Metal Casting: Tips and tricks! (MODS Please Archive!)

use another torch to heat up your torch tip! use a SLIGHTLY damp rag or Q-tip to wipe away the solder from any orifices ,and remove your torch from the propane tank before heating it up (I know, you know better, but I had to say it)be careful how much you heat it up, some torch parts are brazed together and too much heat will make a mess of it

also, hold it upside down so gravity will keep the solder from getting in even further

use a soggy toothpick in the air passage holes to clean up the bores and to steam away any solder clinging to the surface, just don't get your face too close if the solder "pops" you will risk eye and kisser damage

rubbing molten solder that is bonded to metal with wood seems to help break its adhesion ,maybe its the heat causing the sap resin in the wood to coat the base metal.... all i know is that its a bear getting the solder to re-adhere without sanding and re-fluxing...might come in handy for budget shielding (shielding sprays and brush-ons are sold for that specific purpose, to prevent solder from sticking where you don't want it)
 
Fantastic Thread, with lots of fantastic info..

This is EXACTLY what I have been looking for..

Since I am new to this forum, and casting in general, can you guys point me to some sites on how to create teh molds? and general resin casting in general, since a few posts said that the same techniques/equipment will often work for both..

sort of a two for one special..

I'm looking for beginners sites: this "Imperial Disk Casting Project" was absolutely perfect.

I could rave on a while about how cool this thread is, but I won't.. if you really need to hear it, I am sure it can be arranged, but I'll spare the rest of you.

icon_smile.gif


thanks agian, badger
ps. I do SCA too, so double bonus on the knowledge learning front. fantastic!
 
Thanks.. that is a great tutorial. fantastic stuff.

I've been brainstorming on how to do some metal casting of buttons for SCA use, with my arms on them..

And to make the cool Naboo royal props for my wife, like the head jewelry from the Ep. 2 Packing dress, and the belt buckle from the the Ep. 1 naboo battle outfit.

and others stuff, like maybe the naboo guard captain hat brim logo as well.

but first I need to get some of the materials. mostly resin actually.

btw. does resin casting to create the molds work if you carve the original piece out of jewelry carving wax? will the resin heat melt the wax? does it have to be out of clay?

badger
 
This is kind of getting off topic, but is there a reason you want to make your molds out of resin, rather than silicone?

Rook
 
Sorry for the OT..

Not really, I am just reading the tutorials that have been posted here, and one mentioned resin heating up..

and the thread mentioned that you can use some stuff from resin casting when casting in metal.

I must be using the wrong terms, or words.

Still at the basic steps level, although I have done some metal casting years and years ago (like more than 15 at this time..)

badger
 
No problem Badger, even I was a new person here once.
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Resin does heat up somewhat. It starts out as a 2 part liquid and when mixed the chemicals react, becoming hard. Some heat is released when this happens. If you're really looking to carve your originals in a type of wax, and THEN cast it in resin (or metal) I'd suggest using an RTV (Room Temprature Vulcanizing) silicone rubber to make your mold. Look over the DP tutorials.

The same basic principals apply to metal casting molds as well if you decide to go with silicone. For casting in Resin, most "any" RTV will work. For the metals, you need to use RTV that withstands high temps. Technically you _can_ use resin RTV with metals, but you run the risk of your silicone turning into a gelled blob if too much heat is applied. I believe Theatrix explained this on a previous episode of Quincy.
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The RTV I'm planning on buying for my metal casting has a FAR higher heat resistance level than the RTV I'm using for my resin work.

Honestly though, since I've never used "Jewelers wax" I have NO idea how it will interact with the casting resins, or if it will affect your wax master in a negative way.

Oh, and welcome to the board!

Rook
 
I would use RTV silicone to mold your wax masters. I have never noticed any heat. You could also use liquid latex, but not if you plan on casting metal.

ck
 
Another question for the metal masters.

Scenario:

Let's assume for a minute that I own a replica of a Colt 1911 pistol.

Now I think it would be cool to have a solid metal cast version of this thing. Sure, it would be heavy as hell but in this scenario I still want to do it.

Questions:

1) Could the project actually be done using high temp RTV?

2) Would Aquaclean or OR8 or Pewter, work for such a casting or would the metal cool too quickly when poured into the RTV thus messing up the casting?

3) Would it be better to make a couple different molds, and say pour the lower frame as one solid part and the slide as another and pin the two togeather?

4) Does a "large Scale" metal casting like this introduce excessive surface pitting?

==============

A friend back in high school made a sand cast with aluminum using a plastic toy .45 I had, and it sorta worked. The surface detail was mostly lost, and things like the trigger guard and gun muzzle were messed up as well.

45-1.jpg

45-2.jpg

45-3.jpg

45-4.jpg

45-5.jpg

45-6.jpg


This lack of detail is why I thought maybe you could use the high temp RTV and a "low temp" metal such as OR 8 or Aquaclean, and thus retain the detail level you'd lose in a sand casting. Plus, you have less relative danger as opposed to liquid aluminum which has a significantly higher melting point.

Opinions? Thoughts?

Rook
 
You could probably do it with OR-8 and not get surface pitting. Just dust the mold first. Also, if you want to have a lighter weight piece, I would try to cast it in parts. Of course at a certain point, the cost of creating a number of platinum Silicone RTV molds is going to start getting close to the cost of an decent replice 45.

Tim
 
Where are some good supliers for the metal casting metals that have been discussed on this thread? are there websites? do any local chains carry them?
 
Okay, let's assume I decided to cat the .45 in pieces. The slide in one, the barrel another and the grip frame as a final part.

Can you do "thin" wall castings (such as would be done with the slide only of a .45) or would the metal cool too quickly when passing through a thin section like that?

Rook - Asks more questions than anyone.
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</SPAN><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
THEWRAPOFCONS wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
Where are some good supliers for the metal casting metals that have been discussed on this thread? are there websites? do any local chains carry them?
</TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><SPAN CLASS=$row_color>

Conquest Industries has pretty good prices on metal (they are local to me in Santa Fe Springs, CA).
http://www.conquestind.com/

You can also try Atlas metals or Ney (both have websites). Also get the Business to Business Yellow pages for the largest city in your area. Try looking under jewelry supplys, foundry supply, pewter, etc. You can probably turn up a few that way.

Tim
 
</SPAN><TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
Rook 3 wrote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS=$row_color>
Can you do "thin" wall castings (such as would be done with the slide only of a .45) or would the metal cool too quickly when passing through a thin section like that?
</TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE><SPAN CLASS=$row_color>

Thin wall castings can be a problem with pewter in gravity molds. You might get better results with a sling casting set up or doing a spin cast (which forces the metal into fine areas before it can chill). Unfortunately, the pewter does cool down relatively quickly. You can also try pre-heating your molds to around 200/300 in a low oven, that sometimes helps to keep the metal from cooling too quickly. Just don't burn yourself pulling out the mold parts.

I also sometimes just dribble molten pewter across the face of some of my thin molds to heat them up. Then I put the mold back together (after making sure there isn't any pewter left sticking in odd places). Then I cast the part.

Tim
 
Third Request for Archive. Also is it possible to recover the pics that have been posted in this thread that have dissapeared?
ME likey pics.
 
Thanks guys, some great tips.

I'm just starting to mold with alloy, it produces some great results when sanded, buffed & polished
 
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