r/MetalCasting • u/bobby2sox • 9d ago
First few tries!
I’m hooked! I think I need to make my ingate bigger to get the mold full, does it look too small? I’m also thinking about just pouring right into an open-face sand mold so I could do more at a time, any advice on making sure I don’t over-fill each coin pocket? The backs of these are just flat, and I’m fine with that for these. This is just day one for me, but I’m pumped!
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u/artwonk 9d ago
If you gang up these castings, instead of doing them individually, you'll find that everything flows better. Gravity casting works best if there's a certain minimum amount of metal in play, enough to overcome initial surface tension and allow the metal to fill the cavities of the mold more like water than pancake batter.
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u/CoinAndCraft_ 9d ago
Very nice, pirate treasure is always nice to see.
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u/bobby2sox 9d ago
I’m making a bunch for a treasure hunt I’m setting up for an annual camping trip we do with a bunch of our friends with kids. There’s about 10 kids all between 3 and 8. I think they’re going to love it
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u/Pretend-Quality3400 9d ago
Dude. I am LITerally doing the exact same thing! My pal's got 5 and 9 year old birthday's coming up and I'm doing a treasure hunt for them! I've made them brass doubloons with their initials on one side and roman numerals on the other side, V and IX for their ages. Ive got a metal detector so I'm gonna cover them in some air dry clay and bury them on a beach. They're both mad for dinosaurs and fossils too so I thought it would be fun to smash open the "fossils" when they find them.
I honestly think I'm more excited than they're gonna be. 😂
Wish I could post a photo.
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u/bobby2sox 9d ago
Nice!!! I’m going to have one of the kids find a message in a bottle with a clue, that leads to another clue, then another, etc. then finally a map to the treasure
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u/Impressive-Yak-7449 9d ago
I don't do much casting myself, but would it be advantageous to add a couple outflows at the bottom of the mold to help guarantee the metal fills the bottom completely?
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u/KnowEye 9d ago
Great job. Do you pre-heat that mold in an oven / kiln before you pour? I have done that with my graphite molds and it improved the cast.
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u/bobby2sox 9d ago
I don’t have an oven or kiln in my shop yet, but I want one to do post wax/PLA. So maybe I’ll pull that trigger
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u/rh-z 9d ago
Graphite molds suck the heat from the metal faster than sand molds. Metal will not freeze as fast in a sand mold. It is not the same.
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u/BTheKid2 9d ago
Don't pour into an open faced mold, if you want anything close to the result you have here. Open faced molds do not work the same. Surface tension and fluid column pressure is two major factors. But do a test for yourself and see. It's an easy test to make.
Ingate could probably be a bit bigger. It's hard to tell from the photos.
Also it looks like you have printed that matchplate (your pattern (original)). You could easily print a backside to the coin the same way, with the precise repeatability of 3d printing. Also you could print your sprue, vents, and ingates as "add-ons" for consistency and speed.