duplicating a bronze boat cleat

Check out Lindsay Books. Many reproduction books of old technology including casting.

Instructor, Machine Tool Department

H.H. Ellis Technical High School

New England Model Engineering Society

The Complete Handbook of Sand Casting by Ammen is what the local community college uses. You might want to check to see if a nearby community college or other school offers a bronze casting class in their art or vocational departments. There is quite a bit of work and expense involved in setting up a small foundry if you will only be doing a few cleats. Be aware that if you use an existing cleat as a pattern, the finished part will be a little smaller because the metal shrinks as it solidifies.

Also, do a search of the internet using your favorite search engine for something like "sand casting". There are some useful sites out there.

--You're in the right neighborhood! Check out woodenboatschool.com --Many moons ago I took a patternmaking class there. One of our class projects was a cleat, heh. Not sure if the class is offered this time around, but the knowledge base is there.

Track down Mystic Seaport's shipyard staff. Odds are they have done it a few times. Also the Lie Nielson planes are cast from that type of bronze. Should be easy to get someone to share some pointers from either place.

I'm sure Steamer meant the Wooden Boat School in Maine, which I know about, but didn't think of them as a help with this problem. I appreciate all the help offered here. It seems like I need a textbook, and to start asking questions of some the region Shop Instructors. We do have small foundries around; mostly for artists I thought; maybe if I can do all the prep work, they could do the por. Thanks!

Then just make a pattern or buy a cleat you want to duplicate and carry it to the foundry. Odds are all they are going to do is use it as a pattern, as most of them were sandcast if they are brass and not zamack.....The amount of difference your gonna have with shrinkage is not going to affect its strength or looks, and one would have to take a rule to it to see the minute difference in size.......I have cast cleats already, it also laid out in B & W in the U S Navy Foundry Manual which is available on Ebay or from Lindsay books. But its a really simple deal with a psttern and follow board or coping out a mold after using a readily available cleat as a pattern.......

============================================== Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked! "The original frugal ponder" ~~~~ } ~~~~~~ } ~~~~~~~ }

Where do you live in New England?

Might give the original a couple dips in wax to bring the size a little bigger.

--Whoops! Heres the correct link: