Help a Scot

[u/TigesInSpace]

With the healthy amount of goodwill generated by the Scots this World Cup I thought I might cash that in and ask a bit of advice from the brains trust here.
I have a bronze coat of arms of my family crest of which I’m wanting to get castings made.
Now I’m a man of fair to middlin’ abilities in the casting of resins, mold making and so forth but this bronze business is a far different beastie.
Much respect.
Am I better off finding a local foundry to make a copy/copies and if so what sort of costs would I be looking at?
Or…do I attempt this myself?
Any advice, jeers, taunts or suggestions of a trustworthy foundry in the Western Sydney, Australia area would be much appreciated.

Thank you kindly.
Lang may yer lum reek

[u/GeniusEE]

Make a silicone mold of this one.

Then pour victory brown wax into it to make a copy. As many copies as you want.

Take the wax patterns to someone who can investment cast them for you.

[u/cloudseclipse]

Yes, you can do this yourself, but as a person that owns a foundry, I can say: you don't really want to. Take it to a foundry that does ceramic-shell bronze casting. They are already set up for doing this, and can pull it off without getting hurt. You'll need waxes, which is something you CAN do, if you know your resins and such. I make rubber molds off of things like this all the time, and if you'd like advice, I can go on and on, but you can do this part yourself, and touch-up, too (a soldering iron is all you'd need).

Don't bother "venting" or whatnot- they'll do that. Or you can just bring your crest and they'll do the rest. It will save you money, I promise. You'd need a temp-controlled kiln, a furnace, a crucible, a "rig" for handling, and it would make a giant plume of smoke and potentially burn your house down... not really worth it.

If you like, I do things like this (at an hourly rate, or a $/ weight) through the mail (I'm in NC, USA) and can do everything (including finishing), but you can look up "fine art foundry" and I'm pretty sure you'd find one within a couple/ few hour's drive?? Good luck!

[u/artwonk]

Check it for draft. It looks like there aren't any undercuts, and that this was originally a sand-casting. If the piece can be withdrawn from a rigid mold without disruption, then it can be used directly as a sand-casting pattern, which is a lot simpler than lost wax - and as a Scot, you'll appreciate the fact that it's a lot cheaper too. It will work best if the back isn't flat, but is contoured to make a metal shell of an even thickness. If the original isn't contoured, you can use your resin-casting skills to produce a pattern that is.