Is it a potted plant decoration or is it a mini foundry? Can we have both? Great. Because that is exactly what it is. It's so ingenious it hurts. This DIY backyard foundry, when not in use to melt down aluminum and cast awesome things, can be disguised as an outdoor decoration for your patio.
Grant Thompson - "The King of Random" over at YouTube has made an awesome mini foundry video to melt scrap metal and aluminum cans right in your backyard. He has made some wicked items, like his aluminum sword and metal gun (you HAVE to check it out) made from a process called “Lost Foam Casting.” He plans on making a tutorial video for the foam casting process in the future, but for now, you can catch a small glimpse of the method from the gun snippet (linked above).
Thompson experimented with ten different prototypes over months of experimenting to develop the mini foundry method he has shared now. Talk about dedication. With a mixture of regular play sand, Plaster of Paris and water for the refractory lining, you’re shown all of the steps to make a functional foundry with common household items. From making the lid, sawing a steel crucible, and drilling in proper ventilation, you want to make sure you’re familiar with this type of thing before really, actually doing it.
Safety is number one especially when it comes to something this hot and working with molten metal. You have fumes going on, sparks flying all over the place—this project is not for the amateurs. It is however, for intrigued enthusiasts of this sort of thing. Hi! That’s me, right over here.
I find it highly satisfying to see how a foundry is made, really anything for that matter. Casting metals is intriguing and always gives inspiration to new projects and ideas. Thompson went through a lot of trial and error and has great instructions over at Instructables if you like to read step-by-step instructions or simply watch the video below.
Photo by: Screenshot | YouTube
