cold cast bronze

[Forest Cobbler]

A customer is bringing in some sculptures of hands that he believes are solid bronze. He wants them engraved directly onto the flat 'wrist' end. I suspect that they are actually 'cold cast' bronze which is a mixture of bronze and resin.

Have any of you tried engraving onto bronze resin? How did it go?

Holding a hand sculpture steady in the machine is only a small part of the problems I anticipate, I'm more concerned about the thing shattering.

Got any advice? Beyond telling the customer to go away that is.

Thanks, Valerie

[Gray]

Tricky one. My motto is if in doubt stick a plate on it. Or tell him to go away.

[Michael]

If there mounted on a base talk them in to having trophy aluminium plaques,cheaper and clearer. I do these for a lady who casts babies feet and hands

[Forest Cobbler]

I did suggest putting a plate on the flat end, or that we could supply a wooden base with an engraved plate. He wasn't keen on either.

He's making a two hour bus journey to get here and was hoping that I might be able to do seven of them there and then. I soon put that idea out of his head, so he's going to leave them here for a few days in the hope that I can engrave directly onto them. V

[Gray]

If there mounted on a base talk them in to having trophy aluminium plaques,cheaper and clearer. I do these for a lady who casts babies feet and hands

 

How strange. Is she a witch?

[Gray]

He's making a two hour bus journey to get here and was hoping that I might be able to do seven of them there and then. V

 

He'll be a pensioner then on his free bus pass.

[StevenB]

Whetever else happens, in a situation like this, my policy is that any engraving is carried out 'strictly at the customer's risk' once all the possible eventualities have been explained to them.

That way if it shatters, breaks, or even just has bits flake off inexplicably, you are not liable.

[Forest Cobbler]

Thanks Steve, I think you're right. I have researched how to check if they're solid bronze or bronze resin, so at least I should be able to give him that information.

[keithm]

I would be inclined to have it lasered on, plenty on here who would do it for you At your risk of course

[Forest Cobbler]

Ok. Well he's just brought them in and they are definitely bronze resin, the wrist end isn't even smooth and he wants chapter and verse written on them. So I've persuaded him that the way to go is for me to cut out some ovals of jewellers brass, engrave them and stick them on. Still a lot of work but safer in the long run.

Thanks for all your input.

V

[ironplanet uk900]

I did some of them (two ) some years ago, before computer engravers came out. I didn't engrave em, I used one of those fine tipped paint pens and just wrote on them

Of course the writing was very neat (hand engraving skills came in) and I could have washed it off with thinners if the customer wasn't happy, but they were.

[avonsecurity]

When we apply plate to an uneven surface we use sheet pewter as it is very pliable. You can just cut some out of an old tankard if you don't want to but it in sheet form which is about £40.00 for an A4 sheet.

 

Jim

[Forest Cobbler]

The surface has sharp little ridges on it, like someone has dragged a serrated edge across it. I think that ovals of really thin jewellers brass and araldite will be ok.

Writing it on by hand sounds lovely, but apart from the ridges, there's 82 letters detailing a child's christening to go on an area 40mm by 25mm so it's going to be pretty small.

Never let it be said that my job is boring.

[Forest Cobbler]

Seven brass ovals cut out (well nine just in case), seven lots of engraving, seven plates araldited on, one happy customer, eighty four pounds in the till.