I've been working on a sculpture made out of .080 aluminum and I need to weigh down the base somehow so it is stable.
It is crescent shaped cylinder so space is a little difficult. If there was something I could pour in that would be great. I thought about buying some workout weights and suspending them within the shape with string and then filling the void with an expandable two part form to act as an insulator to prevent the cast iron from touching the aluminum.
I'd love to just pour in some concrete but I've been reading bad things about AL and concrete. Sand has been suggested but would it hold moisture? The sculpture is going to be indoors.
What would I be able to use without having to worry about corrosion or problems down the road?
Thanks!
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Thread: Weighing down Aluminum?
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09-19-2008, 10:55 AM #1
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Weighing down Aluminum?
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09-19-2008, 12:12 PM #2
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LEAD melts at a low temp so you don't need a furnace. very dense .
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09-19-2008, 12:40 PM #3
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Are lead and AL similar metals or would I have to worry about galvanic corrosion?
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09-19-2008, 01:04 PM #4
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As soon as started reading this my thought was pour some led in it. Not sure about reactions between the two metals. Ask around at some tire shops maybe theyhave some old wheel weights that you can have.
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09-19-2008, 01:12 PM #5
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are we talking a quart or like 25 gallons?
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09-19-2008, 01:55 PM #6
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Use lead. It won't hurt the aluminum. And you don't want to use concrete either it has lye in it and will corrode the aluminum. Lye is what the anodizing shops use to strip the anodize off the aluminum part.
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09-20-2008, 08:29 AM #7
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What about gravel? Or scrap aluminum?
"If you build it, they will come!"
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09-20-2008, 08:37 AM #8
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As has been mentioned, use lead poured into a mold.
Molds for fishing sinkers are made of cast aluminum and are constantly being subjected to molten lead without problems.
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09-20-2008, 01:22 PM #9
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you might look at shot-gun pellets. you can buy them for reloading in small but heavy bags. fairly cheap and lots of wait. that would keep you from having to melt anything, just have to seal it up some how after. maybe some of the foam.
most gun or sporting places with gun's should have them.thanks for the help
......or..........
hope i helped
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09-21-2008, 09:24 AM #10
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The shot would also be removeable if one ever needed to do that.
Originally Posted by fun4now
Griff
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