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I have cut the fins on several heads and cylinders on my cnc controlled mill. It gives them a uniform look that you can't get if you do it by hand. BMW and Harley machine cooling fins too.

Yup but I've owned a few and always had a soft spot for Brit bikes....

Doc, how you cleaned up the fins here looks really sharp in my eyes! I think you are bang on! Although what's going on with your dohc badging on your case? Nice work so far!

Jbosh wrote: Doc, how you cleaned up the fins here looks really sharp in my eyes! I think you are bang on! Although what's going on with your dohc badging on your case? Nice work so far!

Thank You. Im contemplating casting a new timing cover. I took a mold off the original which i will cast in wax eventually. I don't know what to do on the face of it. Right now options are "DOHC", "KZ750", or "750T" any suggestions are welcome. I also don't know what material to cast it in. I have never cast aluminum before, but have a good deal of experience with bronze. Heres a bronze belt buckle i cast a few years ago.

80B4 wrote: I have cut the fins on several heads and cylinders on my cnc controlled mill. It gives them a uniform look that you can't get if you do it by hand. BMW and Harley machine cooling fins too.

You and your fancy tools... Im quite jealous.

When I carve a new ignition cover for my B3 I'll do one for your bike Vic.

We did sand casting in metal shop. As I remember aluminum melts at 2500*. You should be able to do it. I'd like to see how it comes out.
Steve

The melting temp of Aluminum is between 860° and 1240° f. depending on the alloy. There are lots of utube videos on back yard aluminum casting. I did a lot of foundry projects in grad school, it was fun!

80B4 wrote: The melting temp of Aluminum is between 860° and 1240° f. depending on the alloy. There are lots of utube videos on back yard aluminum casting. I did a lot of foundry projects in grad school, it was fun!

Very Cool. Im starting grad school this fall. If i don't manage to cast this thing by then i was hoping to make friends in the schools foundry and cast it there.

What will you be studying in grad school? My BA is in industrial design and my MFA is in glass. Most art department foundries like people who are driven and who are there to get work done. I have a lot of credit hours in the foundry, bonded sand and investment casting bronze and aluminum. AND a bit of cast iron.

80B4 wrote: What will you be studying in grad school? My BA is in industrial design and my MFA is in glass. Most art department foundries like people who are driven and who are there to get work done. I have a lot of credit hours in the foundry, bonded sand and investment casting bronze and aluminum. AND a bit of cast iron.

I have a BFA in graphic design. I will be getting a MDes in industrial design. What type of glass work were you doing? I transferred into art school with an AA, which meant i got to take a lot of electives; most of them were glass blowing credits. I really miss it, nothing like throwing around 20 pounds of molten glass. Thats also where i got my first taste of investment casting, but i didn't really get into it until a couple years ago. I am really looking forward to having huge facilities to make cool shit in again.

I did a lot of pipe work. I have a big pipe that let's me work with over 20lbs with ease, it even has an inconell head. I have had success using the glory hole in reduction to strike some of the German colors back the there metallic bases. Most of the Kugler blues are based on copper sulfate and I found a way to make them appear as metallic copper. That was a long time ago, most of my time is spent at the cnc these days.