Charcoal Foundry, the first book in the "Metal Working Shop From Scrap Series", gives you plans for building a metal melting furnace and instructions on basic pattern making and molding. All the information needed to set up a foundry in your work shop can be found in this book. Simply stated, if you can build a sand castle or make a mud pie, you can make a sand mold to produce castings for your metal shop projects.
The main ingredient in these projects is scrap aluminum and pot metal. The only tools you need to get started are ordinary home shop hand tools, many of which are probably already in your possession. Much of the remainder is found as salvage or cast-off and little expense need be involved.