Metal Casting
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- Nairn
er... probably not the right place to be asking this, but does anyone know anything about making things using molten metals?
This'd all be done in my workshop area, so couldn't be anything too high tech, but I'd like to give it a go.
Also, where would I start looking to buy metal ingots in the UK or Europe? I've never bought a lump of tin (etc) before.
er... yeah. Vague (as always).
Thank you if you do respond with something useful!
- pylon0
Depending on what kind of quantity you want sand-casting will likely be the best solution. Aluminium isn't that expensive and can be sanded and powder-coated in many colours.
- pylon0
What are you trying to make, Nairn?
- pylon0
http://www.materia.nl/ may help.
- Nairn0
erm.. nothing so specifically.. yet.
I have the means to make complicated 2d negatives, so have thought about making ..er.. positives, to imprint negatives (in clay), fire that, then pour in some metal.
I'm looking for real idiot-level pointers here :)
- JSK0
Have you thought about using wax, sand and spinner?
You can actually do this easily. Make the set up with ease.
- Nairn0
One of the things I really want to do is make a letterpress type thing... though I'm a complete goon who didn't go to design school, so have no idea what materials are employed with those things.
- JSK0
I absence of spinner, you can use stand alone wax model with sand casing and do drip down but it is not as form fitting as spinner
- JSK0
Depends on what kind of letterpress you are trying to make. Different metals have different tolerance in pressing (lasting a while).
Copper is easy to make but wont last long. I wouldnt start with and solid metal per say because you need to have full set up with different mixture to find a good balance.
I started using silver, little more expansive but more durable then copper and melts easily.
Also, melting any metal is not something you do over the stove top or on bbq grill. You need a lot more heat then that.
- Nairn0
erm.. I get the sand casting and wax models - but what on earth is the 'spinner' element?
- pylon0
Once you've got your mould, you pour your casting material in and then spin it really quickly so that the centrifugal force forces the liquid metal into all of the tiniest cracks and crevices.
Relying on gravity to cast metal is sure to leave small bubbles and/or lack of detail.
- JSK0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spi…
More pro method but I have made home version also. Which btw, resulted in few thick sweaters burning off because i didnt plug the metal casing tightly. But no burns.
- Nairn0
aha. Makes sense. At this stage, I'm not horrifically worried about the end quality as I'd just like to get started playing with this, so just want to see whether it's at all possible, after a practical fashion.
You've given me search terms that I can use - starting from nothing, I couldn't get much specific from Google, but it looks like I can now - thanks, guys!
- cannonball0
You cant really do this in your shop, unless of course you work in a foundry. Depending on what you are pouring, you need to heat the metal up to be hot enough to will one of two different types of molds. There is the wax reduction process, and a process that involves pouring into a silica based mold. I would suggest looking up taking a class in the industrial arts somewhere they work with metals.
- JSK0
Good luck, dont forget about goggles, heavy duty heat resistant gloves, protective apron, face shield, etc
- JSK0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cas…
this would give you more methods and key words
- Nairn0
Ah, the wonder of wikipedia - who needs school (or common sense) any more? Thanks for those links - I'd missed them on my circuitous trawl :)
Cannonball - I live in a moderately industrial environment, but fair point. I was hoping I could dick around with something relatively small scale and simple (so I was thinking tin and lead, in a flat relief mould) 'til I hit a limit where I'd need either to give up and out-source or know enough and be able enough to get some decent tuition and consider investing in proper equipment. I just want to get it beyond a ..er.. cerebral sojourn (it's late, my language centres are faltering)
- pylon0
I took art-metal work classes a million years ago and during my wrought-iron/black-smithing classes we were told not to wear gloves whilst working with the iron because you'd get a better feel for the heat of the iron when working.
When working wrought-iron with leather gloves the leather can super-heat really you only feel it once it's too late. Bare-handed you can tell pretty quickly if the metal is too hot to touch.
This was only for working wrought-iron, though. Casting is totally different...
- JSK0
I took jewelery making class. That was fun. I was the only person in class. I guess its not a popular class during highschool. But it seemed more popular in art school.
- boobs0
Casting metal is easy. Humans have been doing it for thousands of years. Getting it hot enough to flow into the mold without melting the container is the hard part.