Coin Casting Question

[barbquebutt]

Hey all,

I've looked through all of the existing threads I can find about casting coins, different techniques and methods and whatnot. What I want to ask specifically is what product would be best for what I have in mind.

I want to create a replica necklace that belongs to the character Jacob in the upcoming Assassin's Creed Syndicate game. References I can find lead me to believe is is an 1844 Victoria shilling coin.


The character appears to have punched a hole in the top, and mounted it on a leather string. I've found 1844 shillings on eBay for reasonable prices, but I don't want to destroy the original by drilling into it if I don't have to.

So I'm wondering what would be best to cast the coin in. Obviously pewter or other metal would be the preferred material, but being that it would be my first time working with metal casting, I don't know if this would be the best route. My other thought would be resin, but I don't know how resilient it would be as a necklace, since it would obviously have to be painted and would be more subject to wear and tear. Painting would also diminish the finer details, particularly on the back.

What do you all think? Is it worth the time and effort trying to cast in metal with no prior experience? Or should I stick with something a little more familiar like resin?

Thanks!

 

[toxicvenom]

I have bought replica coins and had them made by request.
there are lots of sellers in china I found this for you it looks
slightly different than the one you show but try searching other shops on the site.
heres the link
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1844...LVER-COIN-COPY-FREE-SHIPPING/32237624893.html

if you get one off ebay make a silicone mold and cast in resin with a high content of metal powder it will polish up and have the weight
of a real coin, also with the option to make many more..

 

[ultraman]

i would say if you never done it before...go with a 2 part resin and metal powder like toxicvenom just mentioned.
i'm currently working on casting john wick coins in pewter....i hand casted about 250 of them today but only ended up with about 25 that were usable.
the problem with casting the 2 sided coins in metal is most of the time one side of the coin comes out perfect while the other side comes out like garbage...which was the case with mine today.

if you do go pewter feel free to ask any questions you have....and i'll try and help you out the best i can.
:cool

 

[barbquebutt]

Thanks for the tips, guys! After watching some videos and tutorials on cold casting (wasn't familiar with the term until recently) and seeing some favorable results, I think that might be the way to go.

I'll use aluminum powder to cast, and I assume one is as good as the next, but do you have any tips on particular types/brands of resin that would work best for something this small and that has a decent amount of strength to it? I don't want it to be too brittle. The coin is slightly less than an inch in diameter (24mm).

 

[Cavaler Urban]

Hi there,
I have some experience in making medals, pendants and different badges. Ferric Chloride is my favorite way to do it. I always made them from copper and I never try other materials.
This is the process: You will need a PNP (press and peel) sheet, a laser printer, a black and white design of your model and the thick piece of copper (thick as your coin is).
The process to transfer your print on to the copper will found on any electronists forums. The trick, in this case, will be how to transfer on both sides of the copper sheet, so the design to be perfectly aligned ( both sides of the coin). After that you have to dip the material in a bath of Ferric Chloride.The quality of the results depends of the enviroment temperature and the time you keep it there. Make a few trials. I always cut off the pendants individually from sheet. Take care with that substance!
This is another way to do it, I don't say is the best.
Here is the result of my work:

 

[clonesix]

What is the reason for NOT using an actual coin?

I typed "1844 shilling" into ebay and they are $10 - $50

That sounds a LOT better than going to all the trouble of molding and casting a single coin. What am I missing?

 

[barbquebutt]

Haha. I guess I'm just a sentimental person and can't fathom essentially destroying something that old.

Plus, molding it gives the added benefit of being able to create multiples. So, in the case of resin, if it gets worn out I could make a new one. And I could maybe do a run if anyone was interested.

 

[clonesix]

Plus, if it gets worn out I could make a new one. .

Worn out?! Coins wear out from years of use, being dropped into vending machines, and being passed from one person to the next, over a period of years. THAT is certainly NOT going to happen with a plastic coin on a necklace.


Don't get me wrong, I am ALL for practicing new skills, and metal casting is one of them. It is just that drilling a hole in a $25 coin is SO much easier than making a rubber mold, Casting a wax copy, investing it into plaster, melting it out, and melting an alloy to pour into the mold. All for one coin.


but good luck, and of course, we all like to see pictures when you are done.

I see that you are in Washington, Not the UK, so its not like you are destroying your country's national treasure.

 

[Cavaler Urban]

Clonesis is right.
All the stuff you need for castings are expensive. I found that shilling at 8 dollars, and not only one, but is in Romania and the shipping will probably be high.
Anyway, you could try to make some casts using "the lost wax" method.
Good luck.

 

[Risu]

Or just preorder the game from Gamestop and get the one they give you.

 

[robstyle]

The easiest way, without altering the original coin, is to not over think it.

Resin is weak, brittle, not the best for a cast coin. I would highly suggest using MPK90 hi impact plastic. Ive cast coins and badges all under ten grams of material and no breakage or even cracks on anything with heavy prop use. You could go with fiberglass but why when you can mix and pour and be done with it. If you need to practice grab some silver crayola crayons, melt them down in a soup can on the stove and use that as your casting material to pour into the mold. This way you can test and perfect your skills before spending the money on casting material. Plus if you muck it up, the crayon is simple to remove and reuse. To help speed up the crayon curing I just placed the mold into the fridge. Five minutes later out popped a coin. This was a two part mold with no vents as it didnt need it. The flashing was welcome and simply fell off when demolding. Not a single bad pull. I ended up making about 20 in plastic and 20 in crayon as the coin had to be melted on camera.

MKP90
http://hobbysilicone.com/product/2-lb-kit-mpk-90-hi-impact-3-min-polyurethane-casting-resin/

The real coin is upper left, crayon coins to the right, botton left is a hi impact plastic coin. These were tests that ended up being used after some color work.

 

[Daniel Nelms]

I can vouch for the MPK, Mike makes great stuff.