Sandcasting Flintlock Parts

[Jdbeck]

I been working on this project for sometime now.

Taking original JP Beck hardware and having it digitally scanned to .001mm I then had it 3D printed to .01mm tolerances in plastic.




Those 3D models were scaled to account for brass shrinkage and clean up.
I made the cope and drag from some oak.


I plan to use finer sand than 130 mesh next time and pack it a little tighter.

See the YouTube video below I made showing my progress/process:




Please share any advice, or tips. Hopefully I will try some butt plates next.

Want my Next build to be all me except for the lock and barrel. Through maybe one day those two ?

 

[HighUintas]

That is really really cool. I haven't heard of 3d scanning being accessible to consumers, but figured there might be something available out there.

Great work!

 

[hawkenhunter50]

Dang Hoss, taking it to the next level. That is awesome, keep up the good work.

 

[Commodore Swab]

I think you will find with a good cooling head shrinkage isn't really a problem. If you are using brass you might want to try silicone bronze. Did you make or order your sand, if so where did you order. I'm always interested in other sources. Also it would be nice to find a muller. I'm still in the process of moving but will be starting the foundry build shortly. Goal is for 60-80 pounds in the small furnace. Larger later and burn out furnace as well.

 

[Mowich]

Thanks for the post! Makes me feel I have it easy. I'm working on a US government presentation gun and there's a shop close by that I had the parts cast.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Great to see experimentation, enthusiasm and new approaches in gun building in the Muzzleloading world!

 

[Brokennock]

Great stuff, I saw it on your Instagram page, good to expose more of the masses to these things.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Jdbeck]

Sand was shipped from Amazon. Go figure

 

[hanshi]

I think you've done an amazing bit of homework to prepare this process you've come up with. Good luck.

 

[Jdbeck]

The final results of my labor…

 

[HighUintas]

That is awesome.... Both the gun and the furniture. Congrats!
What's the next project?

 

[Felix the Cat]

Just be aware that if you contemplate metal casting in iron or steel then it is a whole step up from casting in brass or bronze..

1. The temperatures are MUCH higher and the risks involved in the casting process are an order of magnitude greater.. molten iron will go through most clothing and footwear and you need to wear the proper gear. A crucible of cast steel will burn you by radiation alone unless you are suited and masked..!

2. Producing castings that have mechanical integrity is really hard.. the fact that a trigger guard or butt plate has a few hidden blow holes or hard spots is not that critical.. do the same with anything pressure bearing and you can be in a world of hurt. The chemistry and heat treatment you need to use to produce reliable high quality steel castings is beyond most amateur capabilities.

The superb steel castings produced by folk like the Rifle Shoppe are wonders of modern science using investment casting processes and specialised furnace techniques. They are not cooked up in a backyard using a recycled Weber...! If you can find a foundry that is willing to deal with you, what you can do is produce the patterns (with the required shrinkage adjustment) in wood, plastic or wax and get them to do the casting.. ( and always get more made than you need!)

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I been working on this project for sometime now.

Taking original JP Beck hardware and having it digitally scanned to .001mm I then had it 3D printed to .01mm tolerances in plastic.




Those 3D models were scaled to account for brass shrinkage and clean up.
I made the cope and drag from some oak.


I plan to use finer sand than 130 mesh next time and pack it a little tighter.

See the YouTube video below I made showing my progress/process:




Please share any advice, or tips. Hopefully I will try some butt plates next.

Want my Next build to be all me except for the lock and barrel. Through maybe one day those two ?View attachment 268021

That is super cool, thank you. I want to make some rounded side plates and longer comb butt plates for 2nd Model Bess, both Pedersoli and Miroku, to look more like a 1st Models.

( Before folks chime in that it takes a lot more than that to make the second model resemble the first, I'm Aware, but some folks I know want to do that.)

So I learned that you can't just use the parts, which I have, but need to make a "masker" that is slightly oversize to allow for shrinkage of the metal as it cools. Do I have that correct?

LD

 

[James Kibler]

Those look really nice!

 

[waarp8nt]

Awesome work Jdbeck!

I've been talking to a tech savvy friend with a 3D printer about using a wax filament to produce parts for investment casting. I have a small foundry I purchased from a local school when they closed down the metal shop.

It seems the project is on perpetual hold do to both of us remodeling our houses, work and life in general.

Hope to accomplish as much as the author of the post one day.

 

[Jdbeck]

Awesome work Jdbeck!

I've been talking to a tech savvy friend with a 3D printer about using a wax filament to produce parts for investment casting. I have a small foundry I purchased from a local school when they closed down the metal shop.

It seems the project is on perpetual hold do to both of us remodeling our houses, work and life in general.

Hope to accomplish as much as the author of the post one day.

Just keep at it. As time allows I hope to get more done this summer. Plan to more into investment casting also. So we’ll see…

But this rifle is all me except for the Barrel & lock was assembled from castings.