold, first casting-1-5-rods-006-jpg

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