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Miniature Tool Collection

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flyingtractors1:
Thanks OZ. 

I appreciate your thoughts.  I'm still exploring the art.  There must be many ways to cast and many materials that can be used.  Evidence has been found that dates back to antiquity and is believed to have been in use at different times on different continents suggesting that the casting process was independently discovered by many cultures.  My understanding is that the lost wax casting process had become a forgotten (lost) process in the Western world, though is is now believed, based on advanced archaeology, that variations of the process have been used in the old worlds as far back as 3700BC as per items found in Southern Israel and later in South and Central America - not to mention The Far East. The process is believed to have been lost in the Western world due primarily to selfish zealot rulers who, not only had molds of unique precious items destroyed so that no one else could have such items, they ultimately had the artist put to death to ensure that no other copies could ever exist, and the art died with the artists. It is my understanding that the process was rediscovered in the West only recently (19th) century by a dentist looking for a better way to make false teeth. If the process had been known before that, George Washington would not have had clumsy wooden or ivory teeth. Archaeology and further research may yet teach us more. These are the primary reasons that I decided to explore the art - to demonstrate that it could be done with limited equipment and materials. In the Bronze age forms were scratches / carved out of rocks then filled with molten copper and alloys like brass, bronze.  It islikely that there are other truths to be learned before I publish.

Ralph

Manxmodder:
Hi Ralph,
I guess it was the low melting qualities of bees wax and other waxy substances produced by plants and fruits that caught the ancients imagination sufficiently to experiment with them.

I see by some of your photos that you were using a raw unvulcanised rubber material,can't say I've ever come across that stuff before.

Have you ever tried 'Vinamold'(Vinyl Rubber) which is melted down and poured as a hot molding liquid and left to set?

It is available in different shore hardness which are defined by various colours for softer/harder compound.
It also has the benefit that it can be re-melted and used again when the mold starts to loose sharpness of detail,2grades can also be mixed to give an in between consistency.

I found the book on wax casting you refer to and I'll be having a copy of that.....OZ

flyingtractors1:
Hi OZ.

I think that you are right about the ancient's use of bee's wax.  I read somewhere that they also used tar and pitch to build patterns.  And I have even used real insects (spider) encapsulated in plaster and burned to powder then vacuumed out whatever remained and shot molten gold into the cavity just as an experiment, and a most beautiful gold spider came from the mold with fantastic detail.  Even the hairs on its body were evident.  I've cast little live flowers and even a cricket this way.  Makes one wonder what all is possible.

Uncured rubber of many sorts is available at jewelry supply stores.  I have heard that Latex molds are easier to build and use, which I must try, but hadn't heard about "Vinamold".  I just might try that.  I learn new things every day - thanks.  Rubber molds work great but are so labor intensive.

Ralph

Meldonmech:
Hi Ralph

                   Thanks for your advice, and details of your casting experiences.

                                                                      Keep up the good work

                                                                                                               Cheers David

flyingtractors1:
Hi, everybody.

I am a builder of miniature tools, and also collect tools of sorts.
There are many vises in my group - most of them are small,
although also have several large blacksmith vises and vises of other sorts which are often used in my other shop (the barn).

My wife says that I should have as many virtues   ; )

Pictured below are some of my smaller table vises if is the actual proper name.





Proper scale:





My intent is to build a 2/3 scale of the smaller vise.  It should end up about 2 1/4 inches tall.
This will be a long build due to the many operations that must be preformed and the exacting nature of wax model building and the "lost wax casting process".
I will post as it develops.

Ralph

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