Custom belt for Leo Medii

Amanda M · Post by **Amanda M** » Thu Jul 29, 2010 11:29 pm

I made a custom plaque belt for Leo's lady. Here's some pics:

I'm really happy with how it turned out, so I asked if I could post some pics and show it off. It was kind of weird to carve because I had to carve the charges in all backwards from how I am accustomed to carving.

Derian le Breton · Post by **Derian le Breton** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:41 am

Neat!

What was the casting method?

-Derian.

Amanda M · Post by **Amanda M** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:07 am

I used soapstone for most of it, but ended up using a sand mold as the back plate to get the mounting pegs to cast properly.

Leo Medii · Post by **Leo Medii** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:11 am

It's going to go with this harness. It was designed by Isabella to accent the heraldic device.

audax · Post by **audax** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:48 am

YOwza wowza!

Hrolfr · Post by **Hrolfr** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 5:34 am

NICE!

talaananthes · Post by **talaananthes** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:10 am

One of these days, that's going to make its way to the top of my priority list . . .

Cian of Storvik · Post by **Cian of Storvik** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:00 am

It gets multiple thumbs up from me. I love seahorses and escallops.
-Cian

Roibeard MacNeill · Post by **Roibeard MacNeill** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:31 am

Gorgeous work! Very beautifully done.

Amanda M · Post by **Amanda M** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:21 am

Using soapstone is just awesome. This belt weighs half as much as my old one but still feels super sturdy.

Lucian Ro · Post by **Lucian Ro** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 10:28 pm

Gorgeous work, lady. :wink:

Derian le Breton · Post by **Derian le Breton** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:00 am

Isabella E wrote:I used soapstone for most of it, but ended up using a sand mold as the back plate to get the mounting pegs to cast properly.

Great! One thing you can try to help filling in the pin backs is to run vent lines out of the stone. A tiny drill bit can help here; you want to avoid air pockets.

Isabella E wrote:Using soapstone is just awesome. This belt weighs half as much as my old one but still feels super sturdy.

Told ya' so!

-Derian.

Amanda M · Post by **Amanda M** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:41 am

I tried using little vent lines and using a teeny drill bit to make a place for the air to go but I ruined the backplate because The pewter ran out the back and I couldn't get it out and it was a huge pain. Using a sand plate for the back worked like a charm and didn't take too long to reset each time. I'm still going to mess with the back plate but until I get it figured out I'll probably keep sandcasting the pins because it's easy. I made a little cardboard template to stick on the sand side to more accurately place the pins.

Derian le Breton · Post by **Derian le Breton** » Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:47 pm

Hmm, if the pewter is running out the vent holes, then they're too big. Surface tension should keep the pewter inside (just like with vent lines).

You can also try casting with the metal a bit cooler, that will make it less likely to create casting flash, though you'll have to monitor the temperature of the mold too.

-Derian.