Backyard Foundry E-Zine
Skull Cast in Brass
I haven't gotten an e-zine out for a while....I have been busy...my foundry area has gotten over grown with tomato plants and weeds....it is a sad situation!
I was talking to someone about metal casting and he asked if I would make a shifting knob for him if he made a pattern. I said sure....and here is the process.
This is the pattern he make out of wood:
I used a molding gell I got from the local craft store called 3d gel.
I put the pattern in a can to pour the 3d gel around it.
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The gel is very soft and wet. I cut the pattern out with an exacto knife and then poured wax into the mold.
Here is the wax pattern:
Then, I put the wax pattern in a new metal can/flask, poured plaster investment around it, burned it out in my kiln, and poured it with brass. Here is the skull as poured:
Next, it got sand blasted:
Then I used gun blueing to give the indented areas a black finish. I buffed it and put some Increlac shellac on it and here is the result:
Wes loves it.....but there is one problem...it is too heavy! He is afraid it will make his truck pop out of gear...So I am going to make him a new one out of aluminum...It may be a while though! I may try to sand cast it this time....or maybe do it using sodium silicate and sand cores for a three or four part mold. I will keep you posted. Join this e-zine if you want to get future project updates.
Here is the final brass casting in a larger picture. Looks "wicked" huh?
Here is my foundry after a good day of casting! I did four pours that day.
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Update: 11-25-2011
Well, I finally made it out of aluminum! I coated the wood pattern with silicon caulk
...then made a waxed pattern which I coated with a thin coat of drywall mud, then put some chicken wire around it...and put another coat of mud on it. Then did a quick burn out in the kitchen oven and burried it in sand to pour. The burn out should have been longer and hotter because it bubbled and spit a bit, but it turned out fine.....and it is a lot lighter.
Here it is painted black.
Then I sanded most of the paint back off and sealed it with increlac. Here is the final result:
