Love Casting

I model small sculptures for lost-wax casting in bronze, using soldering irons, dental tools, etc. These can leave small surface "trickles" or blemishes where I want smooth surfaces to represent skin.

There are actually two was to smooth the surface of waz before making either ceramic or sand cast molds. Either use a hand propane tore and just quickly skim the surface until the wax becomes even on the surface (ONLY DO SMALL AREAS AT A TIME SO THE WHOLE PIECE DOESN"T GET OVERHEATED AND TOTALLY FLOPS) also you could use paint thiner and a chamois cloth if it is a very fine fix to the wax. And once its smooth spray with alcohol so it stops the reaction of the paint thinner

I have a few parts here that took me some time to machine. If I wanted copies of them (~10 or 20) without having to manually machine some more, could they be investment-cast for at most a few hundred dollars? Or would CNC Machining be a more affordable route?
Size: few inches at most
Material: Stainless steel

The investment cast is going to be over $1,000. But it might be a worthwhile investment if you start to do this in larger quantities than 10-20..

Wouldn’t the mold melt?……………..

If I scramble eggs in the iron cast skillet, little black particles end up in the eggs. Is it just too old? "1890" is stamped on the bottom of the pan. I’m not sure if that is when it was made since I purchased it at a second hand store.

Cast iron transfers into your food, and if the pan is not seasoned, it does not fully clean, those burnt bits are the black. Here’s what to do: Wash the pan with a brillo or steel wool pad in warm soapy water. Rub the pan with a thin layer of vegetable shortening. Put the pan in a 350-450 oven for an hour, and let cool in the oven (I do this when I’m cooking something else – it doesn’t matter which rack you use). The next day, take the pan out of the oven and wipe it down with a paper towel. The iron transferring into your food is no different than taking an elemental iron supplement – studies show that people who cook in cast iron are less anemic.

Aside from being ornamental, what are its traits in terms of strength, durability, malleability, resistance to chemicals and corrosion, etc.?

Sand cast bass is a name given to molded pieces where a positive article is pressed into sand, and then removed, and then molten brass is poured into the depression.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_casting

The physical properties of the metal largely come from the type of brass that is used. There are many, many types of brass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass

Generally brasses used for molding (low melting point), lack the ductility for metal forming. So once you cast an item you really can not pound it into a different shape.

Properties like hardness, corrosion resistance, color are all dependant on the type of brass selected.

Spra washers are used in industry to wash and clean the gray iron castings. But if pH is not controlled properly, this causes rusting of machined surfaces, which are not primered by the supplier. Spray solutions are usally some solvents dissolved in water.

How does Evapo-Rust work?
Unlike other rust removers that use some type of acid to remove rust, Evapo-Rust works without acid. It will not attack the base metal, and it is safe to use.

To confirm these benefits, I put the product to the test.

First, I confirmed that this product was not an acid. I tested the product and confirmed that the pH level was between 6 and 7. A pH reading of 7 is the same as pure water. A pH reading of 1 is a strong acid, while a pH reading of 14 would be a strong alkaline. To put this scale into perspective, rain water generally is around 5.6 and Coca Cola is roughly 3 to 4.

Second, I wanted to confirm that Evapo-Rust didn’t remove the base metal. Since I already tested the pH, I was not expecting to find any evidence of metal removal, but I needed to confirm this before I asked anyone to put their valuable tools into the solution. After soaking a few tools overnight, I didn’t notice any wear of the metal due to the solution. I even tested a tool by soaking it for three days in the solution. It came out rust-free with no signs of any damage.

Lastly, I wanted to see if the product removed rust as stated. I’m happy to report that Evapo-Rust removes rust very effectively. I have yet to wear out the effectiveness of my first gallon!
************************
*************
********
*****
****
****
****
***
***
***
***
**
**
**
**
*
*
*
*

.

Trying to learn how to work with bronze and silver castings. I worked with other metal, marbal, and ceramic castings. I was currious to know if they use the same tecniques with all castings? If anyone has any suggestions; feel free to log on. Thanx, China :}

the only thing I know about is lost wax casting.

Is there anyone out there who make their own LEGO pieces? If it is possible, how do i make the mold? I was thinking of using candle wax as the mold and use Wood’s metal as the LEGO piece. Would it cause some damage to the LEGO piece?

I do not think that you can work precise enough to get working pieces.
If you want to have Lego cheaper than the store prices, buy second hand. (Yard sales, car-boot sales or flee markets are a good hunting ground, as well as the websites that circulate free or cheap secondhand goods.)

If you want your Lego to have special colours, try it, but be willing to risk a few pieces in making molds. First make a few and see if they work before spending a lot on them.

how many types of aluminum die casting are there?

These next sites will explain everything to you.
Die Casting is a manufacturing process in which molten metal is injected, under pressure, into a hardened steel die or also called mold.
Dies are often water-cooled. Dies are then opened, and the die castings are ejected (many times thousands of parts each day, sometimes only a few hundred). Once the tooling is paid for, die casting is a very inexpensive aluminum part manufacturing process.
http://www.kineticdiecasting.com/index.html
http://www.answers.com/What%20is%20aluminum%20die%20casting%3F%20
http://www.efunda.com/processes/metal_processing/die_casting.cfm
http://metals.about.com/od/diecasting/Die_Casting.htm
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?articleID=1392
http://www.key-to-metals.com/Article59.htm
http://www.pacmak.com/frames/faqs.htm

This is a home chemistry experiment being done in safe conditions with properly trained individuals. It seems as if thermite eats through just about everything so even if the material does not melt if it gets to hot it could deform the casting. I would prefer answers not containing the word titanium. Unless you can give an example of where you can get titanium and if its within a reasonable price. I would prefer the material to be somewhat easy to shape.

Have you considered something like firebrick? Alumina? Those can be milled or ground into proper shapes. Maybe you should look up how castings are typically done. The Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology is a great series of books. You will find it in any decent university library.