Re: Metal Molder (was Re: Casting your own...)

Ground Zero Games wrote:
> 
> To actually do the basics of whitemetal casting, you only need some
> silicone rubber (RTV-31 or equivalent, the red stuff - most of the
others
> as used for resin casting are not sufficiently heat-resistant), a
ladle or
> old tablespoon, some talc (raid the bathroom cabinet....) and a bit of
> suitable casting metal. A simple gravity-pour mould can be made with
the
> RTV (lego bricks are good for making a mould box to pour it in) and
then
> held together with rubber bands during casting. You can melt the metal
over
> a gas burner with care, and always wear eye protection and a pair of
work
> gloves. 

This is my eventual goal.  

The reason I wanted to start with this silly little kit is two fold. 
First,
it's nice to work with a lower temperature metal to reduce (actually
eliminate)
the chance of hurting myself.  Second, there is NO WAY my wife will let
me near
the stove with a ladle full of metal (leaded or not) in my hand.  So I'm
pretty
much stuck with a solution that keeps my (and all my nastly little metal
bits)
in my workshop.

> Be aware that working with RTV-31 is a nasty, messy and time-consuming

> business, however..... and if you get it on something before
catalysing it, 
> then it WON'T COME OFF!

Sounds rather dreadful.  I was actually thinking of using the
'putty-like' mold
making stuff.  It sounds a bit more forgiving to beginners.

> In the UK, Alec Tiranti make complete starter kits for hand-casting at
> around the 30 mark, with 1 lb of RTV, release agent, a small amount of
> metal, ladle, mould clamps etc. Beware their prices for metal,
however,
> they're about five times what you can buy it for from an industrial
> supplier like Neale's or Mountstar!
> 
> There are probably US suppliers that do the same kind of thing for the
> hobbyist caster.

MicroMark sells all the materials, and has a package deal with
everything you
need to start.	They sell either the liquid RTV or the putty stuff, as
well as
ladles, metal, talc, etc...
http://www.micromark.com/

A much better option (once I get the money) is a place called Castings. 
In
addition to the above, they also sell electric hotpots (some that can
even melt
the really high temp pewter) and a neat little mold making kit with a
clapmed
wooden frame.  This looks like the easiest (and most wife approved) way
to
start, but it's also not cheap!
http://www.miniaturemolds.com/

Anyway, I'm going to mess around a bit with the Metal Molder, get my
$10.00
worth at least!  Then maybe I'll ask for a starter kit from Castings for
Xmas...

Tom

--
Thomas Pope
Human Computer Interaction Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope