Metalcasting

Rating:
Summary: Metalcasting
Review: If you do not have any other books by the author, C. W. Ammen, then this is a good book. However, if you already have "The Metalcaster's Bible" or "Complete Handbook of Sandcasting" then you already have 90% of this book.

Most of the illustrations and definitions are right out of these other two books. I was dissappointed with this book because I already had the other two books and bought this book for the new information it contained. There's a picture of a permanent mold being poured on the cover with no further explanation in the book about it. Just a short definition. I had bought this book because I thought it dealt with this process in depth. It does not. The cover is misleading.

There is however, a good section on building your own burn out oven for investment casting which is not in any of his other books.

As in his other books, some of the definitions are somewhat sketchy. He refers to "sharp sand" throughout the book with no definition of what it is. He tells of a Nitric Acid test for silicon where you let the mixture boil. Does this mean dissolving the metal (bubbling) or actually boiling the acid over a stove. If you try the latter, it could have severe consequences.

If I saw this book in a bookstore and had a chance to glance through the pages, I would not have bought it as it's almost a direct copy of his other books. If I did not have his other books, I would buy "The complete Handbook of Sand Casting" or the "Metal Caster's Bible" as they contain the same information and illustrations and are half the price.

Rating:
Summary: Metalcasting
Review: If you do not have any other books by the author, C. W. Ammen, then this is a good book. However, if you already have "The Metalcaster's Bible" or "Complete Handbook of Sandcasting" then you already have 90% of this book.

Most of the illustrations and definitions are right out of these other two books. I was dissappointed with this book because I already had the other two books and bought this book for the new information it contained. There's a picture of a permanent mold being poured on the cover with no further explanation in the book about it. Just a short definition. I had bought this book because I thought it dealt with this process in depth. It does not. The cover is misleading.

There is however, a good section on building your own burn out oven for investment casting which is not in any of his other books.

As in his other books, some of the definitions are somewhat sketchy. He refers to "sharp sand" throughout the book with no definition of what it is. He tells of a Nitric Acid test for silicon where you let the mixture boil. Does this mean dissolving the metal (bubbling) or actually boiling the acid over a stove. If you try the latter, it could have severe consequences.

If I saw this book in a bookstore and had a chance to glance through the pages, I would not have bought it as it's almost a direct copy of his other books. If I did not have his other books, I would buy "The complete Handbook of Sand Casting" or the "Metal Caster's Bible" as they contain the same information and illustrations and are half the price.

Rating:
Summary: Metalcasting
Review: This is a big thick paperback book, that you might think goes into great detail and has a lot of descriptions. Unfortunatly, there is just some background and and brief descriptions of different things. Also, almost half the book is devoted to a glossary. If you want to find out about sand casting, "The complete Sand Casting Manual" also written by him though still not complete, is the book for you.