Gold Plated white metal I was led to believe.How the gold content would react to recasting I am not sure.They also use copper plating for the Antique effect decoration.Again the same would apply.
Kind Regards
Nigel
Kind Regards
Nigel
Hello Anthony. I cannot find exactly where did I found, but some of the kits manufacture use Pewter or Pewter alloy (85–99% tin), where others use Britannia metal, this still based on Pewter. I am not sure how it will react to re-casting, though.
From internet:
Tin-based white or Britannia metal is an alloy with minimum 88% tin (Sn), the rest of the alloy composition is antimony (Sb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and small amounts of other elements that are added to improve the fineness of the grain structure and homogeneity during the solidification process
Some of fittings in my Mamoli kit were curved in bad way. I was able to straighten them by careful application of heat by solder iron. Extra heat melts this alloy.
Tin-based white or Britannia metal is an alloy with minimum 88% tin (Sn), the rest of the alloy composition is antimony (Sb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and small amounts of other elements that are added to improve the fineness of the grain structure and homogeneity during the solidification process
Some of fittings in my Mamoli kit were curved in bad way. I was able to straighten them by careful application of heat by solder iron. Extra heat melts this alloy.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 5,126
- Points
- 728
I have recast pewter fitting with no problems.
there are a several alloys like tin/bismuth or tin/lead or zinc/bismuth and other
bismuth when cooled will turn all sorts of colors like gold, blue, reds yellows and greens. and it can be re-melted and cast over and over.
i do not know exactly what Corel or any kit manufactures use but most likely a tin alloy.
its the fittings for the deadeyes, they are about the worst castings i have seen , nothing lines up and the mold lines are off by at least 1/2 a mm which on something small is horrendous, they are a whitish metal which i thought might be tin and it melts at a lower temperature than lead free solder, i wanted to try and make the bottom fittings again and if it doesn't work i will cast them in brass
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2016
- Messages
- 5,126
- Points
- 728
if they are whitish then my guess is a tin alloy pewter
here is a tin bismuth alloy Bismuth melts around 500 drgrees
I am not sure how the colors are controlled but looks like you can get any color you want from Bismuth or a Bismuth alloy
here is a tin bismuth alloy Bismuth melts around 500 drgrees
I am not sure how the colors are controlled but looks like you can get any color you want from Bismuth or a Bismuth alloy
Let me suggest not to casting deadeye chains? Make them from copper wire. This is exactly what I work on now.
yes this is exactly what i am working on too, the main parts i am making from brass wire the piece that attaches to the hull is a cast part , the one in the picture is one of the good ones but not accurate for my ship so i wanted to make one that was a little nearer to what it should look like using the extra metal i have with the deadeye surround , i still have one more piece of wire to make , it looks to be exactly like yours
Well that piece you want to cast I had same thing in my kit. I consider it totally out of reality. Actually it have to consist of 2 separate parts. I plan cutting the part which is a piece of metal making it a double shear connection (one attached to the hull body) from sheet brass. Look at this picture.
By the way if you want to get some insight into wire soldering techniques refer to this excellent tutorial created by our Staff Member + Moderator Jimsky. You will have to search for it a bit. It is worth it.
Thanks so much, @Y.T. No need to search, it is here. I am glad you found it useful.
Making the Ringbolts - an introduction to metalsmith works
A bolt fitted with a ring through its eye, used for securing, running, rigging, etc. - called Ringbolt Greetings folks. This type of ship element freely available thru many different model builder suppliers, and included with every kit. For the most part, they are OK to use 'as is', but... some...
shipsofscale.com
yes mine is almost identical to yours but my castings are terrible , there are a couple that haven't formed properly so im short any way , that's why i thought i'd have a go at making my own , i just got through making the long part that is joined to the dead eye and i am going to start making the short piece , once that is done i will solder them together , how are you going to blacken your pieces?
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2013
- Messages
- 380
- Points
- 158
White metal ingots for casting are available on the web. For some embossing projects I've found old pewter plates and vessels from yard sales and thrift stores are a super cheap source of pewter sheet. These melt really easily. Lead content can cause corrosion problems way on down the line, but a lead paint test kit from the hardware store can check for that.
www.belmontmetals.com
Belmont Metals - White Metals
Belmont White Metals featuring Aluminum, Lead, Pewter, Solders, Jewelry, Sculpture, Tin, Zinc Alloys in a variety of forms for many applications.
www.belmontmetals.com
I would suggest using brass wire instead of copper because it is stiffer. If you do not solder the ends of a chain link loop closed, and put enough tension on the parts, copper links will open up. You can blacken the brass, but when I do it, using tools to work the brass caused the blackening to flake off. Instead of re-blackening the chainplates, I just painted them carefully after they were installed to cover up the shiny spots.
Before painting....
After painting...
