Question about CNC milling (and also about brass casting)

Long short is yes it can be done.

Have a look here at some examples

You are wanting to go into the realms of 3D carving and the software isn't cheap and the learning curve is even steeper.

John S.

Thanks John, the demo makes Aspire look reasonably OK to use but the price tag of well over £1k is probably more than I want to try and justify for casual use, especially on top of £2.6k for a KX1 (or £3.7k for a KX3). If there's nothing cheaper then I'll need to either think of more uses to justify the expense or go to someone else that is already set-up to offer a service.

What about a lost wax casting?

That's what I was going to suggest and if the item in question can be removed then a mould can be made from that with various materials such as latex, silicon or alginate products. Alec Tiranti has a few options

I don't know anything about casting so would probably get someone else to do that for me, but I'd still need to make a master because I can't get my hands on an original part.

It's a hell of a job to get the tree to grow into the mould :-)

Mark Rand RTFM

...but Mark, brass doesn't grow on trees

Regards, Tony

It will if you chuck enough muck at it.

Cliff.

It's even harder training the bees to deposit the wax where it's needed :-)

Alan

No bloody good if you've lost it, is it??

Regards, Tony

You could always put it into a damp cupboard - we used to have one that grew mould.

My dad told me that it was money that didn't grow on trees.

Yes, it can be done on a small CNC mill, but the cost and learning curve are VERY steep - probably not worth it unless, of course, you really want to own and learn CNC. Lost wax casting is also possible, but a much simpler method is to use the Delt Clay system. It's really intended for jewellers who want to do one-off castings in gold or silver, but it works just as well with brass, copper or aluminium. This U-tube video shows what it is and how it is used.

Thanks Gary, the video is interesting but I'm concerned that there are going to be a lot of failures before I can cast something that's 2-3 inches diameter with the level of detail I need. A gilded carving or a pro casting are probably the way to go.