casting metal

[mrwigglesworth]

I did most of my 32mm elves and it worked great.
They come in 1.33 pound cup shape ingots.
I may add a bar of PA model metal to it to see if I get an even better result.
As far as PA model metal its the best! I wish I could use only PA MM. I cant afford the good stuff.
I will mix a bar into a lesser metal to get a better flow.
I know PA has a great deal on MM if you buy like $100.00 of it from there Ebay store.

[mrwigglesworth]

That Ebay store also has a bismuth / tin ingot for $16.00.
You could get both 5 lbs of 1186 and mix it with there bismuth / tin ingot for a better metal mix.
Just an idea....

[carl]

Also, not to take away any buisness from PA, but if you live in a country like the USA, lead abounds everywhere and occationally at no to very little cost. Of course the quality and composition would be underterminable but it makes great figures. Try a few indoor gun ranges for lead from the back of their ranges. Garages and gas stations for lead-acid batteries and/or old wheel balancing lead weights. Then if you can find a telephone construction crew, ask them for any old lead sheathed cable being abandoned. Also, anyone that knows of fishing weights no longer usable. Doing things like this I have acquired well into the hundreds of pounds of lead although it took some time to melt it down and skimming off the garbage from the top and removing the residue on the bottom of the melting pots.

[General Davout]

A point to note-
If your living in Europe and ordering Model Metal, it cost (for a 10 pack) €30 + €10 postage (standard). This works out at €4.00 per bar.
If your ordering Model Metal, it cost (for a 10 pack) €35 + €7 postage (standard). This works out at €4.20 per bar.
Its only recently I've ordered the five star metal (for Christmas decorations), and it's considerably lighter than the MM for posting.
The difference for the US is similar, i.e. €16 for MM and €10 for 5 star, helping to offset the increase in price.

[gleaner]

Hi, I tried casting in lead once and ended up burning and trashing the mould. What is the maximum temperature that they are designed to handle?

I have been buying up scrap pewter tankards from car boot/garage sales for a while. I was intending to melt them down and adding lead until I get a melting point of 190 c as per the metal table. Will have to get a thermometer as the original lead content of the pewter and the melting point will vary with age. New ones will be "lead free". Has anyone else tried using pewter?

[Prince August]

gleaner said:

Hi, I tried casting in lead once and ended up burning and trashing the mould. What is the maximum temperature that they are designed to handle?

I have been buying up scrap pewter tankards from car boot/garage sales for a while. I was intending to melt them down and adding lead until I get a melting point of 190 c as per the metal table. Will have to get a thermometer as the original lead content of the pewter and the melting point will vary with age. New ones will be "lead free". Has anyone else tried using pewter?

Pewter requires a higher temperature than our model metal and will also require extra care when casting as it will not flow as easily as lead/tin will.
Our mould can take about 400+ C temperatures without showing noticeable damage. The lower the temp the longer the mould will last. Model Metal casts at about 200 to 220 C. Pewter will need closer to 330 C to cast.
We have charts on our website for clearer references.
www.princeaugust.ie/alloys/index.html
Also note that pewter is an alloy and it is not always the same alloy. The components of a pewter mug may differ from a pewter figure so when mixed you will get an unknown mix.
Our 5 star metal is 90% tin with zinc and antimony in it. Not all pewter will have that.

[darius]

i don't think you should be afraid of using lead its only poisoning when its melting but just wear a respirator and everything is going to be fine.

[Prince August]

darius said:

i don't think you should be afraid of using lead its only poisoning when its melting but just wear a respirator and everything is going to be fine.

You do not need a respirator when using our metal, as it is an alloy. Melting pure lead may be a different matter (I have never done it). That is why we do not sell pure lead. All our metal is safe to cast and comply with all safety regulations in the E.U.

There is a big difference between melting a metal and burning a metal too, so check that you are not OVERheating it.

[darius]

yesterday i melting some lead and made 7 bars one weight 170 gr

[fantasyx92]

admin said:

carl said:

The lead scare is mostly in people's minds. Constant made up stories about bannig lead, not being sold due to being a poisonous material and many others are usually just that, made up. Lead is used everywhere here in the USA. It is sold openly for fishing weights and I've never heard of a fish complaining about lead poisoning. Lead is used for ballancing auto tires, in auto batteries, bullets for guns and lots of other places. It is sold as commonly in some areas as milk and is absolutely cheaper than gasoline.

Lead is only dangerous if you are going to ingest it. Open a window when casting to avoid a buildup of fumes (like when you paint a room), wash your hands after handling lead before eating food. That is about it. One person asked me if it was safe for kids to eat our soldiers? I think that person missed the point of using soldiers, common sense rules.

if a little kid is smart enough to handle one of the figures and they are observed while they do, would it still be dangerous?

[Prince August]

fantasyx92 said:

admin said:

Lead is only dangerous if you are going to ingest it. Open a window when casting to avoid a buildup of fumes (like when you paint a room), wash your hands after handling lead before eating food. That is about it. One person asked me if it was safe for kids to eat our soldiers? I think that person missed the point of using soldiers, common sense rules.

if a little kid is smart enough to handle one of the figures and they are observed while they do, would it still be dangerous?

Our metal figures have sharp points like swords and are therefore not advised to be given to small children. As far as any risk of lead poisoning is concerned, The lead is sealed easily with some nail varnish if you want, or when you have painted the figure it should be perfectly safe to handle (Model Metal has 'some' lead in it, but it has more tin than lead), but small children should still be kept away in case they chew, eat or bite the soldiers or try to jab someone or thing with the points.
In the end, it is a parent's responsibility to decide if a kid can handle a toy safely. Some children are more responsible than others when handleing toys. Our recommendations for casting is that any child under 14 should be supervised. A painted soldier has no lead exposed so no risk. It is still a metal figure so care should be taken.

[carl]

As noted repeatedly, Lead is not a super poisonous material that will kill you if you look at it wrong. If you even eat some by mistake, it will not kill you. Or at least not right away. Lead is one of those items that accumulates in the blood system and that is why it is not good to eat that. Handling Lead also will not kill you but constantly licking your hands if you use Lead will certainly not be healthy. Many auto machanics and individuals in tire centers here in the USA use Lead for balancing tires all the time and have you ever seen an auto machanic with clean hands? Now remember one thing. Don't paint your products with paint from China
The biggest problem with Lead is the people that end up getting lots of it in thier system through ingestion. Heating over a stove in the house will not produce a Lead gas. Way to low a flame. Lucky enough to melt it. My Lead for my moulds is composed of just about anything and everything since I've reused some for well over 50 years now. I don't eat it so I guess I'm still alive.
Sure wish I could find some of the soldiers that were made with that Silver mixture.

[stand2]

:)yes common sense rules when using lead for casting, :Ppaint from china and cars in the street will do you more harm,when casting i open a window but do NOT use a respirator and as for the silver soldiers i may have them (i payed a bomb)