Anyone Work with Cast Iron?

[ROBsS4R]

As some people might know on this forum I have this huge fascination of Japanese culture.

I recently discovered the world of Japanese Teas and I am researching Japanese Cast Iron Tea pots ( Tetsubin )

http://www.suzukimorihisa.com/htdocs_e/home.html

I have always been some what of a crafty person and played with Pottery in the past.

I was thinking of working with Metal might be really interesting and probably insanely involved. In any case I have no idea where to begin to even learn about this topic. Do they even have workshops for such a thing?

[vwboomer]

I sorta work with cast iron. as in, I fix the machines that pour it. We have artists come in that work in cast iron, bronze, and maybe brass. So in order to make our stuff we have  2 patterns - a cope and a drag. Also you generally need a core for any casting with hollows. And sand. The silica sand mixes with cereal binder, carbonite, western bentonite, and southern bentonite. Mix those things up with some water. Then it's gotta be pressed around the pattern, the 2 halves mated, then pour the iron (our temp is about 2400f).
So that's all there is to it!
If there is some sort of workshop, I doubt they'd be working in cast iron.  The process is similar for other metals, of course. It's a lot more involved than  any ceramic or pottery type thing.

[cbartlett419]

sssooooooo, I got an idea, you've done some ceramics, yeah? enough to understand that to manipulate clay requires water and pressure(of various descriptions) forging steel is similar only you use heat and pressure(of various descriptions) then you carve and trim with files and a 4" angle grinder. a simple forge can be built out of a decomissioned bbq pit and all you're missing is Great Uncle Harold's old anvil and a couple of ball pin hammers.  Hooray for making stuff

[ROBsS4R]

I found a pretty good site that explains the process.

It looks like it would be easy enough to make the molds and then I could take it to a casting shop to do the pour I suppose.

http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/metal.html

[Monsterlover]

Www.backyardmetalcasting.com

[Oldfisti]

Cool site!   Bookmarked.   

[TiAvenger]

Our local JC has cast iron work shop classes.  You may want to check yours

[il d00d]

Www.backyardmetalcasting.com

That is insanely awesome.  $184.99 for a home furnace kit.   

[Monsterlover]

I found that site years ago and it blew my mind.

Those guys scavenge old vacuum cleaners and iron stuff, smash it in to chunks and use it to pour their own castings.

That they then machine.  One of the guys made his own lathe!  Not good for holding tenths (.0001's) but really not too shabby.

Every once in a while someone asks a question about something along those lines, I throw up the link and get the same responses Im seeing here