"Black Hat: Colours Preorders and Casting Machines" Topic

I have been having a number of problems casting for the last few weeks and despite a number of visits from my friendly local engineer have not yet managed to resolve exactly what the problem is. The machine is still working but not correctly and it is thus taking far longer to get items cast than it should do.

I have been to see a new casting machine, which I am still considering, and have been offered a second hand machine which I will hopefully be picking up and getting running in the first week of September.

This means that there are currently some delays to getting figure orders out (depending on whether I have cast stock and the types of figures you order) and it also means that I will have almost no stock at the Colours show on 14th/15th September at Newbury – this includes the new Sikh Wars range, etc.

If you want figures at Colours then PLEASE preorder and I will do my best to get them cast up for you and ready to collect.

I am hoping that the new casting machine (which is a compressor type rather than my existing bob-weight) will actually making casting more efficient in the future.

Many thanks for your patience

Mike

Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Best of luck getting sorted

Phil

Mike,
You'll find a world of difference going from swing to hydraulic. Opens up all sorts of extra possibilities and yeah its a lot faster, no more faffing with weight adjustments, tweak a couple of buttons and away you go. When I switched about 16 years ago it halved my casting time.( though I have lots of fiddly little beggars to cast).
I'm still intrigued to figure out what the original problem is.
L
ps Is the one your 'considering' a new one? If so who makes it SEBA?
Be nice to know in case I need to replace my venerable old MCP.
pps Where in Surrey are you?

Mike, are you notifying customers directly who have ordered figures and are waiting for them? Not everybody reads this forum.

Leon

It is a C&G Hydraulics machine – they are building them new from ray Tutt's S&R designs with Ray Tutt's help. They look good quality machines.

The second hand machine I'm buying is an old MCP one.

I'm in Woking in Surrey.

I have a new batch of metal arriving todauy which will be the last thing to check to see if that is a problem as well. I have a digital tachometer so I have been able to verify the speed of the machine as it runs with a mould in it and weights on. Tightening the belt further I have managed o get the speed down to 500rpm so the machine is now running as per the gauge on it.

More playing to do today.

Mike

Clive,

I've let customers know when they order that we are running at 1-2 weeks and I am currently about a week behind but expect to get the rest of those orders done this week. The only major casting issue I have at the moment is with the Napoleon in Egypt Range and some of the Classical Indians which are holding up a trade order.

Things are casting, but it is taking much longer to get things done.

Mike

Mike,
Sounds good. The old MCP are good bits of lit apart from a couple of jammed pressure valves mines been great. Most of the parts on MCP are off the shelf jobs so makes replacements possible.
Hadn't thought of metal being a problem but thinking back Ive had that in the past ( over processed to remove trace elements of copper zinc etc when the metal prices shot up few years back, the alloy ended up being 'to pure' lol).
Can you send me C&G details in case I need them.
Ta
L

It was the metal!

Got the new batch today and, as if by magic, the figures cast again.

I suspect that I was casting 25mm in silicon moulds when I started this batch (and sent out 20kgs as a trade order) and it was only when I switched to 15mm and rubber molds that I noticed it not working…

I'll send you the C&G details in a PM

cheers

Mike

Just checked the metal details and it is not the right type (had to peel off the courier labels on the boxes to find it).

No wonder it wouldn't cast – 3 weeks of frustration…!

Mike

Result. Much work ahead now though eh…

Doh !

Oh Mike!
Sorry Im going to laugh, more in sympathetic relief than amusement!
L