A few things that I'm gonna cast first!

The tank, seat, and faring for my RD400 project will one day be polished aluminum. I'll also be making side covers to fit the new rear end. I'm thinking, I'll just make the side covers out of plastic for now. The tank and seat have a bad fit up so my plan is to make an oil bag for the two stroke oil to fit the gap. The cast tank will have the oil tank inside. I'll also be taking a few inches out of its width to show some engine fins, and to make it fit up to the seat better.

Making Hydro forming dies?

I came across a question about hydro forming two stroke exhaust pipes on a motorcycle forum the other day. http://www.usa2strokers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37366&title=hydroforming-stamped-pipes-school
One of the guys replies got me thinking about casting a die mold to help form the pipe. Man, I was up all night last Sunday thinking about this. By using a die, you could make the parts come out identical to one another no problem. At the moment, I'm thinking a bronze die with an aluminum backing cast on to it. Just another thing I want to do. I better live a long time so I can get half the stuff I want to do done!

Heres a link to a set of pipes being hydro formed. Neat stuff!
http://youtu.be/I_Z3AIFSd60

Haha! When I started a thread over on the metal casting site about the idea, all the replies had to do with one guys avatar.

Haven't posted anything in a while.

Just been so busy getting other things taken care of, I haven't had much time to be thinking about metal casting. Sux! Been checking out video on youtube of other peoples foundries. At least till I can get my own thing going. I was gonna start making some stuff despite my shithead landlord, but the other day the fucker turned off the power to my garage. The first time I go out there to work on my bike since January and the little prick drives by and does that to me. Still pissed off about it even though its been almost a week now. I guess he would rather I fix my clutch in his fucking living room area! So it don't look like I'm gonna be able to get much of anything going till after I go back to work and can get out of this place.

I'm sure Ive mentioned ARD before. Nobody makes them, are rarer than hens teeth, and twice as espensive.

Wishing the best for all our metal casting brothers out there dealing with the earthquake and tsunami!

These guys are making some sweet castings! Junk Motor Japan

http://junkmotor.blogspot.com/

My buddy Keven commented a few posts down about these guys making gas tanks cast from Aluminum, so I had to check it out this morning. Went threw every page in their blog b4 I noticed the translate bar on top of the page! Hahaha! Looks as though they have been casting seats and bird deflectors for some time now. Cant weight to see how they mount the Aluminum tanks. Good stuff from our motorcycle casting brothers in Japan! Go check it out!

Just for you guys who think I'm crazy for wanting to cast Aluminum gas tanks!

       Found this link today. The bike is bitchen, and I was thinking, another example of a pounded aluminum sheet tank. WRONG! I got farther down the page and saw the familiar parting line of a sand cast tank! Fuck yes, and it IS bad ass! Click the link for the build story and more pix!

http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,5849.0.html

Old cast Finned Triumph Timing side cover.

I stole this pic from the Nostalgia on Wheels blog. 

http://nostalgiaonwheels.blogspot.com/2008/02/mike-davis-original-finned-timing-cover.html

I really like the way the fins are set up here! This is a fine example of how I would like to have the fins turn out on all the stuff I'm casting. 

One way to make a mold.

Great link!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7111165/Foseco-NonFerrous-Foundrymans-Handbook-11-Ed

Enough Hens teeth already!

How long has it been since one of these were made? If ya got one of the original ARDs hold on to it! I wont be casting the logo on mine. They also wont be selling at platinum prices either! Don't think I'm forgetting you Honda guys here! More on that on a later date.

Nuff said that there will be 4 castings, molds, etc, for one deal as seen in this pic, with at least three additional coated steel inserts that may have to be cast.  Probably better off as a machine shop process, but non the less, a steel part cast inside an aluminum part will cause the aluminum to decompose. More research for me to do.