Sand casting

We had a sand casting workshop at tech. I thought it would be a good idea to try cast an organic article. When I was cooking at my sisters house I came across some beautiful looking anni seeds which had a funny type of smell almost a liquorice smell. I thought I would try it out. Here is a bit of the process.

Above: A fire is beign made with coal, wood and paper to create a hot enough flame to melt the metal, which is in the crucibal, which is in the flames. the funny looking machine (top photo in the middle of the photo) blows oxygen into the fire which creates a hotter flame. The machine only blows air onto the fire when its handle is being turned.

Below are the the seeds I found to sand cast

Pressing the seed into the sand to make a mold. There were a few undercuts on the seed that caused a bit of the sand to move when it was being lifted out.

After the seed has been cast. It came out nicely in its own way but was not a perfect casting. The seed is a bit complecated in terms of its form to be able to cast perfectly.