How to make my ladle "silky smooth"?

[ohland]

Wow, I still have something like sludge or drool hanging from my ladle's spout during extended casting. Sorta annoying when it does because it wants to hang over the sprue plate and get in the way. Not all the time, after the flux n stirr, carefully skimming the dross, the ladle pours clean... After casting, I can scrape off like hard dust off the cast iron.

If I carefully scrape the hard dust (?) and lead splatters off the ladle, belt sand the outside silky smooth (Zohan!), and use mould release, would that reduce the propensity of the mould to do this? Sorta reminds me of recruits coming out of the CS chamber with drool hanging from their mouth...

[country gent]

I used a foredom flex shat grinder with a nylon brush and valve grinding compund to smooth mine up after cleaning good. The nylon brush ( Cup style) is easy to move around and workover the radious of the ladle. Another might be to sand blast it hard starting with black beauty sand ( very hard and coarse) to rough polish, the switch to a finer sand to finish. Getting into the inside to smooth polish the nylon brushes in a fexible shaft dremil or foredom tool work good.

[ohland]

I used a foredom flex shaft grinder with a nylon brush and valve grinding compund to smooth mine up after cleaning good.

Was it silky smooth?

[ohland]

Getting into the inside to smooth polish the nylon brushes in a fexible shaft dremil or foredom tool work good.

I hear you, but the Dremel is my leading contender because I have one... How big was your cup brush?


http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=404

Can't be too big since that is a 1/8" (or so) shaft. But then again, it might fit into the ladle.

Valve grinding compound - water based or grease?

Although my cordless drill doesn't have to much to do.

[country gent]

Well thats how we polished parts and die details when called for. Valve grinding compound is on the coarse side but will smooth the surface alot from the cast iron surface. WOrking to finer grits you can turn it into a mirror if you want to. U would start with a coarse valve grinding compound and work it to a consistent finish all over then work to finer grits of lapping compound till finish you want is obtained. Wear an apron or old clothes since even at slow rpms the brush will throw compounds around alot.

[country gent]

The standard dremil type cupped brush 1/8" shank and maybe 1/2 dia brush.

[ohland]

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/VER0/13209.oap?ck=Search_valve+grinding+compound_-1_2316&keyword=valve+grinding+compound

Detailed Description Metal Grinding Compound is a high-temperature grease based product containing sharp, graded, extremely hard grains of silicone carbide. Full color card contains two tubes, one containing fine grade grit, the second contains coarse grade grit. Mix the two together & you get medium grade grit. Use for: Cleaning Lapping Grinding Sharpening Honing Polishing

Might also work for barrel muzzle lapping... hmmm...

[country gent]

That is auto motive valve grinding compound. Graingers, Mc Master carr, msc and machine tool supply shops have clover lapping compound both silicon carbide and aluminum oxide in grit sizes from 60 to 1200 or so, then there are the metal polishes rouges, simichromes flitzs, and last is the diamond lapping compounds. When lapping you use the same compound as it breaks down finer and finer cutting smoother and smoother adding oil or water depending on compound. Polishing the grits used seldom get a chance to really break down to give this effect.

[bhn22]

Just try the mould release. When it wears off, clean the remainder off and reapply it. I've had both stamped steel and cast iron ladles build up, regardless of how smooth the surface is.

[bushboy]

I had to laugh when I first saw the thread title, I saw "How to make my lady "silky smooth ?". I laughed because if you don't know how to and asked on a forum.... well I guess you'll figure it out :)