Casting a lead bulb keel
art shops usually stock graphite powder ,a company called Terranti are a Good stockist for modeling and casting materials ,another Good source of casting materials are dental lab suppliers 👍
Casting a lead bulb keel
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Casting a lead bulb keel
Useful information. I'm not sure where I'd get these powders from though. When I designed the plugs I avoided undercuts and had no need to use the mould more than once but if anybody did need to your advice seems more than sound.
Casting a lead bulb keel
Sorry,should have said you can also use flint mixed into the plaster I used this when casting glass as well as bronze and aluminium.
Casting a lead bulb keel
If you are using a plaster mould when its dry coat the inside with graphite powder this will allow for easier removal and if there are no under cuts you may be able to use the mould 2 or 3 times ,when I used to cast bronze into plaster moulds (lost wax)we mixed the plaster with grog (milled ceramics dust)to give it more strength and heat resistance 👍
Casting a lead bulb keel
Cenbeth - great write up with picys, the process can be daunting when casting - I have tried 3 metods to produce a keel bulb - thought i would also share my experiences .
(1.Casting 2.Shaping 3.Filling)
1. Shape a wooden keel bulb and from it produced a concrete 1/2 mould (*leave concrete to cure/dry) then cast as two lead halves.
2.Cut lead sheet profiles to diminishing templates, glue together and shape to bulb profile.
3.Used 1/2 wooden keel mould to Vac form two plastic keel bulbs which can be filled with lead shot/or concrete - then stuck together.
Mni tnx
Phil
(1.Casting 2.Shaping 3.Filling)
1. Shape a wooden keel bulb and from it produced a concrete 1/2 mould (*leave concrete to cure/dry) then cast as two lead halves.
2.Cut lead sheet profiles to diminishing templates, glue together and shape to bulb profile.
3.Used 1/2 wooden keel mould to Vac form two plastic keel bulbs which can be filled with lead shot/or concrete - then stuck together.
Mni tnx
Phil
phil
Casting a lead bulb keel
Mine were left in the workshop for about a month, possibly longer, before being put in the oven for a couple of hours. The problem with the last casting was that the Plaster of Paris was too old.
Casting a lead bulb keel
No need to be sorry Edward, she's a sight for sore eyes,👍
and British Racing Green to boot 😋😋
Yours drooling, Doug😎
and British Racing Green to boot 😋😋
Yours drooling, Doug😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Casting a lead bulb keel
Your experiences with mould-making make for interesting reading. I have never used plaster for casting lead but I do have extensive knowledge of using surgical plaster to make female moulds for vac-forming polystyrene sheet. My moulds are far smaller than yours but I have found that they MUST be thoroughly dry or you have problems. As a result I dry moulds for up to a week on top of a radiator or the hot water tank. I test it by tapping with a small hammer. If I get a ceramic 'clink' like hitting a modern house brick, then it is good to go. With the sort of volume you have there, the drying could take much longer.
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Casting a lead bulb keel
Hi,
I’m sorry about the car. It got copied across accidentally.
Best wishes
Edward
I’m sorry about the car. It got copied across accidentally.
Best wishes
Edward
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Casting a lead bulb keel
Hi,
It sounds like you had a lot of fun and a few changes of underwear.
That is a big lump.
I am glad you managed to achieve it and I bet you are too.
Well done.
Nice car.
Martin555.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun and a few changes of underwear.
That is a big lump.
I am glad you managed to achieve it and I bet you are too.
Well done.
Nice car.
Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.
Casting a lead bulb keel
Please note. The photographs are in reverse order!
About three years ago I started to make and cast a bulb keel for my wooden Pilot boat, Cariad. Well, I have finally done it but not without some false starts and accidents. I don’t propose to dwell too long on them!
My first task was to establish how much weight I would need. The boat is larger than the fibreglass hulls produced by Chris Brown. The hull is almost complete and painted so I ran the bath (while my wife was out!) and floated her in it. I then added weights until her waterline looked right then weighed the weight which was just over 13Kg. I decided to make the bulb keel a bit less than this to leave room for trimming the model.
I how needed to make a plug of the keel. Luckily I have a lathe which simplified the process although you could use an electric drill to turn down the front and rear ends. The density of lead is 11.34g/cc or there about, so it possible to calculate the size I would need using basic maths. I did this in sections, firstly the nose and tail (made from sheets of plywood glued together then turned down on the lathe), then the body (made from a plastic rainwater pipe) and finally the attachment to the hull (from wood). From the total I got the final weight. I adjusted the weight by altering the length of the body.
The mould needed to be in three parts: two sides and a section to reflect the size of the keel. It was made from Plaster of Paris. To contain the mould I made up some timber boxes and a plywood sheet to hold half the plug to start the moulding process off. This had to be greased well so as to release the plug. To hold the casting to the hull I needed a threaded rod which I originally made from 1/4” brass rod which was incorporated into the moulds prior to casting. Later I changed this rod to stainless steel.
The first mould I made was a bit damp even though I had let it dry for a couple of months in my dry shed. Too much air bubbles were introduced and the size just didn’t look right. I’d also included some feeder holes to allow me to fill the lead and for air to escape. They were not successful either because the lead solidified around them. The casting had to be re-melted and the mould re-made.
For the second mould I made a new plug using a narrower section of drain pipe but the mould was also a bit damp but the main problem was the filling points. Again, they were just too narrow and clogged up with the lead. I decided to do away with the filling points and left the top of the mould open to the air. I did this by cutting the Plaster of Paris with a jig saw and making up the irregularities of the cutting with more plaster.
The next casting caused me no end of trouble because it leaked like a sieve despite being held together with clamps. I had to stop casing the lead. Because I had about 12 Kg of molten lead to deal with, I didn’t want to leave it as a solid lump of lead. It is better to have a number of smaller bits to add to the melt pot gradually: melt a small quantity first and gradually add other bits. I therefore cast it into small ingot moulds. What I did was cast one ingot, wait a minute for it to solidify then dunk it into a bucket of water to finally cool it which resulted in the ingot and mould separating. The mould would then be removed from the bucket and set aside to finish steaming. Another mistake! I thought it had finished steaming so went to cast another ingot when it exploded and scattered molten around, including over me. I was lucky and only ended up with a burnt left arm and needing to buy another pair of glasses.
After being severely told off by my wife as well as being very nervous about trying again I again made yet another mould. This one I dried off in the oven (my wife was out!) for a couple of hours at about 140 deg C. This helped no end but I still got a bit of bubbling. However the casting looked alright despite needing a bit of cleaning up.
Lessons Learnt:
Use fresh Plaster of Paris
Grease the plugs before casting the Plaster of Paris, including greasing the mould interface to prevent sticking.
Make sure your body is well protected, including a full face shield while casting lead.
Use stainless steel rod as the fixing to the hull. Brass is too bendy/soft.
Make the filling hole in the mould as large as possible.
Ensure the mould is as dry as possible before casting
About three years ago I started to make and cast a bulb keel for my wooden Pilot boat, Cariad. Well, I have finally done it but not without some false starts and accidents. I don’t propose to dwell too long on them!
My first task was to establish how much weight I would need. The boat is larger than the fibreglass hulls produced by Chris Brown. The hull is almost complete and painted so I ran the bath (while my wife was out!) and floated her in it. I then added weights until her waterline looked right then weighed the weight which was just over 13Kg. I decided to make the bulb keel a bit less than this to leave room for trimming the model.
I how needed to make a plug of the keel. Luckily I have a lathe which simplified the process although you could use an electric drill to turn down the front and rear ends. The density of lead is 11.34g/cc or there about, so it possible to calculate the size I would need using basic maths. I did this in sections, firstly the nose and tail (made from sheets of plywood glued together then turned down on the lathe), then the body (made from a plastic rainwater pipe) and finally the attachment to the hull (from wood). From the total I got the final weight. I adjusted the weight by altering the length of the body.
The mould needed to be in three parts: two sides and a section to reflect the size of the keel. It was made from Plaster of Paris. To contain the mould I made up some timber boxes and a plywood sheet to hold half the plug to start the moulding process off. This had to be greased well so as to release the plug. To hold the casting to the hull I needed a threaded rod which I originally made from 1/4” brass rod which was incorporated into the moulds prior to casting. Later I changed this rod to stainless steel.
The first mould I made was a bit damp even though I had let it dry for a couple of months in my dry shed. Too much air bubbles were introduced and the size just didn’t look right. I’d also included some feeder holes to allow me to fill the lead and for air to escape. They were not successful either because the lead solidified around them. The casting had to be re-melted and the mould re-made.
For the second mould I made a new plug using a narrower section of drain pipe but the mould was also a bit damp but the main problem was the filling points. Again, they were just too narrow and clogged up with the lead. I decided to do away with the filling points and left the top of the mould open to the air. I did this by cutting the Plaster of Paris with a jig saw and making up the irregularities of the cutting with more plaster.
The next casting caused me no end of trouble because it leaked like a sieve despite being held together with clamps. I had to stop casing the lead. Because I had about 12 Kg of molten lead to deal with, I didn’t want to leave it as a solid lump of lead. It is better to have a number of smaller bits to add to the melt pot gradually: melt a small quantity first and gradually add other bits. I therefore cast it into small ingot moulds. What I did was cast one ingot, wait a minute for it to solidify then dunk it into a bucket of water to finally cool it which resulted in the ingot and mould separating. The mould would then be removed from the bucket and set aside to finish steaming. Another mistake! I thought it had finished steaming so went to cast another ingot when it exploded and scattered molten around, including over me. I was lucky and only ended up with a burnt left arm and needing to buy another pair of glasses.
After being severely told off by my wife as well as being very nervous about trying again I again made yet another mould. This one I dried off in the oven (my wife was out!) for a couple of hours at about 140 deg C. This helped no end but I still got a bit of bubbling. However the casting looked alright despite needing a bit of cleaning up.
Lessons Learnt:
Use fresh Plaster of Paris
Grease the plugs before casting the Plaster of Paris, including greasing the mould interface to prevent sticking.
Make sure your body is well protected, including a full face shield while casting lead.
Use stainless steel rod as the fixing to the hull. Brass is too bendy/soft.
Make the filling hole in the mould as large as possible.
Ensure the mould is as dry as possible before casting
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