Tutorials - What I want to Learn.

[Prince August]

;D
WE want to make casting, painting and using our products easy and fun. Tell us what aspect you want to learn more about.
We have covered casting, filing, priming, and painting a 54mm Napoleonic soldier. We are learning how to paint a dragon at present (September 2004)

[frank]

what would be useful here, especialy for beginners in the napoleonic 54mm range would be a list of alternative uniforms that could be painted on the figures in the range...ie the 95th rifles can also be painted as the 60th....a lot of these can only be found after trawling through the net or spending money on books that could be spent on more moulds or model metal......

[luftys]

Guest-frank said:

what would be useful here, especialy for beginners in the napoleonic 54mm range would be a list of alternative uniforms that could be painted on the figures in the range...ie the 95th rifles can also be painted as the 60th....a lot of these can only be found after trawling through the net or spending money on books that could be spent on more moulds or model metal......

I am glad to see that I am not the only one ;Dwho spends hours and hours looking at the net or looking at books to make better figures

[MJW]

A little more on casting technique. I used to cast 25mm in my teens with reasonable success. I have returned to the hobby after a break of 20 years and my results are dissapointing despite being to afford the more accessories. I have tried venting, preheating the mould, liberal use of releasing powder but all is dissapointing. I do the usual testing with a match stick for temperature.

Perhaps the metal composition has changed due to EU regulations on lead?

Any suggestions from fellow hobbists also greatfully accepted.

BTW, love the forums, it is great to share thoughts with fellow P.A. fans.

[Bismuth Dirigible]

MJW,

What are you using to heat your metal? And what alloy are you using?

My first hunch is your metal is not hot enough?

[MJW]

I am using the plate on a domestic electric cooker to melt the metal in a P.A. ladle.

I am using the P.A. model metal, the cheaper one (standard?)

[Bismuth Dirigible]

MJW,

I recently purchased a “lee’s pot” for melting tin and lead. Well worth the fifty bucks!

For all of my Prince August molds I set it to between 3 and 6 which corresponds to about 550 F to 700 F.

If my castings aren’t coming out properly (and I am not talking just one single mold) then typically either I have the heat set too low, or I need to add more tin to my alloy.

I mix my own alloy (about 70% lead, 5% antimony, 25% tin) from scrap metal, so adding tin is analogous to raising the temperature.

[invictus]

where can you find or buy tin.. to mix with old lead what forms can it be bought in....or is there a cheap home source for it

[Bismuth Dirigible]

I've been buying tin from a local scrap metal dealer for about $3.00/lb.

Since I pick it up myself there is no delivery charge or minimum order.

All of the scrap tin I have purchased is in the form of 1/2" diameter tubing. I believe they use to use it for industrial refrigerator coils.

I'm not sure what (products) pure Tin is used for today?

[lensman]

Guest-Bismuth said:

MJW,
I mix my own alloy (about 70% lead, 5% antimony, 25% tin) from scrap metal, so adding tin is analogous to raising the temperature.

Where do you get your antimony? Is it difficult to mix with the other metals? Have you tried linotype metal?

[Bismuth Dirigible]

Lensman,

Linotype is typically 84% lead and 16% antimony.

Antimony has a lot of the same properties as tin (it stiffens the alloy, and helps flow).

I have a friend who’s father was in the printing business. He gave me about 100 lbs. of linotype. But I have also purchased 60/40 tin/antimony (lead free) solder.

[rizzo856]

hi I am new to the hobby. i thought this would be something for the boy scouts to do. we want to make the servents of the shadow chess set. i also ordered a 25mm golbin wolf rider from the dunken company. i have been trying the wolf mold set with no fig as of yet. my goblin only fills 1/2 and i get about 3/4 fill on the wolf. any help will be helpful.

thankes in advance.

[Prince August]

rizzo856 said:

hi I am new to the hobby. i thought this would be something for the boy scouts to do. we want to make the servents of the shadow chess set. i also ordered a 25mm golbin wolf rider from the dunken company. i have been trying the wolf mold set with no fig as of yet. my goblin only fills 1/2 and i get about 3/4 fill on the wolf. any help will be helpful.

thankes in advance.

Have you read our on-line tutorials (available on all our newsletters), they cover many of these issues. Depending on the metal you use you should make sure that the moulds are dry and have a light coating of release powder, warm the moulds gently in an oven to remove any excess damp and heat the metal until molten, keep out any surface slag from the mould and pour carefully the metal into it. Tap the mould gently when all the metal is poured to make sure it fills completely. Venting is only required for small areas like reins or sword tips ususally. It should not be needed for the chess sets. I would say you have not melted the metal enough.

5 star metal is much stronger than model metal and firmer so it takes more heat and careful casting to succeed. Model Metal is softer and very easy to cast but contains lead and the final figures are easier to bend or damage.

NOTE: make sure the release powder is bone dry as well, clumps should not exist, just fine powder. Even the weather can affect the results, damp weather can hamper the results.

[carl]

PA, you may want to make a permanent item here somewhere where the type of material to be or could be used for casting would stay. Note that is a very common question. Then everytime anyone brings up metals to be used or temperatures, they could be directed to that item.