Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I know casting stuff in resin is versatile for our hobby but i was wondering if casting in aluminum was doable as well.  I'm thinking of trying pewter was well but I can't seem to figure out the cost logistics versus resin.  I was also hoping stuff like aluminum cans could be used since only small quantities would be needed.  any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

dax415

Is it even feasable to cast in aluminum? Not exactly a soft metal.

aluminun makes up most of whats in "soft or white metal " it's just pure aluminum not an alloy like in aluminum cans & most everything else made of aluminum. also the molds for casting have to withstand the heat of the molten metal granted not as hot as steel but still hot . i do believe micromark still offers kits for casting in metal , but i'm pretty sure it's more expensive than casting in resin

The start up costs for casting in metal are pricer than resin, but production wise it's cheaper to do white metal as metal is cheaper than resin and metal doesn't actually attack and eat at the molds like resin does, though metal molds still have to be remolded eventually, they just have a longer casting life. Most processes for individual use also force you to use vulcanized rubber molds for metal, which means the master sculpt must be able to survive being stuck in an oven.

In addition to the previously mentioned Micromark, Prince August has all sorts of metal casting kits, materials and accessories.

thanks guys, i'll definately do more homework on this. i ask about the metal cause i found something rare in the back of my drawer....2 1/87 Scale Heavy Gear Miniatues by RAFM last i checked they are pretty hard to get in that scale and people were converting them to Tau suits. i wanted to cast some for myself and make some so others have some too...maybe i'll break even if enough people are interested.

Beware the Lawyers! Someone somewhere owns the intellectual property rights to those Heavy Gear figures. You might just barely be able to recast them for your own personal use... but recasting them for sale is like writing SUE ME on your forehead in day-glo ink.

I haven't tried metal casting at all, but it is a possibility. It's just that you need more equipment, more time and more room. It definitely has some advantages over resins, if you can deal with the initial startup costs and extra time and work.

But the metals used are generally not pure aluminum or pewter, but are an alloy of a few different metals. Pure aluminum would take a furnace and some type of sand molds, which won't give the detail we need. Most metals used for figure casting melt at just a couple hundred degrees and you can use a tabletop heater to liquify, and any screwups can be re-melted to try again. But bad figures are also much less of a problem because of things such as spin molding techniques that force the metal into the mold as opposed to just gravity like most resin molding is done with.

-Hans

Party pooper!......nah just kidding you are right.  i only wanted a couple of more since they were out of production.  the last time i saw one on ebay it sold for about $30 looks like i'll have to break out those designs of my own and sculpt my own battle suits. 

 

just curious since sand casting will not deliver the necessary details, what about plaster mold casting or lost wax casting?   as far as start up cost isnt it feasible to build a homemade crucible furnace from a empty 5 gallon paint can? (Read it in a book called How to Cast Small Metal and Rubber Parts by William A Cannon)

thanks....

For just a couple figs, you can probably get away with a big heavy ladle and a plumbers torch to melt the metal, as you're only looking at a few ounces of the stuff. Just get the right metal, such as the ones from micro-mark, with a low enough melting point. And make sure to do it outside and wear the proper stuff to keep from burning your hands. It's not like you're making a high-carbon steel here

The trick then would just be the mold material, and making the mold itself. Depending on the figures, you may be able to do a two part plaster mold, and that should do just fine... though it will be delicate getting the figure out of it.

-Hans

Casting Pewter is much easier than casting aluminum. For pewter, you can use RT Silicone to cast your molds, just like for resins, because the melt temp of pewter/white metal is low. For aluminum, you would need to create a mold out of casting sand or it will not be able to withstand the heat of casting. There are mutiple websites and forums dedicated to casting aluminum and "coffee can" furnaces to melt the aluminum.

There are also site with plans to build your own spin caster, similar to the ones used by miniature manufactures to spin cast miniatures. So that you could make professional minatures of your own greens.
A couple of good places to go for some basic information is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hobbicast/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/

Good luck with your project.

Posted By shrew on 03/04/2007 7:38 AM
aluminun makes up most of whats in "soft or white metal " it's just pure aluminum not an alloy like in aluminum cans & most everything else made of aluminum. also the molds for casting have to withstand the heat of the molten metal granted not as hot as steel but still hot .

There is absolutely no Aluminum in Pewter.  Not sure where you got that information.

Pewter is a mix of Tin, Copper, Bismuth, Antimony, and occasionally (historically) Lead.  I don't believe any of the stuff that you get nowadays has any Lead in it (otherwise, what's the point...)

Aluminum melts at @1200° F in its pure form.  There are some Aluminum composites that have slightly lower melting points, but still much too high for rubber casting of miniatures.


As to the original topic about casting, here are some useful links:
http://www.freemansupply.com/video.htm
::: Helpful videos about the molding and casting process.
http://www.miniaturemolds.com/
::: Company that sells casting supplies and kits
http://www.micromark.com/
::: Lots of useful stuff there including casting supplies and kits.

Hope that helps some.

~Eric

taarnak you are right i did not go into detail but where did i say there was aluminun in pewter? white metal i am familiar with is used in making stuff like cheap die-cast toys.

Posted By shrew on 03/05/2007 6:01 PM
white metal i am familiar with is used in making stuff like cheap die-cast toys.

In the miniatures industry, 'white metal' is the common name for the tin-alloy that most manufacturers currently use.

Posted By insaniak on 03/05/2007 6:40 PM

Posted By shrew on 03/05/2007 6:01 PM
white metal i am familiar with is used in making stuff like cheap die-cast toys.

In the miniatures industry, 'white metal' is the common name for the tin-alloy that most manufacturers currently use.

And thus my assumption.

Sorry bout that shrew.

~E

no problem Taarnak, i was comparing apples to oranges & didn't know it & thank you Insaniac for clearing up the terms & avoiding a metalurgical stand-off

wow thanks for the awesome info and links! since my last post and now i managed to get some sculpting in on the basic form of a heavy gear style suit of my own design. just got to raise more funds for the project. i'll update how the project goes if anyone is interested.

sorry, but i dont believe that there is much cost to start up resin moulds.
attached is the web site of the place i buy all my stuff from.
my only start up cost was an old electric shaver that i used to create a vibration table.
Armsmodelit sell starter packs that give you everything you need, and they do workshops to teach you how to do it.

http://www.armsmodelit.com/

my recommendation = Pinky, is the good stuff

i know this is an old post but i was wondering can aluminum cans be used as a metal to make figs? was just curious if anyone has attempted this or was it just a waste of time. thanks

Waste of time, and money to try that.

heh, heh, yeah i figured that right after i posted....if it were that easy gw would probably have their own recycle centers.

Posted By nyarlathotep667 on 03/04/2007 8:41 AM
The start up costs for casting in metal are pricer than resin, but production wise it's cheaper to do white metal as metal is cheaper than resin and metal doesn't actually attack and eat at the molds like resin does, though metal molds still have to be remolded eventually, they just have a longer casting life. Most processes for individual use also force you to use vulcanized rubber molds for metal, which means the master sculpt must be able to survive being stuck in an oven.

In addition to the previously mentioned Micromark, Prince August has all sorts of metal casting kits, materials and accessories.

Why wouldn't you use Room Temperature Vulcanized Silicone Rubber?

I have used RTV silicone for resin casting, and if we're talking about the same stuff, molten metal would just burn right through it.
Also it is soft, I have tried to cast large solid pieces and the weight of a lot of resin has deformed the piece. To succeed, I had to put in about half the volume, then tumble the mold to coat the inside while the resin set. Inconvenient & messy, and I ended up with a hollow, rather fragile shell. I filled it with expanding insulation foam.

Actually, casting with pewter is a lot easier than with resin.
Pewter is heavier and thus has a better flow in a two part mould, also pewter is one of the few substances that expands when going from liquid to solid form - thus producing crisp detail (why "white metal" are superior to plastic minis).

You can use an ordinary stove to melt the metal (and no, you *cannot* use aluminium).
Also spin-caster is *NOT* needed to reproduce detail - it is only used to reduce the amount of metal used, produce identical casts and speed up the process.

You could easily (but you obviously shouldn't!) recast commercial miniatures using a two part (heat resistant) RTV mould.
If casting properly you will not be able to spot the difference between the original and the copy.

Anybody knows any EU suppliers please?

I have a question about casting...lets say I've converted up something myself...example, some twin-linked devourer arms using 2 devourer guns and 2 arms...something GW doesn't make but using some GW parts and some Greenstuff of my own. Is it legal to cast this? I'm guessing it's legal for my own use..what if others liked my design and wanted some as well?

legal to cast for yourself? yes.. legal to cast for profit of any kind? no!!