Good job of progressive learning. Really helps me. I do letters in pewter. Have cast in compressed sand, mold max 60 and carved out of wood with a Dremel. You have inspired me to keep going.
I would have both sides of the mould in silicon and cast vertically, Don't leave the casting in the mould any longer than necessary to enable removal - the less heat you expose the mould to the better. The talc is not a release agent, rather it is just a means of providing minute passages for air to escape. Metal does not like to sit against very smooth surfaces, like the silicon, the powder provides that slight roughness that enables the metal to sit there. Other fine powders will do - iron oxide for example. Dust the mould by having the powder in a calico bag ( an old sock will do) and shaking over the open mould. Slap the two mould halves together to shake off excess powder close mould and pour. Take casting out as soon as solid enough. Control the metal temp closely.... Martin
Thank you so much for this video! It helped me solve all the problems my students were having with their casting project. Also, I think the talc provides tiny gaps for the air to escape through while the mold fills with metal.
Why did I just run into you now? I do metal casting too and have been watching many castings and crafts on UA-cam the last year. I love these small figures, your casting setup is very clever, I'll be watching more of your stuff, I subscribed 👍👍
yea the talc allows the pewter favour over the air bubbles.. it breaks the surface tension of the bubbles .. so i suppose the air either travels into the metal.. or evenly disperses the bubbles along the surface, instead of a negative blob showing up.. you get an even blob on the surface that is almost invisible to the eye.. Speed as well, when im doing it i find speed is so important to stop it setting before it reaches the areas..
If you have two materials, as in the mold and the wood, the metal cools at varying speeds. I wonder if you have the second half and pour from an edge? Hmmm? I will have to experiment when me pewter arrives.
Hi Stuart. I want to make some replicas of a WW2 police cap emblem. It's a round leaf-emblem and somewhat flat, but with alot of detail in it. Any advice on how to cast something like that..? Would you cast it horizontally or vertically..?
Visker : if the item is flat then you can go with an MDF backer like I did in this video. If there is a curve to the badge then I'd go with a two-part silicone mold. With a two-part mold, I'd try pouring vertically. It's been a trial and error process for me figuring out the best method for each item I've done. Here's another video I did on two-part molds if you're interested: ua-cam.com/video/KugCtkRpwVs/v-deo.html
Noway Jerk thank you! I cleaned out every thrift store on the Treasure Coast here in Florida. I bought about 12 pounds of plates and cups for about $30. I'm set for a while!
Kim Truesdale Kim I check out our local thrift stores for plates, ewers, tankards etc... I try to pay less than about $4 a pound. Modern pewter is marked PEWTER....don't be fooled by PEWTAREX which is common but is actually aluminum. You can also buy in ingot form from suppliers, but it's something like $18 a pound.
I'm really addicted to this. I'd enjoy seeing what you make!
In this video i call the white powder "talc". But it is actually cornstarch baby powder. Cornstarch seems to work very well!
I'm glad to see they came out the way you wanted them too! Very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Tracy Keaton : thank you Tracy.
Good job of progressive learning. Really helps me. I do letters in pewter. Have cast in compressed sand, mold max 60 and carved out of wood with a Dremel. You have inspired me to keep going.
Nice work, glad I found your channel. I found it via Mike Waldt's branding iron video and been watching a bunch of yours now
Kaged Creations thank you and welcome aboard!
I would have both sides of the mould in silicon and cast vertically, Don't leave the casting in the mould any longer than necessary to enable removal - the less heat you expose the mould to the better. The talc is not a release agent, rather it is just a means of providing minute passages for air to escape. Metal does not like to sit against very smooth surfaces, like the silicon, the powder provides that slight roughness that enables the metal to sit there. Other fine powders will do - iron oxide for example. Dust the mould by having the powder in a calico bag ( an old sock will do) and shaking over the open mould. Slap the two mould halves together to shake off excess powder close mould and pour. Take casting out as soon as solid enough. Control the metal temp closely.... Martin
Great info...thanks Martin!
Thank you so much for this video! It helped me solve all the problems my students were having with their casting project. Also, I think the talc provides tiny gaps for the air to escape through while the mold fills with metal.
Ray Cotter glad it's helpful! I always dust my molds these days. It seems to help a lot. Thanks!
How do you identify pewter at the thrift store? Is there a mark that shows it to be pewter?
Why did I just run into you now? I do metal casting too and have been watching many castings and crafts on UA-cam the last year.
I love these small figures, your casting setup is very clever, I'll be watching more of your stuff, I subscribed 👍👍
Ralph Mourik awesome Ralph....welcome aboard!
Great job Jimmie. They look awesome
mike atkinson thank you
Mike!
yea the talc allows the pewter favour over the air bubbles.. it breaks the surface tension of the bubbles .. so i suppose the air either travels into the metal.. or evenly disperses the bubbles along the surface, instead of a negative blob showing up.. you get an even blob on the surface that is almost invisible to the eye.. Speed as well, when im doing it i find speed is so important to stop it setting before it reaches the areas..
Mark Cunningham great insights...thanks!
Hadn't heard of talc. Very interesting. I have always had to preheat the mold or just toss the first few back into the pot.
Bob B how do you pre-heat? Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks again for sharing. Always very informative .
We need to get you into Geocaching. It would be great fun to find one of these in a box on the trail. :) Thanks for sharing tips.
If you have two materials, as in the mold and the wood, the metal cools at varying speeds.
I wonder if you have the second half and pour from an edge? Hmmm? I will have to experiment when me pewter arrives.
Therese Dignard I look forward to hearing what you learn!
have you shown how you made the mold bac this mold? that is the problem i have in doing casting resin, be strong, be safe, and be blessed
Good job. before you know it you'll be a master caster....
Rebel Art Woodturning - thanks! I'm a hack by any definition at a lot of things. Looking forward to using these with my turned work though!
You.fat
Hi Stuart. I want to make some replicas of a WW2 police cap emblem. It's a round leaf-emblem and somewhat flat, but with alot of detail in it. Any advice on how to cast something like that..? Would you cast it horizontally or vertically..?
Visker : if the item is flat then you can go with an MDF backer like I did in this video. If there is a curve to the badge then I'd go with a two-part silicone mold. With a two-part mold, I'd try pouring vertically. It's been a trial and error process for me figuring out the best method for each item I've done. Here's another video I did on two-part molds if you're interested: ua-cam.com/video/KugCtkRpwVs/v-deo.html
Thanks Stuart.
last i member you were melting a cup down ,where did you get all the pewter. lol ther looking good thanks for sharing :)
Noway Jerk thank you! I cleaned out every thrift store on the Treasure Coast here in Florida. I bought about 12 pounds of plates and cups for about $30. I'm set for a while!
Where at in TC? I grew up in Stuart and still have family there
Well done!
Dave M thank you Dave!
In my pewter casting class we used graphite rather than baby powder. and you only had to it once
Great info! I will try that next time. Thank you!
what is mold name ?
What metal used in the casting master?
Is aluminium?
It is pewter which is mostly tin. Here is where I get my metal: ua-cam.com/video/n8TIknUfsHE/v-deo.html
Hi, where do you buy your Pewter? Thank you
Kim Truesdale Kim I check out our local thrift stores for plates, ewers, tankards etc... I try to pay less than about $4 a pound. Modern pewter is marked PEWTER....don't be fooled by PEWTAREX which is common but is actually aluminum. You can also buy in ingot form from suppliers, but it's something like $18 a pound.
thanks