Question about CNC milling (and also about brass casting)

I'm thinking about how to make some ornate guitar roses, similar to this one: http://www.maxwellplace.demon.co.uk/pandemonium/rose.jpg . The original is cast brass but I'm wondering whether a CNC mill could be used to mill/carve the basic shape in a dense hard wood so I could then hand-finish the carving and gild it with gold leaf. Has anyone used a CNC mill for anything similar, or are there any CNC experts that could tell me how easy or hard a task this might be?
(Hidden agenda: this would also provide the excuse I've been looking for to buy a small CNC mill ;-) )
Alternatively, is there a sensible way to produce a brass casting to replicate the original?
Dave

  Quoted Text Here  
Long short is yes it can be done.
Have a look here at some examples
http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/gallery/aspire_gallery_wood.htm
That's the good news, bad news is it won't be a starter project and it won't cost 3 bob.
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.

On 20/06/2011 00:12, John S wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
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.

On Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:39:10 +0100, NoSpam wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
What about a lost wax casting?

Neil Ellwood wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
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 http://www.tiranti.co.uk/subcategory_list.asp?Content=Mouldmaking&Category=9
That will allow the wax pattern to be produced which can then be used for the lost wax casting process.

On 20/06/2011 12:54, Neil Ellwood wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
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.

On Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:54:08 -0500, Neil Ellwood
  Quoted Text Here  
It's a hell of a job to get the tree to grow into the mould :-)
Mark Rand RTFM

On Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:39:29 +0100, Mark Rand
  Quoted Text Here  
...but Mark, brass doesn't grow on trees <confused>
Regards, Tony

wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
It will if you chuck enough muck at it.
Cliff.

On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:20:42 +0100, Tony Jeffree wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
My dad told me that it was money that didn't grow on trees.

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

On Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:39:29 +0100, Mark Rand wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
You could always put it into a damp cupboard - we used to have one that grew mould.

On Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:54:08 -0500, Neil Ellwood
No bloody good if you've lost it, is it??
Regards, Tony

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.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5iAOkZgzLw

I've used it many times and it's capable of reproducing very fine detail. Here's a picture of a teddy bear pendant I cast in gold - it's about 30mm high. http://tinyurl.com/5sn72ma
You can purchase the system from just about any jeweller's tool suppliers; I got mine from Sutton Tools in Birmingham - see http://tinyurl.com/39tduzw

On 22/06/2011 11:43, lemel_man wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
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.