Best metal chasing tools?

Discussion in 'Lost wax casting' started by LJLundgren, Nov 24, 2020.

  1. LJLundgren

    LJLundgren Copper

    So what are your favorite metal chasing tools?
    I do small animal sculpting and I wonder what the beat thing for putting the detail back in the metal is?
    I’ve been wondering what people use for things like fur and feathers?
     

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  2. Jason

    Jason Gold

    My number one tool is a dremel. I buy cheapy diamond bits from china. For longer straight lines like on you bear, I'll run a thin cutoff wheel.
    If you want to make your own, I suggest getting some 1/4" high speed tool steel blanks and shape them on the bench grinder to you liking. HSS will cut bronze like butter when sharpened.
    You could even get cute and make a nice wooden handles for them.

    Here is what I'm talking about. They come in lots of sizes. 1/4" 3/8", 1/2"... you get the idea. They will last you a lifetime. Get 3" long ones, easier to hold onto.
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-Square...902209?hash=item3432a3e901:g:CZoAAOSwt6ZWUTZO
     
    Jim Edgeworth likes this.
  3. LJLundgren

    LJLundgren Copper

    And you just push them by hand and they cut bronze? Or are these what go into an engraving tool?

    I used a cut off wheel for my bear and that seemed to work pretty well. Well enough that I don’t know that people would notice the difference unless I pointed it out, but it’s not exact and I can see the difference.
     
  4. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Yup... You can get them really sharp. And with a small hammer, they do a great job knocking of little balls you get sometimes when casting.
    You will always see every little error, don't sweat it and don't tell them either!

    I see these little blanks for 3-4bucks a piece usually. Order a couple and try it.
     
  5. LJLundgren

    LJLundgren Copper

    eBay thanks me for my order. They are on the way.
     
  6. Jason

    Jason Gold

    lol.. They thanked you. That's funny. When you go to grind these, know what you are grinding them to. Draw out the shape ahead of time. Blue the metal with a sharpie and scratch your plan onto the surface. Grind to your lines and have water handy so you can keep it cool and keep working.
     
  7. LJLundgren

    LJLundgren Copper

    Have you done a YouTube video on grinding those yet?
     
  8. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Nahh.. I'll leave that one to you. YouTube can go and F themselves. I'm shadow banned 90% of the time anyways. I made the fatal mistake and comment on other channels from my channel. I've been identified and I'm on the bad boy list. And NOW they are going to run ads on my non monetized channel?? I'm about to pull the plug, they dont deserve anyone's work for pulling that bs. Might move it to bitchute, dont know at this point and dont really care. I'm sure my stuff has helped many people out, that's all I ever wanted. Money was not my motivation.
     
  9. LJLundgren

    LJLundgren Copper

    Ah that sucks. We need more skilled casters that know how to make more than ingots on YouTube. I have fun with my channel but I’m not really the one people should be watching to learn from, unless it’s how to screw up and start over. Someday I’ll have a handle on this stuff though. I’m loving it.
     
  10. Jason

    Jason Gold

  11. Jim Edgeworth

    Jim Edgeworth Silver

    They are lathe tool blanks, I’ve been using 5/16” x 5/16” x 4” for 20+ years on my Myford lathe. Always keep a stock of them for grinding special cutting tools, probably got over a hundred different tools by now. Your right Jason, they would be absolutely perfect for chasing metal. After grinding, finish off with a fine diamond file to polish the cutting edge.
     
    Jason likes this.
  12. Jason

    Jason Gold

    And cheap as chips too. :D
     
  13. dennis

    dennis Silver

    There are round blanks, also. I use them for small boring bars. (They work decently as small chisel, too.)
     
  14. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Good to know. Now if only I could sharpen the damn things. I'm lazy and still havent learned. I'm on the carbide train now.
     
  15. dennis

    dennis Silver

    I'm altogether glad I learned many years ago. Learning new things now is much harder, mostly due to age and infirmities.
     
  16. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Mainly carbide burs for me with a dremel/foredom. I use sanding drums as well and sometimes stone bits depending on what I'm doing. Sometimes also angle grinders and my bench grinder for removing large amounts of material like sprues.

    Chisels seem to blunt very quickly and I haven't found them that helpful.
     

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