Community Event / Creation Unoficial Elite badges

[Bruce Turnbull]

@_JustinPinner did some 3D prints of Elite badges and kindly sent me some. I have been messing about with casting some. so far I've done some in resin (feel light) and some in lead. I've added a couple of pictures for anyone who's interested to see.

 

[psykokow]

They are quite nice... your gonna look like a pearly queen!!

 

[Mobius]

did they turn out as you had expected?

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

yes pretty much, lead is far more difficult to use 'cos it's.... er HOT. and it eats the mold. really for finer detail you need the lead to be hotter, if you have it hotter it melts the mold before it cools..... no win. if i had a steel mold i could do it properly, but they are VERY expensive to have made. I'll try and undercoat one of the lead ones then paint it gold, to see how it looks.

 

[Cmdr Andy B]

what about casting sand for the molds? i friend of mine uses it for pendants and he can produce some quite detailed stuff with it.

once you have an original it's easy to work with as well as you can box up a square of sand and use the one you have to stamp in a bunch of molds in a few seconds, especially if they are shallow as badges are.

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

what about casting sand for the molds? i friend of mine uses it for pendants and he can produce some quite detailed stuff with it.

once you have an original it's easy to work with as well as you can box up a square of sand and use the one you have to stamp in a bunch of molds in a few seconds, especially if they are shallow as badges are.

that's another option to try.

 

[Noogillim]

You can use high temp silicone for casting white metal RTV-101

- not sure about lead? how about some cast in Brabconium or Frontierium?

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

You can use high temp silicone for casting white metal RTV-101

- not sure about lead? how about some cast in Brabconium or Frontierium?

I'm using silicone now. but there is a limit to the number of times you can use the mold. I might try something a bit more permanent, like clay.

 

[Bingo Brewster]

what about casting sand for the molds? i friend of mine uses it for pendants and he can produce some quite detailed stuff with it.

once you have an original it's easy to work with as well as you can box up a square of sand and use the one you have to stamp in a bunch of molds in a few seconds, especially if they are shallow as badges are.

I used sand in my teens to cast motorcycle badges out of lead, it worked pretty well as I remember

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

I used sand in my teens to cast motorcycle badges out of lead, it worked pretty well as I remember

I don't suppose you remember what type of sand you used? I can't use damp sand as molten lead and damp sand, I'm told, tends to explode, and flying molten lead is a bad thing, something I don't NEED to be told.

 

[Bingo Brewster]

I don't suppose you remember what type of sand you used? I can't use damp sand as molten lead and damp sand, I'm told, tends to explode, and flying molten lead is a bad thing, something I don't NEED to be told.

Sorry it was 40 years ago. But I know there is special sand for casting and various grades of fineness rolleyes: is that a word?) I imagine its not that hard to source in the UK. PMT a blacksmith or local metal work teacher at your nearest school.

 

[withnail]

I don't suppose you remember what type of sand you used? I can't use damp sand as molten lead and damp sand, I'm told, tends to explode, and flying molten lead is a bad thing, something I don't NEED to be told.

My wife thinks she may be able to do something like this in silver clay and fire it in our kiln. It would probably end up being a bit light because it's clay and some of it gets burnt off. She reckons that there are a few technical issues that would need to be overcome too.

You can get gold clay but it's mega expensive because it's ...... Well, made of gold.

Just a thought. Can't help you out with the sand though (which is what you were really after).

 

[Bruce Turnbull]

OK guys, I'm going back into exile again. I thought I would just let you see. I'll let you know if I have a breakthrough

 

[withnail]

OK guys, I'm going back into exile again. I thought I would just let you see. I'll let you know if I have a breakthrough

Green Sand!

artisanfoundry.co.uk/store/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=211&osCsid=36a4afe7faed33e9b51b02208ef329ee

Or something like that.