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I'm looking for ways to weigh down bases for metal miniatures, and I got the idea of pouring tin, the stuff you use for casting into plastic bases to give a solid weight. Will this work? I looked up the melting points, plastics is 232C and tins is 240C.

If the plastic melts at a lower temperature than the tin, that would seem to give you your answer...

Yar, the only way I see this happening is if you had a metal "cap" on the inside of the base, which would defeat the purpose basically.

Just glue pennies or fishing weights if you need weight.

I presume the plastic base is a dish underneath like a standard GW slotta base or similar.

Fill it with lead shot ballast cemented in with epoxy resin (Araldite) or moulding resin, or Plastic Padding.

http://www.theleadweightcompany.co.uk/lead-shot-ballast.html

http://go-araldite.com/products/epoxy-adhesives/araldite-standard-2-x-15ml-tube

http://www.loctite.co.uk/loctite-4087.htm?nodeid=8802656485377

 Matthew wrote:
plastics is 232C and tins is 240C.

I think you'll find the "melting temperature" of plastic is probably when it turns in to a puddle and it actually deteriorates much lower than that. I've damaged polystyrene models with nothing more than boiling water, so ~100C.

I use American nickels to weigh down tippy plastic models with round bases.

The lead shot + glue or green stuff method as mentioned by kill la crazy up there will probably be the safest.

Or you can go nuts and make your own mold using plaster.

chances are though it probably wont work :/

I've poured molten tin into a styrene base once (I used to do white metal casts 20 years ago).

The base did NOT survive as anything more than a thick film of burned scum on top of the metal puddle.

So, just in case you missed it, that's a resounding NO! you can't. (Well, you can, just don't expect the plastic to survive because it won't).

There are plenty of other solutions that don't involve very hot metal and probably bad fumes coming off it that will solve the problem adequately without resorting to smelting metals.

Epoxy resin (or araldite) and small fishing sinkers (split-shot) works well. So do certain denominations of coins.
(In the old days here, I used to use our 2c pieces, because they fit neatly under the old non-slot 25mm bases. The araldite would hold them in, but it wouldn't permanently bond to the metal - so the coins could be removed later with no ill effects (and the epoxied side would be far less tarnished, too).

Glue a penny into base. Easy and no molten plastic later.

 Matthew wrote:
I'm looking for ways to weigh down bases for metal miniatures, and I got the idea of pouring tin, the stuff you use for casting into plastic bases to give a solid weight. Will this work? I looked up the melting points, plastics is 232C and tins is 240C.

Wow, that's like asking if its ok to cook pizza in the over without a pan. Though at least the OP asked before doing it. To answer your Q and suggest help: no the molten metal will vaporize the plastic into nasty fumes, try self cast 2 part resin instead, they have good weight and will be smooth if you keep the base level after the pour.

 Desubot wrote:
Or you can go nuts and make your own mold using plaster.

Or just cast plaster into the base instead of metal