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.

Provided you take sensible precautions against either injury or fire,
you
can use a small camping gas burner in the workshop. It'll easily
generate
enough heat to melt a ladle full of low-temp casting metal. Just make
sure
you apply a lot of common sense.....

Jon (GZG)
>
>> 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.

I'm not familiar with this - as long as it is sufficiently
heat-resistant
you'll be OK. One thing to stress is to NEVER let hot metal come into
contact with anything that still has any moisture in it - can you say
"explosive vapourisation"....?

Jon (GZG)