casting in Meisterzinn molds (1 Viewer)

[kilted vampire]

Servus, Christoph! Ich muβ mal nach Kretschmer nachschauen, danke sehr!

Weiβt Du, ob die Firma Höhmann noch im Betrieb ist-ob vom Vater oder Sohn geführt?

Prost!
Brad

Brad English too Danhke! Mein Deutch ist nicht gute.{sm4}

 

[theBaron]

Brad English too Danhke! Mein Deutch ist nicht gute.{sm4}

Ah, yes, sorry! I said that I'll have to look up Kretschmer, and asked if Hoehmann is still in business, whether run by the father (whom I knew) or the son.

Any better luck on blackening the molds?

Prost!
Brad

 

[christopher]

Servus, Christoph! Ich muβ mal nach Kretschmer nachschauen, danke sehr!

Weiβt Du, ob die Firma Höhmann noch im Betrieb ist-ob vom Vater oder Sohn geführt?

Prost!
Brad

hallo Brad soweit ich weiss macht der Höhmann schon seit jahren nichts mehr,matze hat viel Formen von schneider und i Glaube Ideal neu auf den Markt bringen lassen ,auch Nowikoff verkauft ab und zu 54mm vollplastische Formen ansonsten ist in germany tote Hose was giessformen angeht deswegen mache ich meine selbst
es grüßt dich Chris

 

[theBaron]

hallo Brad soweit ich weiss macht der Höhmann schon seit jahren nichts mehr,matze hat viel Formen von schneider und i Glaube Ideal neu auf den Markt bringen lassen ,auch Nowikoff verkauft ab und zu 54mm vollplastische Formen ansonsten ist in germany tote Hose was giessformen angeht deswegen mache ich meine selbst
es grüßt dich Chris

Ja mei, schade, hon i mir denkt! Ich habe damals mit dem Höhmann Senior gesprochen, der war schon auf die 70er. oder so, hat er auch gesagt, der weiss net, ob der Sohn die Firma uebernimmt oder nicht. Ich versuche es aber mit Deiner Empfehlung. Die Schneider-Giessformen sind einfach super!

Prost!
Brad

 

[theBaron]

Ja mei, schade, hon i mir denkt! Ich habe damals mit dem Höhmann Senior gesprochen, der war schon auf die 70er. oder so, hat er auch gesagt, der weiss net, ob der Sohn die Firma uebernimmt oder nicht. Ich versuche es aber mit Deiner Empfehlung. Die Schneider-Giessformen sind einfach super!

Prost!
Brad

Ah, sorry, for KV and anyone else who doesn't speak German

Too bad, I thought so. Back then, I spoke with Höhmann Sr, he was already in his 70's, and he said he didn't know if his son would take over his business. I'm going to try Christoph's recommendation, the Schneider forms are the best!​

Prost!
Brad

 

[lucio.bilancini]

Re: casting in Meisterzinn molds, some hints.

My first posting, happy to have finally found a place where i can actually post my question and hopefully share information.

I'm an active modeller: military in plastics, resin and (after having not done so in 20 years) tin casting. The latter is unfortunately a rather obscure activity as it's hard to find a lot of info on the web.

What i'm busy with is trying to cast a canon using my old Nurnberger Meisterzinn mould (aluminium alloy mold, as opposed to rubber moulds like the ones from Prince August or Zinnbrigade). For some reason it just doesn't want to work out, metal doesn't flow into the whole of the mould. Does anyone have any idea on how to improve this? Should i drill little airholes in it? Or heat the thing (and how)?

Thanks!
Jeroen

the Netherlands

Dear Jeroen ,
I am an Italian collector and modelist. I have almost all the Nurnberger Meisterzinn moulds and often use them but I agree often they are difficolt to employ as metal does not flow easily in aluminium. I noted that it is much more easier to have good casting using lead instead of the normal alloys; for example, I had good casting from the mould 1332 (musicians and instruments) only with pure lead (but using pure lead you are going to have thin particulars too flimsy). About piercing little holes in the mould, may be it is a good idea but till now I did not test it. I think it is good for you an article by Claus Mogensen , published on the Danish magazine Chakoten, n.2, June 2003 (Danish Society of Military History), where you may found some useful information about problems in moulding with Nurnberger Meisterzinn moulds. The article is available on the net, and bears the title "Castings of Prince August and others".
By the way, in mr.Mogensen opinion some hole 1mm diameter where metal does not arrive may help, but recastings remain too many. He advises to use the first good casting for a good remoulding with silicon rubber: I am going to use this extreme measure with the mould 1332, that is really difficult to use, almost for me.
Any way, your mould 1001 is not a very difficult one: I used it several times, without big problems: you may try to increase the percentage of lead in the alloy, similarly to what mr Mogensen writes: he use 3/4 lead and 1/4 tipographic alloy, that means a high percentage of lead without so much flimsyness of slim parts (I think the slimmest part of the elements of your mould are the beams of the wheels, being not so prone to bending for their shape).
Of course, you may buy a Prince August rubber mould for your cannon, easier to employ, but the Nurnberger Meisterzinn cannon looks much better.
I will be happy to know you have successed in the job (I practice it by fifty years!)
Lucio

 

[kilted vampire]

Ah, yes, sorry! I said that I'll have to look up Kretschmer, and asked if Hoehmann is still in business, whether run by the father (whom I knew) or the son.

Any better luck on blackening the molds?

Prost!
Brad

I am going to give it a try again this week I hope. Been doing a bunch of knights in some rough castings and Lil' Army molds.

 

[JrT]

Du sprichts zimmlich gut Deutsch fur ein Amerikaner, Brad

 

[JrT]

Re: casting in Meisterzinn molds, some hints.

Buongiorno Lucio and Grazie!

Thanks for the reply & info, i agree with you that the nurnberger meisterzinn molds look better, I have indeed bought them (the cannon i had, but now also the limber & guy on the horse & the wagon, no. 1006, 1007 and 1300 from the top of my head). Now i'm going to give it a try this weekend. Will print the article you mention first (found it on http://www.chakoten.dk/prince_august_en.html) and read it. I will think of the option of using tin, the only thing that would hold me back are the health issues. When you cast, do you do so outside, or using an extractor? And do you prime the tin figures before painting so the tin is well covered (my son has the ability to get his hands on everything, even the tin soldiers i don't want him to touch, so i rather be safe).

generally the 1001 is sort of ok, what's only irritating to me is that i have great difficulty casting the 'handles' on top of the actual cannon (the two seperate handles). [can anyone tell me what the actual term used is for these 'handles' on top of the cannon barrel?]

i will let you know how succesful i have been after this weekend, when i will start using my 3 new moulds!

thanks!
Jeroen

Dear Jeroen ,
I am an Italian collector and modelist. I have almost all the Nurnberger Meisterzinn moulds and often use them but I agree often they are difficolt to employ as metal does not flow easily in aluminium. I noted that it is much more easier to have good casting using lead instead of the normal alloys; for example, I had good casting from the mould 1332 (musicians and instruments) only with pure lead (but using pure lead you are going to have thin particulars too flimsy). About piercing little holes in the mould, may be it is a good idea but till now I did not test it. I think it is good for you an article by Claus Mogensen , published on the Danish magazine Chakoten, n.2, June 2003 (Danish Society of Military History), where you may found some useful information about problems in moulding with Nurnberger Meisterzinn moulds. The article is available on the net, and bears the title "Castings of Prince August and others".
By the way, in mr.Mogensen opinion some hole 1mm diameter where metal does not arrive may help, but recastings remain too many. He advises to use the first good casting for a good remoulding with silicon rubber: I am going to use this extreme measure with the mould 1332, that is really difficult to use, almost for me.
Any way, your mould 1001 is not a very difficult one: I used it several times, without big problems: you may try to increase the percentage of lead in the alloy, similarly to what mr Mogensen writes: he use 3/4 lead and 1/4 tipographic alloy, that means a high percentage of lead without so much flimsyness of slim parts (I think the slimmest part of the elements of your mould are the beams of the wheels, being not so prone to bending for their shape).
Of course, you may buy a Prince August rubber mould for your cannon, easier to employ, but the Nurnberger Meisterzinn cannon looks much better.
I will be happy to know you have successed in the job (I practice it by fifty years!)
Lucio

 

[theBaron]

Re: casting in Meisterzinn molds, some hints.

When you cast, do you do so outside, or using an extractor? And do you prime the tin figures before painting so the tin is well covered (my son has the ability to get his hands on everything, even the tin soldiers i don't want him to touch, so i rather be safe).

Hi, Jeroen, I cast outside in my garage, with the garage door open. But if you cast indoors, say, in your kitchen, if you have a window open, that should be sufficient ventilation.

generally the 1001 is sort of ok, what's only irritating to me is that i have great difficulty casting the 'handles' on top of the actual cannon (the two seperate handles). [can anyone tell me what the actual term used is for these 'handles' on top of the cannon barrel?]

We call them, "handles"

Prost!
Brad

 

[Obee]

Re: casting in Meisterzinn molds, some hints.

generally the 1001 is sort of ok, what's only irritating to me is that i have great difficulty casting the 'handles' on top of the actual cannon (the two seperate handles). [can anyone tell me what the actual term used is for these 'handles' on top of the cannon barrel?]

i will let you know how succesful i have been after this weekend, when i will start using my 3 new moulds!

Jeroen

the handles are called Dolphins, as many of the early cannon barrels were very docorative and had a dolphin cast for the handle, and so the name stuck.

What I have done with the dolphins on my Meisterzinn barrels was to file the pices to the correct size. For my Prince August Barrels on the Napoleonic gun I don't cast then, but use bent wire, its less frustration that trying to cast fine pieces.

John

 

[Obee]

Dolphins on guns at Les Invalides in Paris



John

 

[speedstersan]

Hi Jeroen,

My name is Erik and Dutch too, for years i had those same moulds laying around and recently started to cast again with the same difficulties as you. I found that on a good
electrical hotplate the metal gets hot enough and a layer of talcum is enough, if you still have trouble casting it is usually due to air getting trapped in the mould, my solution to this was to
grind some extra ventilation holes and that works perfectly, perfect casts right from the get go. If you like i'll post some pics to show where to grind them.

Greets Erik

ps i had trouble with the handles "Dolphins" also because the filler piece is just too big, tried filing it down and it broke into pieces as the metal is very brittle, solution to this was to
put a piece of aluminium tape over the hole and cast the barrel without the filler piece then you get the actual size of the filler you need and make one yourself.

 

[christopher]

Hello, go on and play with your metal (a little more Lead,or a little more Tin )only 100% Pewter is not good for this mould you became some times (hole??) in your figures the best metal consolidation is 60 tin and 40 lead
greetings Christopher