This video is only six minutes long but gives you instructions on how to cast Prince August's new PA3117 Seven Years War Artillery Cannon mould. Cannons are more complex due to the wheels involved which can be prone to airpockets and failed castings.

Step 1: How to Cast a Cannon Properly From a Prince August 3117 Mould.

This is the new Seven Years War cannon mould. It is more complicated than previous cannon moulds as it has four barrels in it plus cannon balls.
There is quite a few parts to cast and assemble. In this video we are going to explain to you how the mould works and how you can get it to fill properly. Here we have the cannon wheel and it is always complicated as the rim here will block the air from escaping. To fix that we have drilled some ventillation holes to the outside. Also up here there is two ventillation holes. When the metal goes into the mould the talcum powder helps the air to escape out the side but where you have the ventillation holes the air will escape through those holes.

Add talcum powder to both sides all the way to the edges with a cotton ball. Talcum allows the air to escape by adding a tiny separation between both mould halves. It also protects the rubber. Make sure your mould is dry before starting as dampness prematurely cools the metal and will result in a reduction in detail in the casting. Clap mould halves together to get rid of any loose powder as it could block small channels. PTFE rod - high technology plastic that is heat resistant. Used in the mould to create the hole for the cannon wheel so we can fit the axle into it. Put it into the hole in the center of the wheel and when closing the mould make sure it fits into the hole on the other side.

Make sure the rough side of the support boards are against the mould to allow air to escape. If you use the smooth side it will block air vents drilled through the mould. The function of the clamp is to hold the mould together and it also is flexible enough to allow the air to escape. To cast the cannon we recommend high quality metal and we supply Model Metal. Use our wooden metal stirrer stick (or the end of a long match) to test the temperature of the metal. If light smoke arrises after putting it in the metal for five to ten seconds then the metal is ready to cast. If there is no smoke the metal is still not hot enough. Most domestic cookers will heat the metal to 300 or 320 celsius but you need to leave the metal on for at least 5 to 10 minutes before casting. Scrape away, from the side you plan on pouring from, any slag or scum so that this does not end up in your mould.

Carefully bring the ladle over to the mould and rest it on the mould, then when pouring it into the mould tap it firmly with something solid. This helps remove air blockages and improves the casting results. You can pour the second one afterwards. Give a little time between each pour. If a small leak occurs don't panic. Just leave it cool and remove it and remelt it. The leak comes from a support channel near the edge of the mould that takes the overflow from the ingate. After 3 to 5 minutes tap the metal to see if it is ready to open. Remove the clamps and carefully open the mould. You can see that our first attempt has an incomplete casting for the wheel. There is an airlock for one of the spokes but otherwise it came out quite well. The axle has casted perfectly. The carriage has also cast perfectly.

We will redo the casting for the wheel again. Now we disassemble the mould and carefully open it. Remove the rod and keep it safe to reuse again. The wheel came out perfectly this time. Now use our super snipper to cut the axle away from the ingate and then remove the wheel from the ingate. Next we cut the ingate away from the gun carriage. The axle fits underneath this. Use gel superglue to fix the axle to the carriage properly. Then cut the barrels off their ingates. You can use a metal file to clean up any rough edges from cutting. Assemble the cannon and its ready to prime and paint.