Aluminium die casting requires some technical know-how. Generally, aluminium die casting manufacturers use various sophisticated machines and equipment. These machines include hot and cold chamber die casting machines, CNC machines, etc.

So you want to know if aluminium can only be cast in a proper die casting factory. Or if the casting can also be done at home, right?

You are at the right place! In this article, we will give you answers to your question. Follow closely.

Can you cast aluminium at home?

Yes, you can cast aluminium at home. The interesting thing about this is that you don’t need any sophisticated machine or furnace.

You can cast aluminium at home by melting the aluminium using kiln. Melting can also be done by using a home furnace, microwave, or electricity. After melting, you can then pour the molten metal into the mold.  It is also possible to cast aluminium at home by setting up a small home foundry.

The above is a general overview of how to cast aluminium at home. Now, we will consider this in details.

How to cast aluminium at home

(1.) Casting by using Kiln

The procedures are not complex. The materials you will need include: a container, matches, heat-resistant thick gloves, a respirator, steel crucible, molds, aluminium and metal tongs.

The procedures involved here are:

• Load the crucible with the aluminium. The crucible is the vessel you will use to keep the aluminium in a furnace. Preferably, you should use a steel crucible for aluminium die casting.

 The aluminium you can use include scrap aluminium, beer and pop cans, furniture frames, window frames, etc. You can fill it up as much as you want. However, note that die-cast parts made from aluminium cans are not too durable.

• Thereafter, place the crucible inside the kiln and close the lid. The kiln is a thermally insulated chamber that produces sufficient temperatures for hardening, drying, or chemical changes.

There are three different types of kiln: electric, gas and wood kiln. For a kiln fueled by wood, you have to keep re-fuelling the fire. This is to keep the wood at consistent high temperature. This may take three times as long as it would in an electric or gas kiln. As the name implies, gas powers the gas kiln.

•  You need to fire up the kiln to the melting point of aluminium. There are three different ways to fire an electric kiln:

(a.) You can program an electronic controller to turn the kiln on and off when necessary.

(b.) You can manually turn on and off the kiln by way of the junior cones in the kiln sitter.

(c.) Also, you can manually turn it on and off and watch the cones inside through a peephole to know when to turn it off. Just be sure you are firing it up properly.

The general aluminium melting point is 1220.58°F. Once the kiln reaches the melting point, the aluminium will melt almost immediately. To be sure the aluminium has melted, allow it to stay in the kiln for some thirty seconds after the kiln has reached the aluminium melting point.

• You can now open the kiln. Use the tongs to remove the crucible from the kiln. Be careful when doing this as it (the crucible) will be hot at this time. Any slip on your body would hurt.

Avoid placing your hands inside the kiln. That is too dangerous.

• You can now pour the liquid aluminium into the mold. You need to wait for some 15-20 minutes. This is to allow the solidification of the aluminium die casts. Don’t remove the die casts from the mold except it has solidified on its own.

• To remove the aluminium die casts from the mold, slap the mold onto a hard surface. By doing this, it (the mold) would release the die casts. Of course, this is different from the industrial process where there is an election pin on the mold to eject the die casts.

(2.) Casting by using furnace

You can also cast aluminium by using a furnace. You can build a furnace in your home. To build this, you will need bags of concrete, a drum containing a flexible cover lined around with two inches of refractory castable, etc.

Refractory is a material that can withstand high temperatures while also maintaining stability. By mixing the refractory with water, you can build a furnace at your home.

The die casting processes involved here are:

• Melting the aluminium in the furnace.

• Pouring of the liquid metal into the mold.

• Solidification of the molten metal.

• Removal of the die casting from the mold.

(3.) Casting by using microwave

You can melt the aluminium in a microwave oven within 850W to 1000W. However, you need to effect some little modifications to the microwave.

First, remove the rotating glass plate in the microwave. Second, tape the holes that admit air into the cooking chamber.

For casting by using microwave, the processes are:

• Melting the aluminium in the furnace.

• Pouring of the liquid metal into the mold.

• Solidification of the molten metal.

• Removal of the die casting from the mold.

(4.) Casting by using electricity

It is possible to melt aluminium by using electricity and wire. Although, if you are not versed in the application of electrical energy, this may take some time.

The processes involved are:

• Twisting the wire into a coil and making an alternating current around it. By this, the electromagnets can be easily created, and a magnetic field is created in the middle of the coil.

• The magnetic field will then generate repelling force. This causes the aluminium to heat up. As the current being generated in the metal encounters resistance, the metal keeps heating up until the heat exceeds what the aluminium can withstand. Ultimately, this causes the aluminium to melt.

• The strength of the magnetic field would hold the liquefied metal together so far the power is on. Once the electricity is off, the metal will drop out of the field.

(5.) Casting by using a small home foundry

You can set up a small foundry at home. To do this:

• Set up the foundry in a metal stand or an insulated surface. Advisably, avoid plastic surfaces to prevent inflammation.

• You can then place the crucible in the centre of the foundry. Preferably, use a steel crucible. If your foundry is charcoal-fueled, place a layer of charcoal in the bottom of the foundry and set your crucible on top of it. This will help the foundry to heat up quickly.

• Remember to place a few bricks under the blower tube to prop it up. This will prevent the foundry from breaking.

• You can light the foundry. If the foundry is a propane-fueled one, turn on the gas. Follow the lighting instructions on the unit. Note that you should let the foundry heat for about 10 minutes before putting the aluminium inside it.

Also, ensure the temperature in the foundry is about 660 degrees celsius. When you see the crucible growing orange, then you can melt the aluminium.

• To melt the aluminium, you can leave the lid on and place it (the aluminium) in the crucible through the vent hole. The aluminium will melt in a jiffy, and you would need to swiftly add more aluminium to the crucible. Alternatively, you can choose to remove the lid and place the aluminium in the crucible.

• At this point, you need to use metal tongs to remove any thick clumps of non-aluminium materials. You also need to use a pair of metal tongs to remove the crucible from the foundry.

The molten aluminium should not stay too long in the foundry. Within 1-3 minutes, remove the molten aluminium from the foundry. Otherwise, this may cause oxidation.

• Remove any excess slag from the aluminium. The slag will form a thick clumpy later on top of the molten aluminium. You should remove it before pouring the molten aluminium into the mold.

• You can now pour the molten aluminium into the steel molds. You should let them solidify before taking them out.

• Finally, empty the foundry and allows it cools off totally.

When die casting at home with any of the above methods, ensure you are putting on safety precautions such as safety glasses and heat-resistant gloves, among others. You can consider wearing a long-sleeve shirt and trousers.

Avoid distractions during the die casting process. Be sure there is no flammable substance or objects around. It is also important you have all the materials you need at hand.

Avoid excess heat around the production place. Also, don’t melt aluminium in BBQ grills or on large bonfires. This is to guide against inflammation.

Conclusion

So, yes! It is possible to die cast aluminium in your home. However, you should use safety protection such as face shield, gloves, etc.

Lots of people have been casting aluminium at home, and you can do it too!