Tue Jun 18, 2013 2:56 am
Make your own low temp melting casting metal
Hi People.
If anyone is interested in casting metal keys from moulds they might find the following of interest.
The low temperature metal mostly used goes under the name of Cerosafe. It can be purchased from Brownelles, the gunsmith suppliers, where it is used to “slug “ the chambers of rifles etc.
They sell it for $75 a Lb. – a LOT.
Another place that sells low temp melting metals in the US is Csalloys. Their site has a good specifications page with info on many different alloys and their composition.
I recently came across a recipe to make it yourself in an old book published around 1911.
“A Select Collection of Valuable and Curious Arts and Interesting Experiments, Which are Well Explained and Warranted Genuine and may be Performed Easily, Safely, and at Little Expense”
So here it is;
“A metal that will melt in hot water.—Melt together eight parts of bismuth, five of lead and three of tin. This alloy, though hard and brilliant, when cold, is so easily fusible that it may be melted on a paper, being held over the flame of a candle. Tea spoons may be made of this compound metal, which may be melted by putting them in a cup of hot tea”.
The good news is that small amounts of bismuth and tin can be purchased from Rotometals and they sell on Amazon. At very reasonable prices.
ie.
http://www.amazon.com/Bismuth-Ingot-Chu ... B001QUVMC8
Cheers.
Neilau.
If anyone is interested in casting metal keys from moulds they might find the following of interest.
The low temperature metal mostly used goes under the name of Cerosafe. It can be purchased from Brownelles, the gunsmith suppliers, where it is used to “slug “ the chambers of rifles etc.
They sell it for $75 a Lb. – a LOT.
Another place that sells low temp melting metals in the US is Csalloys. Their site has a good specifications page with info on many different alloys and their composition.
I recently came across a recipe to make it yourself in an old book published around 1911.
“A Select Collection of Valuable and Curious Arts and Interesting Experiments, Which are Well Explained and Warranted Genuine and may be Performed Easily, Safely, and at Little Expense”
So here it is;
“A metal that will melt in hot water.—Melt together eight parts of bismuth, five of lead and three of tin. This alloy, though hard and brilliant, when cold, is so easily fusible that it may be melted on a paper, being held over the flame of a candle. Tea spoons may be made of this compound metal, which may be melted by putting them in a cup of hot tea”.
The good news is that small amounts of bismuth and tin can be purchased from Rotometals and they sell on Amazon. At very reasonable prices.
ie.
http://www.amazon.com/Bismuth-Ingot-Chu ... B001QUVMC8
Cheers.
Neilau.
Clark's Law (Arthur C)
For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert.
For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert.