Method of making a crankshaft

A method of making a crankshaft, comprising:

• (a) providing a mold having a mold body and a mold cavity formed in the mold body and configured in the shape of the crankshaft to be cast,
• (b) scoring an elongate tube about its perimeter at predetermined locations along the length of the tube to form removable, breakaway portions spaced apart along the length of the tube and an oil line-forming portion between the removable, breakaway portions,
• (c) positioning the tube in the mold with said removable portions disposed in the mold body and said oil line-forming portion bridging across the mold cavity,
• (d) casting molten metal in the mold cavity about said oil line-forming portion to form a cast crankshaft with said oil line-forming portion cast in-situ therein and said removable portions disposed externally of the cast crankshaft,
• (e) separating the cast crankshaft and the mold, and
• (f) removing said removable portions from the cast crankshaft by breaking said removable portions off the cast crankshaft at the scored locations, leaving said oil line-forming portion in said cast crankshaft to provide an open-ended, tubular oil line cast in-situ therein.

A method of making an article comprising:

• (a) providing a mold having a mold body and a mold cavity formed in the mold body and configured in the shape of the article to be cast,
• (b) positioning an elongate, serpentine-shaped tube in the mold with a plurality of removable portions of the tube spaced apart along the length thereof being disposed in the mold body and a plurality of conduit-forming portions of said tube between said removable portions bridging across the mold cavity,
• (c) casting molten metal in the mold cavity about said conduit-forming portions to form a cast article with the conduit-forming portions cast in-situ therein and said removable portions disposed externally of the cast article,
• (d) separating the cast article and the mold,
• (e) removing said removable portions of said tube from the cast article, leaving said conduit-forming portions in said cast article to provide a plurality of open-ended, tubular conduits cast in-situ therein.