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Hey AOM, Neat instruction videos. That is the same lost wax casting technique we were taught in that very cool Art Metal class in college back in 1967. Anything we carved or put together with wax rods or solid wax came out well. But your use of a vibrating sander makes those pesky hidden bubbles rise to the top faster. One thing I see is that your plaster liquid has a lot more water in it than what we mixed up for the final pour. I seemed to think our instructor put something in to speed up the solidifying because we only had 1.5 hours of active time for our two days per week class. (plus 25 students) We used our tap, tap, tap method with a small hand shovel to get those hidden bubbles to rise to the top. Jnaki That Art Metal class was one of the best classes in all of the 4 years of college. Here is a little pin from back in 1969 that was very popular when anyone who entered a European Scrambles motorcycle event in So Cal. It was for entering a race in outer, Los Angeles at the Corriganville movie set. That race(s) had historical significance in the motorcycle circles in So Cal. I saved it in a drawer for 48 years. That was our last episode in European Scrambles for us.
I had an update the other day, on the 29 Hudson badge, aonemarine found for me, in 2015. Here's what it looks like now. I like it like it is, but he said he will plate and enamel it. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result.
Thanks for posting the videos. I have known about lost wax casting for over 30 years, but have never had the nerve to try it. I have made molds and cast lots of fishing lures, but what you have shown me is a totally different process and is really exciting. I have a set of Cameo tail lights that I would like to do. I would also like to do the lenses. Did you use pot metal? Bob
I used brass, that what the local plater had preferred but has since gone out of business. I would check with your plater before deciding on what alloy to use.
Thanks, how many inches or millimeters of vacuum do you need to evacuate the air from the silicone? I have a small compressor that I might be able to use to provide the vacuum. The other thought I had was to use the vacuum cleaner. Does that sound realistic? Bob
If you have a decent air compressor you can convert to vacuum with a vacuum generator. http://www.fibreglast.com/product/1148_Vacuum_Generator/Vacuum_Bagging_Pumps
Interesting post. I was at the SEMA show some years back and had a conversation with Art Danchuk. The Danchuks produce or should I say reproduce most of the Tri-Five Chevy parts that are used to day. Back when I was just a kid one of the first things any young guy did to his car was to remove emblems and such as that. I can remember very well the cars of the young bloods running around deck and shaved. Sometimes they didn't have the money to repaint so that spot were the emblems "Had" been was in primer sometimes for a long time. They just had to modify the car in some way to separate it from the old mans car. I mean heaven forbid being seen driving Dads car. Today this crazy car thing we all love is a nostalgic based activity, in a way most of us old guys are in some way reliving our past, at least to some extinct. That brings me back to that conversation at SEMA. Art Danchuk told me that the number one selling item ---BY FAR--- for the Tri-Five chevys was in fact emblems. To say that this surprised me would be an understatement. You see to day all of these guys are not building the car of there youth, they are in fact building there Fathers and Grand Fathers car. Sad me thinks!
I understand the point you are making, but my personal take on your observation is, that I don't think we were stripping the chrome out of defiance, but more for uniqueness or style. I had one car, a 39 Ford, where I thought it looked right with all the trim, and a 47 Chev, where I stripped everything to accent the chrome reversed wheels and the corvette lights. My personal reason for experimenting with this process is twofold: I have some experience with molding, I have some of the equipment, and have always been interested in the lost wax casting process. I even have the wax. So assuming that I don't have to make an overly large investment, I will have fun with the experiment. The lights and rear emblem for my Cameo is virtually impossible to find, and I feel that it is worth the effort to reproduce them for myself. Even if I only made good molds for the lights, bowtie, and the lenses, this would be a worthwhile expenditure of my time. Bob
Bob, I completely understand your doing this. I even can appreciate the time and effort and ingenuity you have put into these emblems. The point I was trying to make, and maybe it is more of an observation than a point, is that back in the day ( when ever that was) things were done different. Now maybe not by everyone but certainly back in East Texas where I was a young man the young folks when they were able to get a car wanted to change it. Make it something apart from the other cars out there. I am always amazed at the cars at cruise in's and the few car shows I attend that the owner has strived to make there 57 Chevy ( as an example) as close to stock in appearance as they can. Every emblem is there even some that probably don't belong on that particular car are there. It is kinda funny how many Chevy's I see today that wear the Fuel Injection badge on the front fender. I was not aware that they made that many of the things back in 57. I also am NOT talking about chrome trim, I am talking particularly about Emblems. I can personally remember very few every day street cars with the trim removed. I just simply find it funny that as folks age they do in fact turn into there Fathers and Mothers. Like I said, back then you wouldn't want to be caught dead driving your old mans car.
I like to believe that my views haven't changed much with time, maybe that is the reason that I have owned the truck in my avitar for 50 years and am still not tired of it. I understand more clearly the point you are making about the emblems, I just never thought of it from your point of view, and agree there are restored cars that have emblems do not belong. Well, back to today, where I am repairing my jointer, so I can work on my garage, so I can work on my truck. I have a lot of upgrades I want to make, and my new bigger motor is sitting on the floor and all the parts are here and ready to go. Bob
The Jalopy Journal
