** Tech Week** Casting a metal nameplate for your car

Yes what a great idea, thanks a bunch.

 

Very nice Smokey..

 

Great tech! I think you just created a monster....

 

How quickly does the pewter go from solid to liquid? I'm thinking if it goes quickly, like a plastic, it could be flame polished and it would ease the edges too.

Just think, now all the cheapo, no-name SBC chrome valve covers can now be chrome script SBC valve covers.

 

okay now to find some pewter! awesome tech

 

awesome

 

It solidifies fairly quick as one would expect for a low temp melting metal. The flame polishing is something I never thought about. I will have to give that a quick try tonight to see what happens.

Smokey

 

Super neat! Nice write up, the pics weren't bad. Don't be so hard on yourself! I'm doing this someday!

 

Too true.

 

What do you polish it with?

 

great tech

 

Great tech by Smokey of course.
I have one of the sets he made of 'backyard-home-cast' friction shocks that he cast years ago. Just not sure what to put them on...
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Cool Tech.!

 

Can you plate pewter? You say it polishes really well but does it hold it's shine? Outstanding tech!! Also have you used a mold made of plastalina or sculpey for casting?

 

Whoa, you made that look easy! Thanks for the idea, subscribed!

 

Thanks to all for the feedback.

As for polishing you can use the usual like ever finer sandpaper, steel wool, scotchbrite pads and Mothers mag polish. But you are talking to a real amateur when it comes to good polishing know-how.

Raven- Thanks. Long time. I hear scrap aluminum prices are up so those shocks might be worth something now. Ya think?

Can you plate pewter? I think you can because I am sure I have purchased pieces that were plated with silver before. I guess as long as the plating process temp isn’t close to the metal melting temp. yes it will eventually lose it’s shine but waxing helps or clear coating would help also.
have you used a mold made of plastalina or sculpey for casting? No, I haven’t but just try to use materials that are going to outgas and create bubbles in the metal. It will be interesting to hear what you find out.

Tonight I tried out an idea I had been thinking about for awhile and below are the results. In case you’re wondering it’s supposed to be a gauge surround to look military aircraft like. As you might notice the mold (mdf) isn’t even burnt and can be used again several more times.



Smokey

 

very cool, and whats more a use for MDF at last !@!!

 

Awesome! Thanks for the great tech article. Subscribed for later use.

 

Really cool tech piece. Your router skills are way out there too. I don't think there is any way I could route out those letters as neatly as you did.

 

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, going to have to give this a try.

 

Can you go into detail on how you made the gauge bezel mold?

 

Sure,For that mold I used my small rotory table on my mill. You could do the same work with the router and a template or do most of it on a lathe. The hole in the middle is where i was going to put a bolt through it so i could face off the surface before I took it out of the mold. It came out of the mold so easy that wasn't a option.

Smokey

 

I figured that, seems like the best way to do it. I have a rotary table and mill as well, but no 3 phase as of yet.

 

Run a vfd, easier and cheaper, plus you can program it to your needs.

Quick search of the local thrift store turned up a bust on pewter. Gonna hit up some garage sales this weekend.

 

Awesome, I've always wanted to try this and didn't know how. Thanks!

 

subscribed!

 

Got one, as well as a Phase-O-Matic. Just another project!

 

cool!

 

Very cool Smokey. Forgive me if I missed it but is there any shrinkage to account for with the pewter for something like the gauge surround?

 

Is it really cheaper to buy "antiques" to melt down than to just buy a new ingot? And where would a guy get an ingot?

How much does the nameplate weigh? Looks like you could get a few from a pound of pewter.

I'm going to be trying something like this someday. Excellant post, and will get my vote.