Say hello to my little silver friend!

[DrDave]

Another sand cast, this one a little less straightforward that the bricks and dominoes.

Weighing in at just 23g, Tristan the Turtle is the latest addition to my silver haul.

[Silverlocks]

You can also do lost wax (investment) casting with plaster.  The mould is a one-shot as you have to break it to get the casting out, but it's got better definition than sand.    If you're 3D printing the model, though, this should be a non-issue.

For finishing the items, you could also try splashing out on a burnishing tool like these -

Haematite Burnishers – Stuart R. Stevenson (stuartstevenson.co.uk)

[DrDave]

13 minutes ago, Silverlocks said:

You can also do lost wax (investment) casting with plaster.  The mould is a one-shot as you have to break it to get the casting out, but it's got better definition than sand.    If you're 3D printing the model, though, this should be a non-issue.

For finishing the items, you could also try splashing out on a burnishing tool like these -

Haematite Burnishers – Stuart R. Stevenson (stuartstevenson.co.uk)

Lost wax is the goal, but theres a couple of large pieces of kit to add first. I may have to sell a few sovereigns 😏

[Silverlocks]

4 minutes ago, DrDave said:

Lost wax is the goal, but theres a couple of large pieces of kit to add first. I may have to sell a few sovereigns 😏

Parting with an old friend is always hard, but you can do it.

Got any young vics?

[Silverlocks]

Funnily enough I remember reading an article on lost wax casting about 40 years ago and trying it with candle wax, plaster of paris and lead from and old car battery melted with a big blowtorch.  It wasn't terribly successful, though.

Another thing that might be quite fun is artisanal PM refining.  There's an American youtuber called sreetps that makes some fairly informative videos on his garage refining operation.  I used to be a bit of a chemistry nut as a wee lad, (and have experience handling acids from about 8 years old) and it sort of tickles my fancy.

Unfortunately, even if I could persuade the Home Office to let me buy the acids, I suspect that a small rented apartment isn't quite the appropriate venue for such an endeavour.  Still, one can dream.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Silverlocks

[MonkeysUncle]

You're quality control is way better than a mint I can think of!

I reckon there's a nice side hustle to be made here, I'd buy one of those for starters. A heck of a lot of visual appeal. 😀

[DrDave]

31 minutes ago, MonkeysUncle said:

You're quality control is way better than a mint I can think of!

I reckon there's a nice side hustle to be made here, I'd buy one of those for starters. A heck of a lot of visual appeal. 😀

A little more practice to get it just right, but i'd love to think that somebody would like to own one.

Thank you

[PhilOdgny]

Did anyone else think this was going to be a silver M16 a la Scarface? 😂 Probably just me.

But this is very cute and would make a great xmas pressie!  Will you be rolling these into mass production in time for xmas?

Edited November 19, 2022 by PhilOdgny

[DrDave]

38 minutes ago, PhilOdgny said:

Did anyone else think this was going to be a silver M16 a la Scarface? 😂 Probably just me.

But this is very cute and would make a great xmas pressie!  Will you be rolling these into mass production in time for xmas?

If i can perfect the cast, i'll certainly be making a few available on the Forum

[StackemHigh]

Hello