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Why did you pick the P40 for the first parts you made?

On a visit to the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia, Ohio in 2009 it was discovered that they needed some aluminum castings made for their P40M restoration. 

Will you make castings for any type of warbird ?

Yes!! 

What materials do you use in your castings?

First a note about the difference in aluminum alloy designations.  Wrought aluminum (sheets, plates, and tubing)  goes by a four digit number; i.e. 2024, 6061.  Casting alloys go by a three digit number; i.e. 713, 295, 356.   Heat treating specifications are the same for both wrought and cast aluminum.

We do our utmost to use the materials specified on the original drawings.  Sometimes, however, that is not possible.  In this case we look at the physical and mechanical properties and select an alloy that meets or exceeds those of the originally specified material.  Some of the older casting alloys specified on old aircraft blueprints are simply not available in small quanities i.e. under 10,000 lbs.

What foundry process do you use?

We use the "green sand" method.  Green sand is a mixture of a special sand (Olivine), a binder, and water.  In this case the binder is two types of clay (Western and Southern Bentonite).  This damp sand and clay mixture is packed (rammed) around a pattern in the shape of the part.  The pattern is removed and the gates and pouring sprue are cut if they are not already on the match plate; if necessary the core or cores are set into the drag (bottom half of the mold). (A core is used to make a part hollow or to make a void in the casting.) Then the cope (top half of the mold) is carefully lowered onto the drag thus closing the mold.  Once the mold is closed and the metal is heated to pouring temperature the mold is filled with the molten metal and allowed to cool.  The mold is then "shaken out" and the casting recovered.  The parts are then cut off the gates and sprue and are ready for machining.
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Email: barry@blackcrossaviation.comCell: 937-232-8951