Cast Your Own Mini-Figure

Ever since I was really little I have wanted to make a mini metal figure, but i didn't think I had the tools. But don't worry, because I have come up with a solution so everyone can cast their own metal figures! This casting method is very cheap, and most of the materials are easy to find in stores. This project reuses some materials that might have been leftover from other builds, to repurpose into this build. So go ahead, start casting your own metal figures!

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

You will need;
- a soldering iron and solder
- a piece of clay
- a safe work space
- materials to clean the clay off the figure when finished (toothpicks work good)

Step 2: Making the Mold

For this step you need to get out your clay, and any tools if you need any to work with the clay. Then, you should make an indent into the clay to look like what you want to cast. You can also press something into the clay that you wish to cast. You will want the molds to be as smooth and accurate as possible, because this is exactly what your finished product will look like.

Step 3: Adding the Metal!!!

This is the step where you will be able to see your project come into place. First you must heat up your soldering iron enough so it can melt the solder. Then, if you have any scrap solder, place it in the mold, without poking it, and melt the scrap. If you do not have enough scrap solder, just use regular solder and melt it into the mold. Every once in awhile, reheat the whole thing to keep it as one piece, not many. Once you are done, wait for it to cool off. (These images are when the metal has cooled)

Step 4: Finishing Touches

Once the metal has cooled off, start breaking off the clay. You might need some cleaning tools to get it off of the final design, toothpicks work great to scrape the clay off. You should now have a mini figure of your own!! Happy building!!!

Comments

[ptkrf]

A word of advice: clay contains a lot of water and when you pour molten metal in your clay mould it instantly evaporates some of water contained inside clay, which causes ugly finish. Try using plaster mould (let it cure for a while and burn it with torch or a few minutes before use) or use heat resistant silicone (you can find one that won't melt at led and aluminuim melting temperatures).

And now a word on photographing reflective objects with your smartphone: put your finger where you want your device to focus on, set it as focus point and remove finger before taking the shot - try it out, it works like a charm :)

[THEDIABETIC]

Those would make perfect monopoly replacement pieces