Metal Casting Zone

Hello all,

I am fairly adept at making model parts from resin, but I have recently come up against a part that needs to be metal. I am making new canopies and window frames for the 1/18th scale Batmobile. How different is metal casting from resin casting with respect to molds and usable metals for such a project? Thank you.

Look into some lead free pewters or other low melting point alloys like wood's metal. Blobber has been working a lot on these and I'm sure will chime in. In the Wiki article above it gives several different alloys that melt between 107 and 210F. Getting the meatl to flow into long thin parts is the biggest challenge, that and making a mold that shows the detail you desire. That's true of any metal casting, big or small.

Welcome to the Forum!

Okay I could probably reboot and help my potential tutors and let you know where I'm at.

Ability to force plastic, glue, resin and putty to my will thus creating original masters suitable for resin casting? Check.

Ability to properly mix, degass, pour and pressure cast silicone molds for the purpose of copycasting the aforementioned master without getting silicone on the rug? Check. Sort of. (all but that last bit about the rug)

Ability to measure mix and pour two part resins and pressure cast them thus reproducing perfect bubble free castings of the part again without spilling any...you know what, let's skip the rug. Check.

Ability to do the exact same thing in metal? Not a clue. Until I found this site. From what I gather, all three of my major questions have already been answered.
One: Using temperature resistant silicone it is possible to cast both resin and metal in the same silicone, correct?
B: A low lead pewter is the best metal for easy flow and polishability or can I look at a chart somewhere?
Three: Thin parts such as windshield frames are tough to cast because the metal wants to cool before it chases all the air out?

At any rate I would also like to know if warming the mold in the oven ( I do this for the clear parts) will help with the metal flow? And can I usually find low melt metals locally?

As I understand it, Metal casting can be as simple as melting the metal in a small pot on a hot plate and pouring it in the mold, much like the mattell casting machine from a few years ago? I remember at one point we filled the mold with beads and put them in the oven because my son broke the part that heated the metal. It worked but I can't seem to find those metal beads anymore. Oh wel.

Remember, "You can lead a horse to water, but you gotta be strong and determined if you're gonna drown im"

Yes, forget about the rug when you start melting metal.

one: High temp silicone will work with low temp alloys.
B: NO lead pewter is good for detail, you would have to check casting temp against the max temp of the silicone mold. Then you may only get a couple shots before the mold loses detail.
3: yes the thin parts are a bugger.

Your online so you have access to low melt alloys. Hallmark, Rotomelt, check jewelry suppliers and such.

Hi Futurabat 6543

Welcome to the forum.. 1/18 Scale cars ???? at this scale some things wouldn't be too small. I've been casting 1/48 scale items for model cars for many years for one of my customers. I think you will need to cast them in a spin casting machine to get good results. Gravity castings may work, but the denisity of a metal in a spun casting is so much better. This is important if you want to polish the parts. Many of the parts I cast have to be crome plated and come up ok ,I use a 55% tin 42% lead 3% Ant alloy . Jammer is right in advise you on the high temp sil rubber for the moulds and the alloy should be high tin pewter for best results for the polishing. Hope this helps JOHNCAST

Thank you all for your help. I believe this answers my questions perfectly!