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I always think about what machine made the machine, because if you're melting metal inside a metal bowl... then what metal cast the metal bowl? Or is that where

I always think about what machine made the machine, because if you're melting metal inside a metal bowl... then what metal cast the metal bowl? Or is that where the sand comes into play? Or... Turtles all the way down!

cwillu 4y ago
That's the sand, yep: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting
wahern 4y ago
Sand is common for casting, but containers (crucibles[1]) for heating and holding molten metal are often ceramic (historically, clay) or at least lined with a refractory[2] material. Refractory materials may include sand, but I don't think sand alone (even compressed, as when used for molds) is strong enough for a crucible. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractory
Lio 4y ago
As others have pointed outed out, casting is often done with wooden blanks, sand and ceramic crucibles even today. If you can chip stone tools you can use them to shape and finish soft metal. Metal has the wonderful property that you can change it's properies with just heat, chemicals and a hammer. So you can work it when soft and then harden it to take an edge sharp enough to cut other metal. With basic metal working in a forge, casting, filing, hammering, riveting or grinding with stone, you can make a lathe. The lathe is known as at the king of machine tools for a reason. With a lathe you can you can do turning, facing, boring, threading and milling operations on metal. Et voilà! You have a machine that can make other more specialised machines from "nothing".
- germinalphrase 4y ago
  Now, where’s the video where we see a lathe made from rocks to a threaded bolt? Give the people what they want.
  - Lio 4y ago
    Haha, yes! I'd love to see that too. Making workshop tools yourself that you get to use later is both really both really fun and a great way to learn things along the way ...even if it seems you can almost always buy the tool cheaper online. There should be some kind of makefile for all the bits you need to make a lathe.
    - retzkek 4y ago
      Dave Gingery's "Metal Working Shop from Scrap" book series is what you're looking for. https://gingerybookstore.com/MetalWorkingShopFromScrapSeries.html https://gingerybookstore.com/MetalWorkingShopFromScrapSeries... Disclaimer: while I've owned the lathe book for decades, I've been too intimidated by the "go to a junk yard and pick through for scrap meeting these criteria", including a couple diesel piston heads as I recall, to ever start.
  - cwillu 4y ago
    Yeoman lathes were made from concrete instead of cast iron.

cwillu 4y ago

That's the sand, yep: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting

wahern 4y ago

Sand is common for casting, but containers (crucibles[1]) for heating and holding molten metal are often ceramic (historically, clay) or at least lined with a refractory[2] material. Refractory materials may include sand, but I don't think sand alone (even compressed, as when used for molds) is strong enough for a crucible. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucible [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refractory

Lio 4y ago

As others have pointed outed out, casting is often done with wooden blanks, sand and ceramic crucibles even today. If you can chip stone tools you can use them to shape and finish soft metal. Metal has the wonderful property that you can change it's properies with just heat, chemicals and a hammer. So you can work it when soft and then harden it to take an edge sharp enough to cut other metal. With basic metal working in a forge, casting, filing, hammering, riveting or grinding with stone, you can make a lathe. The lathe is known as at the king of machine tools for a reason. With a lathe you can you can do turning, facing, boring, threading and milling operations on metal. Et voilà! You have a machine that can make other more specialised machines from "nothing".

germinalphrase 4y ago
Now, where’s the video where we see a lathe made from rocks to a threaded bolt? Give the people what they want.
- Lio 4y ago
  Haha, yes! I'd love to see that too. Making workshop tools yourself that you get to use later is both really both really fun and a great way to learn things along the way ...even if it seems you can almost always buy the tool cheaper online. There should be some kind of makefile for all the bits you need to make a lathe.
  - retzkek 4y ago
    Dave Gingery's "Metal Working Shop from Scrap" book series is what you're looking for. https://gingerybookstore.com/MetalWorkingShopFromScrapSeries.html https://gingerybookstore.com/MetalWorkingShopFromScrapSeries... Disclaimer: while I've owned the lathe book for decades, I've been too intimidated by the "go to a junk yard and pick through for scrap meeting these criteria", including a couple diesel piston heads as I recall, to ever start.
- cwillu 4y ago
  Yeoman lathes were made from concrete instead of cast iron.