Turning Weights into a Cast Iron Pan!

[riuphane]

I want to see so much more iron casting and work on improving your green sand! This was so cool. And working with Joseph and HTME was cool and would have enjoyed more with them

[KewneRain]

1.) It's not hot enough, you need to get well above its melting point to ensure it flows into the mold properly
2.) the molds need to be vented in some way, the air inside them needs to go somewhere. The wet sand will hold its shape but it's not porous enough to allow natural venting
3.) the bubbling in the open molds is a result of the mold containing moisture. Even the smallest drop of moisture can result in a steam explosion that sprays molten metal all over and causes bubbles in the surface. Preheat your molds until dry whenever possible.

[jimmytadams]

When casting, you also need a place for air to come out as metal goes in. Love the videos. Keep trying

[fatmanslim]

I've only ever casted aluminum and I did it nearly 2 decades ago but when casting, I believe we had a breather hole on the opposite side of the pour hole so it could flow without any pressure buildup. This will let the metal flow better in the cast and also let you see on the other side when you have enough poured as it will start to rise out the other side.

[MFCOOL]

Yes! I would absolutely love to see you expand further into perfecting the pan. I just love all your videos, great job as always... Also, how cute was it making those tiny meals, oddly satisfying and funny. Lol

[jasmeralia]

I'd love to see more of this. So many people don't show failures, but failing is often the best teacher, imo. I'd love to see you figure out what parts are going wrong and how to address them.

[carissavixen]

I appreciate your dedication to "cooking tiny food on this tiny pan", Nate. 😍🥰👍

[jappleseed]

Can't help but think you should use the handle as a pour spout and cast it vertically to reduce heat loss.

[ilev]

This is what TKOR used to be back in the golden age.

[davidhawley]

I remember from brass casting, your pore hole should be at the end of the handle. You might also put a pore hole on the far side of the pan. Build the sand mold withe the pore channels so you don’t have cave in. Cut off the excess afterward. Our castings used more than 1 pore hole to complete the fittings.

[BioBoyo]

One of my favorite videos so far, mini food was a funny addition to the video that I did not expect.

[_garebear]

Thanks for finishing it! Taught me a bigger life lesson.

[jakobfindlay]

Okay okay spinning a cast iron pan on your finger is kind of impressive

[jeffulrich]

keep going. Love how you are willing to show your mistakes and how you learning from them. Life is not easy. Sometimes you fail. We really need to remind people that failing is not a bad thing.

[MEStudios]

Yes more iron casting, yes to more collaborations, yes to more Nate from the internet!

[cryptophoenix]

One thing I especially love with your channel Nate, is that you are proud to present even the partially-succeeded, partially-failed projects like this half of a pan. The same goes with the brass blade you attempted to make. This gives more realistic touch to your videos as DIY projects aren't always completely successful, sunshine and rainbows. It is often demotivating if people try to repeat a DIY project they see online and don't get the same perfect results right away. It is always a learning process (which is good) and needs several attempts but at the same time this is often hidden behind the edited videos.

[cristianmoore]

I think you need to add vent holes at the extremities of the mold to allow the air to escape. It’s creating pressure especially with the high heat. So once the liquid metal backs up, that’s it. It’s not going to go much further than where it is.

[LuckyStone]

It's a proof of concept, a Fine art piece, and a nouveau gourmet experience. Great show Nate.

[skullcrushers]

I do like the pan from weights idea, would love to see more stuff like this or this idea fully finished in a part 2!

[matthewf]

Yes, I want to see you do more with cast Iron!
A blower will help get the temps up higher in the propane foundry/furnace. I’ve melted steel using dense fire bricks, a weed burner and a $20 Home Depot shop vac on blow. Your setup is much better insulated than anything I’ve used.

Adding a flux, like quartz sand and borax will help with cleaning of the iron, lowering the melting temp and making the iron flow better.