On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 18:27:31 -0600, Treedweller
wrote:

Hi,
I'm new to this group, but looked through over 20,000 headers and
FAQ's for info before posting this (sorry if it's an oldie that was
worn out long ago).

I'm looking to make some simple one-sided castings from tin, pewter,
zinc, or other easy metal. I've tried sand casting (distorted when I
poured in the metal) and carving a wood mold (moisture boiled out and
created air pockets).

I got recommendation to try "investment casting" with "Satin Cast" and
I've also heard of carving soapstone.

Anyone willing to save me some of my next few obvious mistakes? If I
go for soapstone, where can I get a small piece cheap? will the Satin
Cast work well (I ordered some)? Any other suggestions? I've sen
rubber mold products, but would expect it to melt when exposed to
molten metal.

Sorry to be so vague, but I'm just starting to figure this out--any
help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Keith
Good ideas from lots of people--thanks.

To answer a few questions, the sand probably didn't work because of my
technique, as was suggested (I was pouring directly into the mold,
when I should have probably made a trough to let the metal run into
the mold instead of splashing down). But since I was pressing a clay
model into the sand and it broke on the first try (the disk had cupped
because of uneven drying), I was looking for something a bit more
sustainable in terms of mass production. Maybe I'll carve a model
from wood and use it to press into the sand for another go.

The wood mold did get better after I dried it in the oven, and
repetition was showing improvement, but also the wood was burning more
each time, so again mass production was not looking promising.

I saw a piece of soapstone at one art supply (out of many visited) but
only a very large hunk, and more than I was hoping to spend (as
always, I should probably just get real and face the fact that I'll
have to spend to get good results).

It was suggested to me that plain plaster would not cut it--maybe I
should have tried it, hell it's cheap.

Another question soapstone:
Just how easy is it to work this stuff? If I buy the big chunk, can I
chisel off nice, clean faces, or can I cut it with a saw (hacksaw or
other)? I'd like to have at least one flat side, preferably two, to
make it easy to have a level mold to pour into. I realize the point
is that this stuf is soft and easy to carve, but how soft is soft when
we're talking stone? I'm used to wood, but haven't tried the hard
stuff.

Thanks again, and please keep the advice coming--if nothing else, it's
making me feel less foolish for my early failures.

k