Casting question????

Went to a thrift store yesterday, bought a three piece aluminum mold. Well made and very well used, maybe from the 30s or 40s. What kind of material would be poured into aluminum? Its a mold for a 4x5 inch skull, weighs about 7 pounds. I paid $3.00 for it, as nobody knew what it was! Thanks........Beet

 

Jello?

 

Looks to be one of a kind, maybe made in a school shop class!

 

Plaster? Paper Mache' ? Maybe for a theater or something if it's a skull?

 

Plastic?

 

Jello Shot Skulls???

 

I've tried plaster. Good for Jello Shots, after two I passed out!!

 

Well it won't take iron if its an aluminum mold. Actually aluminum or pot metal would be a stretch maybe pot metal. You don't want to use anything that is hotter than the mold will take.

Maybe pewter or something with a lot of lead in it. Pewter used to be real popular.

You could us it as a resin mold and it would probably last about forever. If you use the solid color resin as opposed to opaque you could actually make a skull that looks believable. Just by drizzling the proper colors to make it look lod and moldy.

 

May have been used for centrifugal casting of a rubber molded product.

 

It could used for investment casting, aka lost wax casting. Cast the skull out of wax using the existing mold. The wax part is then packed in a special casting sand. The molding sand is heated to melt out the wax, and the cavity can be filled with molten metal. Many cast parts are made with this method.

 

You could maybe use it to make wax skulls then using Plaster of Parism or something make a mold around the wax skull. Then melt out the wax and pour an aluminum skull. Lost wax casting. Works great I hear. Edit-Well shoot. BigChuck showed me up on this.

 

Is there a place to leave a wick hang out? (Sorry I'm at work and can't see any posted pictures) If so, I'm betting wax for skull candles. But like others said it could be for plaster or plastic too.

 

Yep, I was thinking headshop candles.

 

Sounds way too big for Pewter, the finished part would be real heavy and expensive.

Can you post a pic ?

 

Cast Iron was common for baking molds.
They might have used Cast Aluminum at one time,
but the mold would be pretty thin.

 

what he said

 

ya, you have a pic of this mold?

 

is it a MOLD or a PATTERN, which is used to make sand molds. then yoiu can pour just about anything. pic would help

 

A little closer look, it appears to be a candle mold. As there is a little slot at top center, just rite for a wick. It does plaster well tho.....Thanks for the ideas!!.....Beet

 

Sounds like it could work for lost wax or at the least be used to get you to the stage where you could actually get something made to use as a future mould/pattern for aluminum casting if you like the product.

Stick with it and tell us how it works out, even a few pic's would be nice as you maybe onto something.

 

Can not see the mold...but since it is aluminum, you can use acrylic in clear or colors and spray the mold with release...pour in the acrylic...let cure and remove. Should last a long time and make plenty of whatever it is.

Where do I find a picture?

"Wasn't anybody there except me and Little Skeet"

 

No pics. But will shift to candles soon. Too big for a shift knob. I understand the "lost wax" method as I worked at Precision Cast Parts in Portland for a few years. It would work well for that............Beet