soctal Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 hello. I need to cast a hood ornament for a project. it will be about 3-4 inches high, i will like to paint it or get it chromed afterwards. i might even braze it to my project in this cast a bike. i dont have any casting materials yet, but i was thinking of sandcasting, because i cant afford lost wax. my question is what kind of metal can i use? i dont want to fool with anything that has lead in it of course. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 hello. I need to cast a hood ornament for a project. it will be about 3-4 inches high, i will like to paint it or get it chromed afterwards. i might even braze it to my project in this cast a bike. i dont have any casting materials yet, but i was thinking of sandcasting, because i cant afford lost wax. my question is what kind of metal can i use? i dont want to fool with anything that has lead in it of course. thanks. Brass or aluminium are relatively easy to do on an open forge with minimum tooling The pattern part is the most difficult bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 For just getting started with no background or assistance I would suggest a no-lead pewter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soctal Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 thanks for responding! i was looking at pewter on an ebay. a store seemed to have a nice little melter, the molding stuff, ingots. i asked the store owner if i could braze with pewter, he said no. i want to braze the hood ornament on he said i couldnt braze pewter. so i cant use pewter for this project although i am definitely looking at using it in the future. For just getting started with no background or assistance I would suggest a no-lead pewter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soctal Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 terrific, thanks!. i will look into these. would you know off hand if castings from these metals can be chromed and brazed? Brass or aluminium are relatively easy to do on an open forge with minimum tooling The pattern part is the most difficult bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 For starting out and ease of casting I too would recommend starting with the pewter. Why must you braze it on? You could cast a piece of threaded rod into what you are making and fasten it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Soldering is a form of brazing and Pewter solders very well.... Without knowing what the project is and what kind of service it will see, it is hard to determine the best and easiest methods... You can melt Pewter on the stove top, can't beat that for simplicity.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 terrific, thanks!. i will look into these. would you know off hand if castings from these metals can be chromed and brazed? Both Aluminium and brass can be highly polished to give a good relective surface or they can be chromed, the reflective finish will only be as good as the surface finish of the casting If you are using pewter, you will need a suitable solder with a very low melting point, and epoxy may work as well in securing anything to it, enclosing a stud is also a good idea as pewter is relatively soft, and a central core would strengthen it, Brass or aluminium can be easily drilled and tapped and a countersunk head screw used to attach it and leave a flush surface beneath where it is attached. Whatever your choice, good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Why bother casting it? Not that I against casting but I have forged some rather nice hood ornaments for old Fords and Studebaker's in the past, right nice looking flights of fancy they were to. You could do a lost foam cast in sand if you wanted to do that. This way you don't need to take the model out of the sand, just pour the metal in and the foam vaporizes. stinks like crazy but it works. Use aluminum, brass or bronze for this. Don't go buying a lot of equipment, just make it all yourself. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soctal Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 i used to term hood ornament wrong, but i just wanted to give an idea of what i was talking about. i am building a trike, a bicycle, not a car. and its a one of a kind statuette of a goddess. the threaded rod thing you mentioned might work just fine. however i am planning on casting lots of parts for this bike some of which will involve brazing to connect them to bigger parts. this is a cargo bike i will use as my main transportation, i am also casting a head light to attach to my front fender. i will be making the headlight out of LEDs. For starting out and ease of casting I too would recommend starting with the pewter. Why must you braze it on? You could cast a piece of threaded rod into what you are making and fasten it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strube1369 Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 Ya might check these sites out: http://www.myhomefoundry.com/index.html or http://www.abymc.com/ Alot of good info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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