Creating a Molds From Aluminum Foil for Casting Lead or Tin

Hello, everyone! I've been contemplating for a long time on how to create the perfect mold for casting lead. However, making the perfect metal sphere with a reusable mold proved to be quite challenging for me. After numerous unsuccessful experiments and much pondering, I came up with a brilliant idea. While my idea is not yet perfect, the process itself and the result I achieved surprised me! So, let's get started! I hope you'll have even better success, as in future projects, I plan to refine this manufacturing process and cast more intricate metal forms!

Supplies

1. To create the mold, we will need the following materials:
2. The object we want to replicate, preferably made of hard metal or any other material capable of withstanding impact loads (we will use a 7 mm metal ball bearing).
3. Drill of the same diameter as the steel ball, 7 mm (even 6.5 mm can be used).
4. Bimetallic crown or a piece of steel pipe.
5. Bolt or dowel that fits snugly into the pipe.
6. Thin aluminum food foil.
7. A piece of plywood at least 50 mm thick.
8. Grinding stone attachment for a power drill.

Step 1:

We drill a hole with a depth of 3 mm, carefully smooth out any burrs, then gently place the metal ball into the hole and delicately tap it with a hammer, sinking it approximately 1 mm.

As a result, our ball should appear as if it's half made of plywood.

Step 2:

We take a bimetallic hole saw, place it in the drill press, and drill a groove in the plywood to a depth of approximately 3 millimeters.

Step 3:

We thread a bolt through the bimetallic hole saw, then fill it with food foil. Make sure the foil is a solid piece; otherwise, the mold will fall apart into pieces.

Step 4:

Cut out a nozzle from a plastic card or any other flat and dense plastic or metal.

Step 5:

Insert the bimetallic crown into the hole made in the plywood. Begin driving the bolt as deep as possible, compacting the food-grade aluminum foil until a homogeneous mass is formed! Finally, punch out the finished shape from the bimetallic crown.

The next step is to make another identical part since our mold will consist of two halves!

Step 6:

Assemble two halves, place a ball between them, and firmly clamp them with pliers or clamps! Achieve the final result ready for casting!

Step 7:

Clamp the mold with a metal clip! Pour in lead or tin, two options are shown in the video, see which one suits you better. With a heated mold or by pouring in hot alloy? And as a result, after cooling the mold in water, see the beauty, perfect little balls we've got! And this mold for casting is reusable, and we got it for free, without spending money on expensive heat-resistant silicone!

Step 8: Friends, Support Me on YouTube and Instructables in My Endeavors. It Greatly Inspires Me Both Materially and Morally! Thanks for Your Honesty and Support. I Look Forward to Your Feedback or Ideas for Improvements!