problems with casting

[jrt]

I hope Prince August doesn't mind me asking a question about competitors molds.....

I have started casting again after more than 20 years, and it's fun. I have old Prince August, Zinnbrigade and Nurnberger Meisterzinn molds. Casting rubber molds, like Prince August molds is relatively ok, I can always improve a mold by drilling an airhole into it.

Casting in Meisterzinn mold is a pain, especially with the canon i'm trying to cast. Does anyone have any tips on how to actually get a good canon? Do i have to use 100% tin? Try to drill a hole in a metal mold? Use more talcum? Or less? Or should i just throw a tantrum?

thanks!
Jeroen,
the Netherlands

[joachimmurat]

Beste Jeroen,

Om welk kanon van NMZ gaat het precies? Dat bourgondische geschut of dat Pruissische kanon? Ik had zelf problemen met het kanon van het bourgondische geschut, doordat beide uitsteeksels, waar het kanon op rust, niet goed vol liepen. Dit heb ik opgelost door met een heel fijn boortje gaten in de mal te maken.

Zelf heb ik problemen met het muziekkorps van NMZ. Waarschijnlijk moet je hier meer lood voor gebruiken dan tin, zodat het makkelijker te buigen is. Heb jij hier ervaring mee?

Ik ben zelf verzamelaar van NMZ, Zinnbrigade, Prince August, SCAD en Airfix gietvormen. NMZ, Zinnbrigade en Airfix heb ik compleet. SCAD zo goed als en van Prince August verzamel ik tot op heden alleen de 54 mm Napoleontische serie, maar zal daarna waarschijnlijk verder gaan met de Pruissische serie.

[carl]

That problem comes up all the time. And there appears to be many reasons for those problems. Some say your Lead is to hot. Some say not hot enough. I've made many cannons and they are one of my most fun products. And I just keep on trying over and over and over. My mold for that cannon is a metal one purchased here in the USA, the Dunken Company, that sells the Prince August productts.
Back to the problem. Not really sure why but I've found that with cold molds, I get more errors. The hotter the molds, the better the end results. As to the material I use. It's a conclomeration of lots of things. I used to accumulate dead Lead Acid car batteries and used the Lead in there. A freind of mine works for a company that removes Lead Covered caables in the ground and gives me that Lead. I sometimes get lead from gun firing rages too. It all gets melted into the same bulk pile of Lead or whatever it now is.
Regardless, I sometimes fail and sometimes make some really great items.