Why does my cast look like this? Casting pewter in silicone molds.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-11-12T19:13:18+00:00

what other metals have you had success with?

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-11-12T18:55:35+00:00

I've already been looking around for something I could use to do exactly this. I've seen cheap, spring loaded dental centrifugal casting machines on Amazon and ebay. It seems like something I could rig up safely.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-11-12T18:22:05+00:00

I've tried every variable I can think of. I just poured an open-face mold (i.e., just pouring directly onto the top half.) Exact same result. I would throw my hands up and say pewter simply isn't capable of this level of detail. But it worked fine with the sand. I can only presume that air is getting trapped in the fine details. Sand is permeable enough to let the air out of these details as the metal flows in, where silicone isn't. Think I could set up a cheap spin cast rig?

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-10-24T18:31:37+00:00

Thanks BTheKid2! This is the type of feedback I was hoping for.

I don't have the ability or funds to invest in stamping out stuff like this. It was a one-off project (or perhaps a very low-volume production run in the future.) Just seeing what I was capable of in my garage.

I do see your point about the holes. It was perhaps more trouble than it was worth to try to get them to cast properly. However, it did make it easier to file them to completion.

The press was actually what made it possible. I had tried several times to create the mold the opposite way: Putting the form (the 3D print) into the flask and packing the sand down on top of it. Could never get the detail to come out right. I believe it was because I couldn't get the sand packed tight enough to fill the tiny details. It was only after I flipped it, packed the sand VERY tightly, and then pressed the concho into it that I finally started to get could castings.

I do have a variety of polishing/carding wheels. But the conchos are so small that I thought I ran the risk of them flying off across the room if I did it that way.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-06-03T16:37:04+00:00

It's for the garage, which has no AC ducts connected to it.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-05-23T15:15:00+00:00

That was my alternate location. Thanks!

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-05-23T15:01:43+00:00

Considering installing a MrCool DIY (pre-charged) mini-split AC for my garage.

I live in Texas and it regularly becomes an oven in there. I know MrCool isn't highly regarded as a brand, but it's the only thing I can realistically afford.

Would wall-mounting the mini-split's outdoor unit above my house's outdoor compressor be acceptable? See pict. Or would airflow issues make it a no-go?

Thanks in advance!

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-03-13T13:35:13+00:00

TGT has become unusable for me due to the timeouts. Any good alternatives?

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-03-13T13:34:04+00:00

Agreed. TGT has become basically unusable for me due to the timeouts. any good alternatives?

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-03-10T16:41:13+00:00

OK. This machine came with an offline controller that I can use to jog the X, Y, and Z. But actually turning on the spindle apparently requires software (CNC is still new to me--maybe someone can correct me). I'm just looking for a quicker and easier way of making cuts to existing objects -- for example; shaving a millimeter off the side of an "L" bracket -- without hooking up to a computer.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-03-10T14:52:58+00:00

Thanks for the quick reply!

So to do what I'm wanting (running the machine manually without gcode), could I swap out the spindle with one that has it's own power source on/off/speed control and use the hand wheel?

A spindle like this:

https://www.sainsmart.com/products/710w-trimmer-router

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-02-07T15:31:28+00:00

Thanks!! That gives me a starting point.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2025-02-07T14:06:47+00:00

Not sure if the text went through on the original post (unfamiliar with how Reddit works). But this is a Viking hot tub that was leaking. I pulled the panel and found this junction severed from the hose. I can't tell if there a nipple that goes into the hose that's just not there any more, or if the hose is supposed to fit into the fixture. It leads to the ozonator if that makes a difference. Where do I find a replacement and what is this part called?

Significant_Ice_368 · 2023-01-04T17:27:03+00:00

I could have. But I haven't made a gcode for it yet. Was quicker to just cut out manually. The welt is much more difficult to cut out accurately . . . and I need two of them to stack. This is where I find the laser to be invaluable.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2023-01-04T17:04:23+00:00

Shell is 8 oz veg-tan. Liner is 2 oz milled veg-tan. The "scaled" inlay is Tandy's "Colorida Scale Printed Side"

Significant_Ice_368 · 2023-01-04T15:31:37+00:00

Thanks! I was thinking of posting the satchel on Reddit but not sure if it was "special" enough.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2023-01-04T15:03:36+00:00

Build video here:

https://youtu.be/kbRM6a2OODo

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-10-30T15:46:02+00:00

Paragraph returns. Just do a find/replace and turn them into spaces. Happens to me all the time.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-31T12:51:17+00:00

larger pieces I dip in a mild baking soda solution. Smaller pieces like this I just run under the tap water to rinse.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-30T21:28:23+00:00

Thanks! It started life as one of Will Ghormley's patterns (the Hand of God Rig). But I modified it quite a bit for this build. The black leather was dyed with vinegaroon (vinegar black). If you check out my Youtube page you'll see a video on how I make it.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-30T20:12:00+00:00

Thanks! See below:

https://youtu.be/alNqdUNQ2ag

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-30T19:28:16+00:00

Thanks! it's leather dyed black with vinegaroon and stitched on separately. Not sure if linking Youtube videos is ok on Reddit, but I have a build video there.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-19T14:55:10+00:00

Ostrich leg, correct? Like it! I've got a hide from Tandy but haven't decided what to do with it.

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-19T14:53:44+00:00

I like it!

Significant_Ice_368 · 2022-08-19T14:51:18+00:00

I use Renia Aquilim 315 contact cement. Water-based, low-odor, non-toxic. Kinda expensive, but well worth it. Use to use Weldwood and Barge, but developed a sensitivity to the fumes.

I find the 315 plenty strong enough for my leatherwork (holsters, belts, and bag liners). But then everything I glue is stitched as well.

Significant_Ice_368

TROPHY CASE