In pure Minecraft there is iron, there is gold, there are diamonds. But for some reason they forgot about bronze. Such a popular alloy, which has become a strategic material more than once in history - and overboard! What an injustice. But for every action (respect to Newton for this wisdom) there is a reaction, and even more so for inaction. Therefore, the guys who created “Industrial Craft2” rustled and added bronze. Of course, to make this alloy, you also need to rustle and install the mentioned mod.
Technology for the production of bronze products
This model can be wax, metal, plaster, wood, plasticine or made from other materials.
A gating system for supplying molten metal is attached to it - the supply channels will then be removed, so they should not spoil the product at the points of their connection with the figurine.
This creates a working matrix with sprues for casting a wax copy of the future bronze product.
When they order a bronze sculpture from us, everything happens according to the same scheme.
Silicone based material mold
The mold is cut in a special way so that you can get a high-quality wax
Foundry models
Artistic casting of bronze and brass involves obtaining the smoothest possible surface, so fairly hard materials are used to recreate the model:
- wood;
- gypsum;
- Ivory.
To obtain the smoothest possible surface, it is subjected to elimination of porosity by puttying, priming and varnishing. Casting models are made split; one-piece - suitable for casting products of simple shapes; special for parts with a rather complex configuration.
Next, the straightened wax is fed into the silicone mold under pressure.
It evenly fills all cavities, forming a wax - a wax copy of the bronze product being developed.
After the wax has cooled, it is checked for defects - the presence of a waxy flash, bubbles: first the flash is removed,
then the wax copy is transilluminated, and if there are no bubbles, it is polished.
It takes 12-15 minutes to produce one wax, so you can get up to 4-5 copies from a silicone matrix in an hour.
This is what a waxer's workplace looks like. The photo shows rubber molds and waxes
Stencils of various products
A kind of Christmas tree is formed from ready-made wax copies.
To do this, several workpieces are attached to one axis - in the form of a bunch at 45° to the base.
After completing this stage, you get a Christmas tree consisting of many waxes.
The more bronze items you need to order, the more trees will be prepared for the next stage.
Waxes with gating system
The penultimate stage is product processing
All sprue attachment points are polished by hand, after they are removed with drills.
On special machines, bronze figures are processed with brass brushes - their soft bristles remove the last of the scale.
Then polishing occurs with textile wheels using polishing pastes and special impregnations.
The craftsman grinds down the remains of the sprues with a drill and polishes the places where they are attached to the figurine
Products before blackening and polishing
Polished bronze products, if necessary, undergo a blackening procedure (antique aging)
If you need to order an antique bronze sculpture, this step is required.
After the bronze figurines have been treated with acid compounds, they look like real antiques.
At the end, final polishing and tinting with a cloth is carried out - the product finally acquires a marketable appearance.
Only after this does it fall into the hands of the buyer.
Source
Find Tin Ore
Once you find copper, you will also be close to tin. Tin is found near pools of water in the Black Forest biome and is a much darker color, sometimes with these bold black stripes running through the deposit. Dig it up.
Remember that neither tin nor copper can be transported through the portal, so you need to carry them yourself. Create a nearby storage base for your items. If you were feeling particularly efficient, you could set up a forge, smelter, and furnace near the forest biome. We'd say you can build a cart, but it requires bronze nails.
Melting point of bronze and how to melt and cast at home
Bronze is a copper-based alloy that does not contain nickel and zinc as the main alloying components. Characterized by a relatively high melting point, the metal becomes liquid in the range from +940°C to +1300°C. The most refractory is tin-phosphorus. Bronze alloys are used to produce long products, sheets and pipes, engine parts, elements of transmission devices, liners for shut-off valves, fittings, taps, souvenirs, instrument parts and much more. You can make casting at home. Bronze is smelted in muffle furnaces or furnaces. At the melting temperature, bronze becomes thick and does not flow well into the mold; you need to know some tricks in order to do casting yourself.
Reviews about the delivery of non-ferrous metals to MskTsvetLom
Vasily Ivanovich - pensioner 12/24/2019
I am a retired metallurgist; I didn’t have to think for a long time about how I could earn extra money without a job, since throughout my life I have had decent experience working with different metals. I decided that I would collect non-ferrous scrap metal. From the beginning, I handed over to another acceptance site close to me, but half a year ago I accidentally found out that “MskTsvetLom” buys non-ferrous scrap at increased prices from the plant. Now I only hand over all my metal junk here. I am especially pleased with the prices for scrap copper, the correct assessment of the cost and the fact that their acceptance scales are honest.
Main characteristics of bronze alloys
The color of the bronze alloy depends on the quantitative composition of alloying elements. They influence the physical properties: ductility, wear resistance, melting point of bronze. The alloying components are metals (tin, aluminum, beryllium, lead, manganese) and non-metals (phosphorus, silicon). You can melt any bronze alloy at home. Knowing the markings of the scrap, it is easy to determine the exact melting point of bronze. But usually the composition of bronze pieces prepared for melting varies. Then the appearance of the metal is assessed.
Bronze alloys are classified into two categories:
For industrial casting, tin bronze with a low melting point, up to +1000°C is used.
Unlike brass, bronze is more viscous at its melting point. When filling forms of complex configurations in production shops, centrifuges are used. The alloy, heated above the melting point by 5°, is given additional acceleration so that it spreads evenly. When making handicraft castings, it is advisable to take into account the viscosity of the bronze alloy at the melting point so that there is no defect on the surface. Foundry workers consider low shrinkage during cooling to be an advantage of non-ferrous metal. It is possible to obtain castings that do not require lengthy finishing to the specified geometric dimensions. High-quality shaped castings are made from bronze alloys.
Is it possible to melt and cast bronze at home?
It is impossible to recreate industrial technology using a homemade method. The metal is overheated to improve fluidity. At a temperature above the melting point, a certain time interval is maintained, only after this the melt is poured into molds. Technologists calculate the temperature regime for each alloy.
You can independently produce simple small parts that require serious fine-tuning to precise dimensions. How bronze is melted at home is worth telling in detail. This requires special conditions and tools. Scrap bronze does not melt in a tin; it requires a fireproof crucible or old black cast iron utensils. The melt is poured into homemade molds. Larger castings are made on the ground or on a concrete floor.
For scrap, alloys of similar color are selected; bronze is difficult to crush; metal scissors are required. The crucible is heated to the melting temperature of the scrap in a forge by throwing in coal, or in an electric muffle furnace. The hot container with the melt is clamped with special tongs with a long handle to minimize the risk of burns.
Casting process
Bronze casting begins with preparing the workplace. Install a stand under the flask and a crucible. It is made of fire-resistant material. You can pour a layer of sand into a tray or use a metal plate.
Before loading the crushed scrap into the furnace, it is necessary to prepare the flask. It is heated well and kept for at least 2 hours at +600°C. The refractory crucible at this temperature begins to emit a yellowish glow. While the heated mold is cooling, begin melting the crushed scrap.
The melting pot is filled to 1/3 of its volume. Place the pieces of scrap in a hot oven and leave until completely melted. The crucible or other melting vessel is set to heat when the temperature in the furnace is close to or has reached the melting point of bronze. Tin bronzes become liquid up to 1000°C; tin-free bronzes have to be heated longer and have a higher melting point.
When all the bronze has melted, it is left in the oven for 3-5 minutes so that the melt warms up well and becomes less viscous. Then the melting pot is removed with tongs or a special hook. The melt is ready. It's time to start making the casting.
Pouring bronze into a mold
The molten metal is poured into the hole of the mold in a thin stream; the bronze should evenly fill all the voids. It compacts under its own weight. To ensure that the hot form is filled well, it is placed on a rotating stand with a manual or electric drive. This trick is necessary to obtain high-quality casting. If you pour bronze calmly, the corners of the casting will be rounded. Spin the mold with the hot melt during filling. Once the bronze sets, the casting shape cannot be changed. In factory conditions, technological centrifuges are used. At home, craftsmen make similar industrial installations based on used washing machines.
It is necessary to impart movement to the alloy when making small complex castings. The bronze melt will not have enough of its own weight to fill all the voids. It will harden unevenly, and cavities and folds will appear on the surface of the casting.
How to make a casting mold
Independent production of a casting mold begins with the selection of a body into which the future casting will fit freely and half of the space will remain free. This can be a tin can or a specially made container. Traditionally, the size of the flask is 1.3–1.5 times greater than the dimensions of the casting. This ratio is necessary so that the sand-clay mixture forms an even layer on all sides of the part. The filling for the flask is made from materials that can retain heat. The cast workpiece will only be of high quality if it cools gradually.
The form is made of two parts:
For packing, make a mixture of sand and clay in a 3:1 ratio. To accumulate heat, 1/5 of the coal chips is added to the clay; it is better to use hard coal, it has a higher heat capacity. A homogeneous mass is placed in both parts of the flask. The mixture should not be compacted too much so that the clay does not cake and remains loose while heating in the oven. Before placing the part in the prepared bottom box, it is thickly coated with talcum powder or graphite powder. Then a hole is made to pour bronze, heated to the melting point.
The finished form must be dried before use.
The product is removed from the mold only after cooling. The mold is carefully disassembled, then the casting is removed.
Technology for obtaining higher quality castings
It is difficult to obtain castings of the required geometry using a homemade method. You need to be prepared for the fact that the casting will have to be polished, ground, and brought to the required dimensions for a long time. The process of melting bronze at home is associated with a number of limitations. Nuances that it is advisable to take into account when making bronze castings yourself:
Paraffin molds are made on the basis of plaster casts made from the future part. In this case, the accuracy of casting production increases. Gypsum flasks are convenient for small castings; they can be made one-piece. True, the process of their manufacture is more complicated: first, a mold for a paraffin model is divided, and then it is filled with molding plaster. It is convenient to place such structures in a centrifuge.
When starting to melt bronze scrap at home, you should take into account the composition of the alloy. It depends on the chemical composition of bronze. The viscous molten bronze slowly fills the flask. To avoid voids, the filled form is spun in a centrifuge. Under the influence of centrifugal force, metal heated to the melting point is distributed evenly. The casting is of high quality.
Source
Find Copper Ore
You put the copper in the smelting furnace and spin it. But first you will need real copper ore. Luckily, copper is one of the easiest ores to find in Valheim if you know where to look. Venture into the Black Forest biome with your trusty pickaxe and search for shiny stones.
Copper has some kind of greenish tint and can sparkle a little in the sun. Copper deposits like this often protrude from the ground and then go deeper, so try to work your way through it all. If you dig all around the deposit, the ore will fall apart, making it easy to pick up every last piece. Beware of gray dwarves, they are not friendly.
