Sandcasting - seems interesting.

[CB2001]

I was looking around the blog for MakeZine and I came across this, and I couldn't help but share it because it seemed interesting: Make: Online : Sandcast aluminum ray gun, with bonus pour vid

 

[BDK]

I remember doing that in highschool in metal shop, was pretty fun to do.

 

[Arketh]

Sand casting's always interesting. Doable at home, and it can give you some interesting character to a piece.

 

[blownhemi]

Yeah, I did that in high school, too. I've got a pour of my hand around here somewhere.

I don't know if it was poor sand or if it's normal, but the finish isn't anything to write home about. Really flawed and rough, but I can see how it could work in a piece's favor if that's what you're going for.

 

[GeeksGoneBad]

I've got some stuff up at my site about the lost foam casting I've done if anyone's interested The Backyard Workshop - Metalcasting Projects

there's not a whole lot but I think it's pretty cool

 

[Wicked]

Just curious but anybody ever tried making a mold with that spray foam insulation? I would think there must be some kind of coating you could put on it to make it smooth enough to cast with. Maybe cut it in half, coat the inside with some sculpey, and pour some resin in? Seems like the most you might have to do is some cleanup sanding to get rid of excess clay on the outside of the cast. I wouldn't want to try it for large pieces but it seems for stuff like small gems and such that it would be a good fit. Or say for like model pieces and mini-figs.

 

[Ozymandius]

No reason to reinvent the wheel, Wicked, when there are so many inexpensive alternatives already out there that have been used for decades, if not centuries. Mold latex is almost cheaper than water nowadays.

 

[Arketh]

Spray foam is a pain to work with in many respects. Tends to be rather porous, uncontrollable, irregular expansion.

That said, I have used it (and so have others) as a sculpting base to rough things out before detailing with something else, be it clay or in my case, drywall compound. In most cases you can find something that'll work better.