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I Forge Iron

what is the cheapest I could cast these things at assuming i'm casting using an 80% zinc alloy?


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I'm no industrial metals caster, but those are quite complicated forms with tolerance requirements that are likely far beyond your ability to hold if you have to ask this kind of question.  That is if you are attempting to cast these pieces and actually use them in making airsoft guns.

As far as I know, it is the setup work that is the big expense in making products of this sort: purchasing the equipment, making the multipart molds, designing and implementing the finishing systems to remove flash adequately...  This not to mention that one piece looks like it was stamped from sheet metal.

As Glenn hinted, there is an economy in making quantities of this type of item.  Unless you plan on making these in the multiple thousands I expect that you would get them more cheaply by buying existing guns and ripping them back apart for pieces.

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First of all: How much does the alloy you want to cast shrink as it cools?  I've run into a large number of people that find out the hard way that they can't use an original part to cast a replacement as the replacement ends up smaller!  I used to own a shrink rule---a ruler with 4 scales on it each one spaced a bit larger to take care of the alloy it was made for.

As mentioned mowing lawns and buying "donor" guns would be faster and cheaper.

Or you could source the work done in China, probably require a number of trips over there; but good casting companies here in the USA will not copy items that are under someone else's patent or copyright. I do not know where you are at.

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On reflection, he may be just asking his question in a misleading fashion.  Perhaps he simply wants to know what is the cheapest method to bring zinc materials up to casting temperatures and is planning on using broken airsoft parts as sources for the pot metal.

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