Casting an Army

by Rob Dean

Introduction

When I was growing up in the 1960s I had a lot of plastic soldiers, but

somehow there never seemed to be enough of them. I was intrigued by the

pictures of homecasting sets in the Sears catalog, and eventually a set

appeared for some now-forgotten Christmas or birthday. Unfortunately,

there were apparently some tricks to the casting business which my dad and

I didn't know, because once we ran out of the starter metal provided with

the set, we couldn't get a complete figure to cast. So the mold was

stored away, and the dream of an endless supply of soldiers was displaced

by my introduction to Airfix plastic figures. Many years later, my dad

came across the mold in a dusty corner of the basement, and sent it along

to me. I was already casting again by then, and tried it out. To my

delight, it turned out to be fairly easy to use, and I was immediately

able to cast good figures. What was the secret? About 40% tin in the

alloy . . .

So, with all of the amazing lines of miniatures available today, why would

anyone want to cast his own figures? Positive features of casting include

low cost, ease of conversion, availability of large (40mm and 54mm)

figures, and the satisfaction of knowing that you did almost everything

yourself. Are there drawbacks? Yes. Homecast figures are seldom as

detailed as commercial figures. They generally have more flash than

commercial figures, and therefore take more time to prepare to paint. You

also have to exercise caution in the casting process -- molten alloy at

600 degrees F or more is no joke. I'll address each of these points in turn.

One of the most appealing features of homecasting is the low cost per

figure. A commercial rubber mold should be good for hundreds of castings,

and runs around $12 to $15. A metal mold should last indefinitely, and

costs about the same, so the per figure amortized cost of the molds over

their life is very low. On a good day, the average time needed for a

casting is only a couple of minutes, so the initial investment in time is

also pretty minimal. The bulk of the cost is the cost of the metal. With

tin running around $7 per pound (and lead around $0.60/lb), 40% tin alloy

is worth about $3.20/lb. Typical 25mm foot figures run about 40 to the

pound, and 54's about 6 - 8 to the pound.

With the variety of figures and poses available today, there is not much

need to do conversions. Since fewer poses are available in homecast

molds, it is often desirable to do conversions. Luckily, this is easy and

cheap. Even if you only need a head or an arm from a figure, there is no

waste since the rest can go back into the melting pot in the next session.

Incomplete castings can also be used for parts, or converted into casualty

figures.

Many of the molds available are for larger scale figures (40mm and 54mm).

I have to admit that I have a lot of "retro" tastes, and I have long held

an ambition inspired by Little Wars and Joseph Morsehauser's How to Play

War Games in Miniature to play games with a table full of 54mm figures.

Due to the prohibitive cost of commercial 54mm lead figures, the only way

I can approach this goal is through homecasting.

The additional sense of satisfaction derived from casting your own armies

would be hard to measure. Many of us already derive a great deal of

satisfaction from painting armies and preparing terrain and so forth.

However, I do get a bit of an extra kick when putting on a convention game

using the homecast figures. Large figures always have a pretty high "head

swivel" factor, and you get a lot of comments and questions from

non-casters when you tell them that you made it all yourself.

Now, on to the drawbacks. For a variety of reasons (mostly technical),

the amount of detail on homecast figures is lower than on commercial

figures. This can be overcome to some extent by painting style. I tend

to paint large figures with more of a "toy soldier" style than a "museum

diorama" style, and don't use as much washing and drybrushing as I would

on an average bunch of 25's. In addition, some details such as buttons

and button lace can be painted on. After getting used to this, I tend to

think this is an advantage -- cast details that are not painted look

shabby to me, but painted details left out are not distracting.

Flash is more of a problem with homecast figures than it is with most

commercial figures. It is difficult to clamp a mold tightly enough to

prevent flash without causing other problems, and it becomes more

difficult as the molds heat up in repeated use. If there is a cure for

this I haven't discovered it yet. Rubber molds are generally better than

metal molds. Ultimately, you just have to budget more time for cleanup of

the figures.

Safety can be an issue in casting. A well ventilated workspace is a must,

and I would strongly recommend gloves and eye protection including side

shields. I wear goggles over my regular glasses. This is needed due to

my habit of rapping the full molds on the work surface to dislodge any

bubbles while the metal is still molten. Usually this works well, but

occasionally you generate a flying metal droplet. These don't have enough

heat capacity to burn you, but I wouldn't want to catch one in the eye.

Gloves are desirable since the outsides of the molds get pretty hot. I

make a point of handling fresh figures only with pliers.

All in all, I feel that the benefits of casting outweigh the problems, and

I hope that you will consider this part of the hobby if you haven't

already.

So it sounds interesting and you've decided to give it a try. What do you

need to get started?

You should have:

• a well ventilated workspace
• gloves
• eye protection
• pliers
• a heat source
• a ladle
• at least one mold
• mold release agent
• clamps for the mold
• metal

Some of these are common workshop items. The ladle should be one intended

for use with molten metal, with a pouring spout, and not something

borrowed from the kitchen. It needs to be able to sit securely on the

heat source, which can be a dedicated electric heater, a camping stove, or

possibly even the kitchen stove. I have to admit that I used to cast in

the kitchen, but would only recommend this if you are both very neat and

using a lead free casting alloy. Clamps will vary depending on the type

of mold being used. I have special clamps purchased along with some of

the metal molds, large spring clamps from the hardware store, and large

binder clips from the office supply store. Screw type clamps are

generally too much trouble, only work with metal molds, and slow down

production when you are trying to make a lot of figures. Mold release is

usually lampblack from a candle for metal molds and talcum powder for

rubber molds.

Metal can be obtained from mold suppliers, but is usually more expensive

than it would be if you can find a local source. For special lead free

alloys it may be your only choice, but for lead/tin you may be able to

turn up a local supplier by checking the Yellow Pages under "Metal,"

"Recycling," or "Plumbing Supplies." Most of the molds I own work well

with an alloy of 40% tin and 60% lead. I used to buy bar solder of this

composition in approximately one pound ingots, but we recently salvaged an

enormous amount of scrap lead (weights from a high speed centrifuge), and

have been alloying it with pure tin bars from the same dealer from whom we

had bought the 40/60 bars. I have a ten pound capacity electric melting

pot, so this is fairly easy. When starting you probably ought to stick to

the 40/60 bars.

Once you have all of the gear assembled, it will be time to try casting.

Hopefully, everything will work and you will open the mold to find

complete figures. Real life is often not quite that simple, however.

The two most common sources of problems are air bubbles trapped in the

mold, and metal solidifying before the mold is filled.

Air bubble problems can sometimes be cured by tapping the mold gently

while pouring the metal. If that doesn't work, ensure that there is

enough mold release agent. The mold release acts as a network of

microscopic airways around the surface of the figure. If that is not the

problem, you may have to cut additional vents into the mold, generally

from an extremity (arm, musket tip, etc.) to the top of the mold. They

should not be cut through any area that should be filled with metal.

Vents may be carved into rubber molds with a hobby knife, and may be cut

into metal molds with a triangular file or a Dremel tool.

Problems caused by the metal solidifying before the mold is filled are

generally solved by increasing the temperature of the metal. Also, as the

molds heat up from repeated casting, cooling of the metal inside is

inhibited. If the metal is already as hot as the mold will withstand, and

warming the mold doesn't help, the other possibility is to change the

alloy. An alloy with a lower melting point will take longer to solidify

than one with a higher melting point, if heated to the same temperature.

The lowest melting point of a lead/ tin alloy is 361o F, which is reached

at 63% tin / 37% lead. Because of the higher cost of tin it is usually

desirable to use as little as you can, but the option does exist if

needed.

Most hobby and game stores do not carry casting supplies, so you will

probably need to use mail order. I've used the first three suppliers

listed below, with satisfactory service from all three. Jacoberger is

listed as the only supplier currently carrying the Nuernburger Meisterzinn

molds, but I have not tried ordering from them.

Castings, Orcas Island, P.O. Box 298, Eastsound, WA 98245-0298

Phone: (360) 376-3266

Dutkins Collectables, 1019 West Route 70, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Phone: (609) 428-9559

Website: http://www.dutkins.com/

The Dunken Co., 509 Main Street, P.O. Box 95, Calvert, TX 77837

Phone: (409) 364-2020

Jacoberger, 96, Rue du Buet, Z.I. Les Fourmis, 74130 Bonneville, France

Website: http://www.jacoberger.com/

Molds for homecasting are always going to be a fairly specialized

interest. As a result, new lines of molds are not frequently offered, and

the selection in existing lines is somewhat limited. However, by using

some combination of the suppliers listed above, it should be possible to

put together any of the following projects:

In 25mm: Fantasy

Romans and Barbarians

Later Napoleonics

American Civil War

British Colonials (Zulu War)

In 40mm: 18th Century (Prince August)

18th - 19th Century (Nuernburger Meisterzinn)

Renaissance

In 54mm: Trojan War

Later medieval

American Revolution

Napoleonics

American Civil War

British Colonials

Foreign Legion

World War II

In 40mm, there are two manufacturers. Prince August has a series of

semiround figures, mostly in tricornes and turnback coats suitable for

anything from the War of the Austrian Succession through the American

Revolution. There are a few molds which are intended to represent

specific units of the Seven Years War. There are some missing hat types

which would be nice to have for the Revolution (dragoons in crested

helmets, light infantry in caps, and British Grenadiers in bearskins in

particular). Nuernberger Meisterzinn has a small range of semiround Seven

Years War figures a little larger than the Prince August figures, but

generally compatible. In addition, they sell a series of ten molds which

make multiple part figures mostly in turnback coats, which have separate

heads in a variety of headgear. These can be used, with a little bit of

artistic license, for anything from the War of the Austrian Succession up

to the Napoleonic Wars. I'm currently casting them for two different

projects -- one on the French and Indian War, and the other on the French

Revolutionary wars concentrating on a skirmish game set in 1793 as the

first phase. For the French and Indian War, I also have a few Prince

August molds for somewhat generic American Indians and frontiersman in

buckskins and fur cap, but I believe that these molds are out of

production.

It is sometimes possible to find antique molds for toy soldiers. One of

my fellow gamers and homecasters is an antique dealer, so he has the

opportunity to acquire old molds occasionally in the line of business.

This should not be viewed as a good way of putting together a wargaming

project, since it is rare to find multiple molds on any given topic at one

time. For example, he has long had a single mold making three figures

from the 1930s Buck Rogers comic strip, and it was only recently that he

found a second. Luckily, we found a supplier for figures cast from old

molds (Eccles Brothers Ltd., Madison Road, Box 253-D, Burlington, IA

52601) and we were able to put together a rather eccentric Buck Rogers

game. If we were dependent on antique molds alone we would still be

waiting.

Another thing to consider is that most antique molds were for semiround

figures, which look a little odd to the average gamer today. We like

them, but our group is widely considered to be somewhat eccentric. Also,

many antique molds are found warped and require careful clamping in order

to produce usable figures. In short, if you're visiting antique stores

anyway, looking for antique molds will give you something to do, but don't

expect to wargame with the figures unless you're very lucky.