Talking to a member of the local Franklin Club, he's looking to up size the Franklin hood ornament and cast lawn ornaments for fellow members.
I've done the lost wax process and sand casts with the drag & cope, but is there an way to make multiple lawn ornaments easier and repeatably? Like to use some fine cement, almost plaster like for the finish but more durable.
Thoughts?
How big are you looking to go?
I would go with sodium silicate in your sand mix. I use my C25 mig welding gas to make it harden. I think you might have a problem with moisture in any kind of concrete product.
I think that standard concrete mixed to a wet consistency works well for garden statues. The hardest part will be creating a larger lion to use as a plug for the mold. The shape is Also a bit complex. I have used plaster to make two part molds for simple shapes in the past, and have also seen silicone used to make molds for more complicated shapes. The lion, with the looped tail might need a two part silicone mold.
Definitely Sean Penn over Tom Cruise.
I'll see myself out.
Are you casting metal lions or concrete?
All I know is, using a couch is a complete no-go these days.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Ouch!
How big are you looking to make them? Could you do the lost wax method with a 3d printed piece (maybe two pieces glued together) ?
Rubber mold from original , a slush where you pour in your plaster mixture , slush it around the sides so you get some thickness and then pour the rest out ,
I saw a YouTube video of I think someone in India making religious statues ....
It's a pretty common practice
There is a concrete lawn ornament maker just down the road from me. They make some pretty large statuary, with complex shapes. I expect they use soft molds, silicone or urethane. Their name is Paolini, Easton PA. I have no idea of their pricing or order backlog.
Find a place to 3D scan the lion. Export it as a STL. Import to Cura, scale away. 3D print with 2 walls, 5% infill and then use lost PLA casting methods if using Aluminium. If not, then you'll need to slice and dice it to get a mold you can stick back together for concrete.
Thanks guys, will keep digging.
I hear iPhone 13 pro has a lidar chip in it that lets you 3D scan stuff.....
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