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