http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/ The Casting List Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:02:38 GMT Ray K http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33296 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33296 Now that makes sense to me; thanks for the explanation. It sounds like I did miss something there. Good luck on the experiments. On Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 10:50 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:51:09 GMT Charles Anderson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33295 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33295 Hi Ray, It's experimentation, who knows when an experiment may be of use. With the price of jewelers wax, making a cheaper substitute would be great. In the Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:16:27 GMT Ray K http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33294 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33294 Did I miss something in this thread? I mean, the question that keeps jumping up in my head is WHY? You could probably melt Gummi-Bears and use that too, but Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:29:18 GMT Rexarino http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33293 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33293 Polyethylene bags can be dissolved in molten paraffin to create a hard wax for jewelry or other lost wax carvings.... We've used 50% poly bags. HarborFright Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:45:45 GMT Charles Anderson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33292 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33292 A foam product that doesn't evaporate, that I've come across, was a polyethelylene, and it melted to a plastic sludge. CIA Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:31:00 GMT hivetrygon http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33291 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33291 Not true. I have spoken with several plastic manufacturers one being the people I bought it from and polystyrene alone melts to a water like state. I even had Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:05:22 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33290 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33290 I found a chess set at eBay that appears to be the right scale (the board is 5" x 5"), though the pieces are slightly different from what my molds would seem Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:46:10 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33289 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33289 The fellow at the Mold-a-Rama restoration and sales site said that they're not Mold-A-Rama molds. Other than a small upper case "V" on one of the chess molds, Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:42 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33288 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33288 Thanks, Mike. I downloaded the catalog and will look through it tonight. - Mike ... From: casting@yahoogroups.com [mailto:casting@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:47 GMT Mike Brose http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33287 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33287 Mike...... sounds like expanded polystyrene bead molds. I've thought this as the thread was developing, and I think those gaps are the clue. It allows the Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:41:56 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33286 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33286 Contacted the Mold-A-Rama folk. Maybe they'll know what the molds are from. - Mike [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:32:48 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33285 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33285 Upon closer examination of the boat and capsule molds, it looks as if the casting medium was injected at the edge of the mold. At the retro rocket end of the Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:14:15 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33284 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33284 Forgot to mention that the press is operated with an Allen wrench that inserts into a socket on top of the press that rotates and lowers the piston into the Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:03:38 GMT Mike Jackson http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33283 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33283 Thank you for the help. The capsule would seem to set the age of the molds at roughly 1960 (Project Mercury, 1959 through 1963), but that's only a guess. I Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:37:37 GMT Greg Krynen http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33282 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casting/message/33282 They look very similar to the wax molds used at the LA Zoo or polystyrene molds. Greg  Krynen www.Krynen.com www.PurpleDragonGifts.com