Casting parts?

[baer19d]

Does anyone cast their own locks, cocks, and or frizzens? What about buttplates and other parts out of brass, pewter or steel?

Thanks, Mike

 

[44-henry]

I do a lot of investment and sand casting of brass and bronze, steel is a lot more complex. The first difficulty is finding a furnace capable of melting steel. These furnaces are generally of an induction type. You also have to deal with issues such as decarb, pitting, and a host of other issues. I have looked into adding this capability to our university lab in the past and still might do it in the future, but it won't be cheap to do.

If you want to do some casting it is possible to do brass castings at home with not too big an initial investment.

 

[wmaser]

I cast brass furniture, ie: butt plates, trigger guards, sideplates etc... but I make my lock parts on a coal forge. I've been successful melting cast iron but that's about it. I have not had any luck casting anything but ingots with it. In my furnace I've used propane, coal, charcoal, waste motor oil, cooking oil and combinations of the above.

 

[jerrywh]

I have been casting almost all of my own stuff for about 20 years. I don't cast steel but make my own patterns and waxes and send the waxes off to a steel foundry. I cast bronze, brass and silver in the past only for myself. All the silver and brass casting is lost wax process and poured on a vacuum table. You could cast steel in platinum investment on a small scale.
Normally it does not pay to cast your own stuff. I do it because I build unique guns and parts are impossible to obtain otherwise.
Just to give you an idea I recently paid over $4000.00 to have 8 sets of lock externals cast.