car emblem casting request

Discussion in 'Request casting service' started by Bill W, May 26, 2020.

  1. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    here is the latest example of the part I want to have made. In my original project, I made molds off an original 50+ year old part. I realized that part had too many flaws in it to make good molds off, which meant the plastic parts I was cutting up weren't of high enough quality either. I didn't want to cut up an original part even though it wasn't rare or worth much money.

    I bought a repop part that has a few flaws in it but since it's a repop I got out my dremel moto tool and cut it up. I made a few mistakes but some JB Weld allowed me to correct those flaws. Here is what I want made. I'd like to get a batch of 10 parts made. If my friends are right, I will be ordering more parts.

    It seems the white bronze is the material to use. (I don't think my pewter casting will work well enough)

    Let me know what you guys think of this part (negative comments are okay too). I'd appreciate a price estimate to make the mold and the initial 10 parts.

    Thanks Bill
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Still need this cast?
     
  3. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    Yes, I would like some parts made. It's been quite some time since I've logged onto this forum
     
  4. Jason

    Jason Gold

    What's the rough dimensions of that thing? Want them in silver?
     
  5. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    They are 4 1/2 inches by 1 3/4 inches by 3/8 thick. Factory emblems aren't solid. Mine is solid. The weight, when cast in pewter is 75 grams. I need to take them to a chrome shop for plating so they need to be a metal that can be chrome plated.

    I can cast them in pewter but that metal is too soft.
     
  6. Jason

    Jason Gold

    I bet I can get them cast in silver. If that emblem was going on my car, it would be in silver. Silver is cheap.

    I give out silver wings to our clients.. NO ONE GETS GOLD unless they pay for them. These cost about 80bucks. 3" long, 5/8" wide and 3/16" thick.
    We could reduce the thickness of your winged dude and cut the cost a bit. No reason that thing needs to be 3/8" thick unless you wanna pay for it.


    20210625_234840.jpg
     
  7. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    That part looks really nice.

    The part I made was copied/modified from an OEM part. The original was a little thinner. I made my master part thicker because I was getting blow outs on the thinnest part when I poured the metal into the 2 part mold. I have a master part that I spent a lot of time making really nice so the molded part would require the least amount of work to prep for chrome plating. I would need a machine tool to bring it back to the original thickness. These parts will be installed on the outside of cars so they need to resist oxidation, which is why I want them chrome plated. The buyer will want them chrome plated too.
     
  8. theroundbug

    theroundbug Silver

    It's a shell. Did you even look at his mold? "Thickness" is probably closer to 1/16" if not less. Yeah it measures 3/8 thick overall but it is not a "solid" pattern.

    If you are having it plated you can have it cast in zamak which will be pennies in material. It's all labor. No need to use a precious metal unless you want to for some reason.

    This emblem should be investment cast with wax. Master used to make wax copies. It was most likely die-cast originally.

    Sand casting this is going to be a nightmare if it's even possible, especially if you want 10.
     
  9. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Solid block investment is the only way to go with this. Yes I saw the back is hollow:rolleyes:
    Pictures being what they are, it helps when something is placed on a rule to show scale.

    FWIW, my wings in the above photo are solid. That's why it's 3/16" thick. Not worth trying to make it hollow to save 6bucks in silver. If it still proves difficult to cast, adjusting it's thickness is worth the extra metal.

    Bill, have you priced chrome plating lately? You can probably set up your own anodizing rig for what chrome plating costs. Thank you EP fking A! After we cast silver, we plate with rhodium. It makes it brilliant and only abrasion screws with the plating.
     
  10. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    I should place a ruler in my photos. I'll do that next time. I attached a couple of new photos. This is the master part I've been working on. It's one of the pewter castings I made. I used jb weld to smooth out the backside and to improve the parts that come from the mold.

    These parts were originally made of die cast metal to save material costs. I don't have a preference on metal as long as it can be taken to the chrome shop for plating. The car cars want chrome plating. They want it to be shiny. Yes, I know how much chrome shops charge and I agree with your assessment of the EPA.

    You bring up an interesting idea regarding home anodizing. I'll have to look into that. Silver is an expensive metal to make parts from. Is there any alternative to that?

    Thanks for your comments.
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    You are correct. Since I started making parts out of pewter, I filled the cavity with jb weld, smoothed it out and now have a part that doesn't have a cavity. I agree. I think investment casting with wax is the way to go. I have a nice mast part now. Maybe I can make the wax copies for someone who has the equipment to make the parts.
     
  12. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Now your cooking with gas. Looks good with the back filled in and much easier for the home guy to cast it. (Maybe roundbug can cast it hollow, I won't) You can cast it out of almost anything. The chrome platers will first plate it with copper, then nickle and last chrome. So if the part is conductive, it will plate. Before saying silver is too expensive, shoot a photo of that thing sitting on a ruler and get a quote from a chrome shop. When I did the bumpers on my old Jag, I hand carried them to a shop in TURKEY! Then, paid 600bucks to have them shipped back to the states. And it was still cheaper than getting it done here.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2021
  13. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Where is David, he usually jumps all over these jobs?????

    I can get them done in silver quickly with rhodium plating if you provide the wax or a good mold, but it won't be cheap. Or I could do them in bronze, much cheaper, but MUCH slower as I don't usually do solid block investment here at home. Then you would still have to send them to the chrome shop which by then, you would probably be approaching silver money anyways.
    I take it you don't actually cast metal at home, but have this cool piece you want more of right?
     
  14. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Sitting here shaking my head from left to right after reading this post....
     
  15. Jason

    Jason Gold

    lol.. You know I cant cast it hollow with my methods.
     
  16. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Yes you can...
     
  17. Jason

    Jason Gold

    I'd love to try it, but just don't have the time right now. Car stuff is cool anyways.
    My families shop in florida is so busy with retail work now, they are thinking about dumping the wholesale stuff. If there isn't good money to be made on a job, they won't touch it.
    never enough hours in a day...:(
     
  18. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Tell me about it!! I go to work to get away from working...
     
  19. A nice brass casting plates like a dream too.
     
  20. Bill W

    Bill W Copper

    The shop I use charged $50 to plate a part made from pewter. I'm right in the middle of making a new mold set so the part is inside the mold. I can pull it around 3:00 pm. I'll post a photo with a ruler.
     

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