You can cast your first figure in under 5 minutes.
Rewarding and satisfying are just two words toy casting fans use when describing their love of casting metal soldiers or chess pieces. Many produce huge battlefields of troops or remodel our soldiers to fit a certain theme.
You want to know how to start casting YOUR figures, what equipment to get and is there any way to save money doing it. Well this is where all your answers can be found.
How do I start casting? – Well first thing you should do is sign up to our Newsletter (under construction but coming soon) for all the news and offers as well as new Tutorials on every aspect of the hobby. These Tutorials are on-line. Read them carefully and you will avoid many of the problems that can affect those new to casting thus saving yourself time AND money.
What do I need to start? Well you need the basic equipment to begin and we have that in a handy kit by itself (Kit 2000) or get it as part of larger kits from the different themes we offer. The basic equipment includes the following:
Ladle – to pour the liquid metal into the mold.
Clamps or Support Elastic Bands – to keep the Mold sections securely fastened.
Support Boards – Helps to hold the molds safely together and prolongs the life of molds.
Release Powder – Allows the parts of the molds to be separated after casting.
Printed instructions – quick casting guide.
We also have a range of starter kits that focus on particular ranges so you can save money and get your first mold included with these kits. This is our full list of Toy Casting Starter kits.
You can use an electric hot-plate to heat the metal using the ladle or if you use a flame (gas for example) use a flat frying pan (make sure it is an old one not used for cooking any more) to act as a hot-plate and use the ladle as normal.
Any way to save money with this Hobby? There are many ways to save money. Always remember that any metal you have left over can be remelted and reused so NO WASTE. Failed metal castings can be reused with little to no loss of metal. Molds can last for many hundreds of castings with care and attention to their use and storage (see tutorials).
Copyrights of Molds:
Some questions have been raised regarding the sale of castings from Prince August molds. In general, castings that you make and sell to your friends or at local fairs do not require anything more than an acknowledgement that the castings came from a Prince August mold (Prince August owns the copyrights to the figures). If the castings are painted, the painter should be mentioned as well. If you intend to sell your castings through the internet, through others, or in large quantities, you should contact Prince August to determine if a royalty fee is required. Any mold that has ‘PA’ in the Product code is a Prince August mold (example: PA80-10).
Castings from Dunken molds are royalty free.