For something that doesn't exist, as HRP mentioned, could a 3D printer be used, and then a mold made from that? I have NO idea what's involved in all this. Those videos again prove to myself how dumb I am. WOW, great job
Yes, that video further down is showing exactly that with the key rings. You can also directly cast the printed part for a one off and skip the mold making. Here is an example of using the 3d printed part as a pattern and burning it out to produce a part. The metal is white bronze. its taken me some to to work this process out, hope you enjoy this one too....
Yes, but it is more particular. You have to get the metal and mold temp just right to get a really nice surface finish. Plus controlling shrink and gating are more critical when casting thicker parts, thin stuff not so bad. (less than 1/4") here is a pick of a investment cast 3d printed part in aluminum. The part was printed at a low resolution so you can see the print lines in the casting.
Here is a very, very long vid from about a year ago. This is when I had just started getting really good at this type of casting. The video quality is not so good, my video camera was on its way out.. I have a bunch of new materials to try out filament wise and also some different investments. When I get some time I am going to try investment casting some iron parts.
Ok, this is for those of you who would like to carve thier own part from wax and cast it without so much fancy stuff. You could draw your emblem design onto a piece of paper then transfer it to the wax block by taking a needle and punching small holes thru the paper into the wax to transfer the design. (use talc to make the pin pricks show up) Well youll get the idea The casting part actually was a bit of a fail, the part should have been placed with the stem down and gated into the bottom. Then it would have come out.
Wasn't sure if you wanted me to pick it up for you, so if you don't want it don't worry about it. It will be a neat project for the next tech week. I saw 3 of another type Hudson emblem, it was white and not as fancy (What year or model makes it different?), but this is the only one I saw like what you were looking for.
UGG, every thing I do is different. The L 110 emblem was pretty simple. But this Hudson emblem is one tough cookie. It pushes the limits in alot of different ways. It is not a casting, it is a stamping (in copper) so it can accept a enamel layer melted to it easily. It also pushes the limits as far as casting thickness. Not so much the casting as the wax injection. Im not willing to put a number on it. One part is quite expensive, but as the qty increases the cost drops substantially per part. Most of the cost (time) goes into producing a repeatable mold. I know I am being vague, but I hope you understand...
Yea that's what I thought because it looks like a lot of hours for 1 but basically the same amount of time to produce 10.
I'm having to reproduce the "VIN" plate that was on the dash of the '30 Plymouth I'm restoring for a customer - that was the only ID on these cars. It is really roached out on the front but the back has some incredible detail - the two drill spots are where I had to drill it to remove it from the dash. I'm currently drawing the emblem in CorelDraw using a photo of the back and will use several of these drawings as "layers" to laser engrave a copy of the emblem in Lexan - then use it as the positive for the lost wax process. Just passing this along as there are a lot of laser engraving machines out there - finding the right owner who knows his stuff is the only catch. Another possibility would be using similar drawings to layer up a 3d printer copy. Just another approach to get an "original".
That's exactly what I'm after, thank you very much. Its for a 1929, and was a one off year. I have a 28 repo one that is white, but don't have a 29.
Incredible! Thank you for posting all this! I just learned a ton! I literally just posted a thread asking about using RP parts for sand casting. This definitely clues me in.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vote-now-tech-week-october-2015.995188/ Short time to vote
For those who want to design thier own emblems, download inkscape (its free!!) And get started. There are pleny of youtube videos showing how the program works. Im just starting to play with it but i can see it being very useful to you all.
I should have read more than just the initial post. Sorry! I tend to go for basic tech ideas. Great follow up info.
Basic is good. The exhaust mandrel idea was my favorite I picked up some good ideas from a couple of people who posted here. They got my gears spinning to a point where I decided to register a domain name and get my self an online store customtagtoppers.com I may have jumped the gun a little but I did test out the theory and process on an old scrap casting and it looks pretty damn good. So im working on some artwork and will be casting up some examples to sell in the store and also demonstrate what can be made. I don't want to go into alot of detail just yet..... Funny thing is I have 2 orders all ready just from my POS example, so I think this might actually fly.....Maybe with some luck Ill be a hamb alliance vender
rather than clutter up the forum I will just post stuff here. I started playing with inkscape and put together some artwork then loaded it up into my cam program and off to the mill...... Still working things out, but have to give myself a pat on the back
Is there a practical upper size limit on investment casting parts? I was thinking that recasting some pot metal trim would be cheaper than trying to repair a badly pitted part. You could fix the part with bondo or JBWeld, take off a mold, then cast a virgin part for plating....
On larger parts you would move to shell casting, or even sand casting if the part isnt too detailed. Its strictly a cost thing. You can use investment block casting, which is type casting i do mostly, to cast yourself an engine block if you wanted to.
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