www.robowars.org

RoboWars Australia Forum Index -> Technical Chat

gas torch for a swap n go?
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

Post new topic   Reply to topic
  Author    Thread
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

Just remember that ali cans are probably made of very soft alloy; it might machine OK, but will likely be way too bendy for structural robot parts.

Post Mon Dec 31, 2012 11:33 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message
maddox



Joined: 21 Dec 2006
Posts: 786
Location: Belgium


 Reply with quote  

Melting ali cans with an open torch flame.
Will yield a lot of aluminiumoxide.

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:30 am 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website MSN Messenger
Don
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 355
Location: Gladstone, Queesland


 Reply with quote  

nice work guys,I seriously love the way you guys get things done.nicks right tho It might not be overaly good for anything major,but then again take old Burt Munro for an example and just mix a few different things into the batch to get something more structural. Dont know if this has been answered but what type of concrete are you using?

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:55 am 
 View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
miles&Jules
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 3973
Location: ipswich QLD


 Reply with quote  

Hi Guys
righto...ill give the cans a test first... when I put an ali can into the last mix it did make some horrid burning fumes as the paint burnt off.....yuck.

Its just a quick set sand/cement mix from bunning. I baked it for like 8hours in the oven at low heat to get all the water out.

Happy new years by the way!!! Very Happy
_________________
Miles Blow - Julie Pitts
www.mulesfilm.com.au
www.wombokforest.com.au

-Pickasso- Vivid Sportsman champion 2015

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:02 am 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

Could you make a lid with a metal pipe for a chimney to duct off those fumes? Ali cans have a plastic liner as well as paint, melting enough for a ingot might not be good for your health.

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:17 am 
 View user's profile Send private message
miles&Jules
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 3973
Location: ipswich QLD


 Reply with quote  

Good idea...ya wouldn't stand there while melting though. Once its hot enough we just chuck the can on the top and it sinks in.

I will keep an eye out for any ali from ow on though...and I wont worry so much when latheing...cause if I stuff it up we can just melt it down again. Very Happy
_________________
Miles Blow - Julie Pitts
www.mulesfilm.com.au
www.wombokforest.com.au

-Pickasso- Vivid Sportsman champion 2015

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 9:18 am 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

You already know all the good places to get scrap aluminium - I'd look out for mowers as the better one have ali decks that are likely made of 5052 alloy. 5052 is fairly strong and very corrosion resistant. Aluminium window frames and shop fittings are usually made of 5005 alloy, which is almost pure ali and very soft.

It would be interesting to try old hard disk frames. People throw them out but the frames have quite a bit of metal in them.

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 10:53 am 
 View user's profile Send private message
miles&Jules
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 3973
Location: ipswich QLD


 Reply with quote  

Oh..Yeah hard drives weigh a ton..also out door light fittings...i had one i bought at a market and it has nearly a kg of ali in it ..also computer heat sinks are good to i melted one of them in the first batch (it felt good)...i will ask the local computer shop for heat sinks and dead hard drives...good call Nick!

Also I just weighed the block I made and it weighs 800g....a 4m piece of ali 1cmx1cm weighs 1 kg...they only cost about $8 so if you go by weight, its a lot cheaper than a 1kg 50mmx100mm round bar...must be less turn around (excuse the pun)

I was thinking it would be interesting to mould a 1cm layer of ali between two steel woks (spaced accurately) to create a thick full body spinner shell..... I recon 1cm of ali would be stronger than 2.5mm steel shell of Ringo probably weigh similar to?
_________________
Miles Blow - Julie Pitts
www.mulesfilm.com.au
www.wombokforest.com.au

-Pickasso- Vivid Sportsman champion 2015

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:19 am 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

The sad thing is that our work thew out at least 100 disk drives last year and probably more this year - would anyone in NSW like to try melting down the frames?

Edit: I will also be chucking out many other aluminium parts from work over the next 8 months...

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:48 am 
 View user's profile Send private message
miles&Jules
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 3973
Location: ipswich QLD


 Reply with quote  

Looks like a project for you Nick Very Happy
_________________
Miles Blow - Julie Pitts
www.mulesfilm.com.au
www.wombokforest.com.au

-Pickasso- Vivid Sportsman champion 2015


Last edited by miles&Jules on Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:09 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
seanet1310



Joined: 08 Nov 2006
Posts: 1265
Location: Adelaide


 Reply with quote  

Miles, you are crazy. I love it. Keep up the innovative ways to do everything. Will be interesting to see how your various mixes go and what the best scrap Ali is for various applications.

Just keep away from them fumes like Nick said or you really may go crazy. Lots of exposure I am sure is nasty for your health.

How is the gas usage of the torch?

Can you find a use in the puppet, film and outsourced work for softer Aluminium's you make yourself when they are not suitable for bots?

Aluminium cans as others have said may not be the most useful, they are very large surface area to volume leading to a lot of Aluminium oxide for the weight, they then have fun paints and plastic film as contaminates to remove from the mix. Still well worth a try and results will be interesting.
_________________
Remember to trust me, I am an Engineer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp8hvyjZWHs

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:25 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

Maybe - I am trying to think of something clever to cast Confused Perhaps disks to make pulleys

I already found 8 drives to be chucked out, might strip them down today. That big torch you saw uses 3.5Kg of gas per hour, So making a furnace with forced air and heat beads or charcoal sounds like a more economical method - start it up with gas, then get the heat beads to finish the job.

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:42 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message
dyrodium
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 6476
Location: Sydney


 Reply with quote  

I've been looking into forges recently but yeah, I think that's beyond the scope of my harry potter workshop under the stairs... Laughing
_________________
( •_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_■)

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:49 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website MSN Messenger
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

This looks like the perfect reference for recycling aluminium - just ordered a copy Smile

http://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Foundry-Build-Metal-Working/dp/1878087002/ref=lh_ni_t

BTW: for anyone wanting to build their own workshop machinery on the cheap, just search for "Dave Gingery" on Amazon; he has some very interesting how-to books!

@ Harry Potter: a dragon might come in handy Laughing

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 12:57 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message
Nick
Experienced Roboteer


Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 11802
Location: Sydney, NSW


 Reply with quote  

The first 5 drives have been recycled:



They had aluminium carriers (middle) and provided 10 freaking strong NIB magnets (left). The more I think about it, this scrap would be perfect for pulleys.

Now looking for a small steel drum and a vacuum cleaner to provide the air flow.

Post Tue Jan 01, 2013 2:29 pm 
 View user's profile Send private message
  Display posts from previous:      

Forum Jump:
Jump to:  

Post new topic   Reply to topic
Page 2 of 3

Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

Forum Rules:
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

 

Last Thread | Next Thread  >
Powered by phpBB: © 2001 phpBB Group
millenniumFalcon Template By Vereor.