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Descriptive process write-up: in progress....
The lead up and prep work
Picture reference
How it went from 2D to (technically) "3D"
What work was needed to prep it for proper 3D printing
Blender touch ups and sculpting
3D printing, Trial and Error
The material used is Zamak-ZA12 (Middle ingot)
Zamak is a composite metal made up of varying ratios of Zinc, Aluminum, and Copper. It's a great great material for capturing things like fine details in casting because it has a lower melting temp, runs at a thinner consistency than something like standard Aluminum.
That allows it to flow more freely through the small parts of a casted impression and pick up details as fine as print line (if casting something like a 3D printed item)
Since we're casting custom coins with human characteristics we want captured, it makes sense we'd want a material like this.
First attempt:
In order to help guide the metal into the coin cavity, I took the coin back into Blender and design a funneling channel system that contoured the shape of the coin, and then 3D printed it.
Channel system was a success and allowed for sufficient enough penetration.
Round 2.
This time, I went back in and made a few changes to the channel system for more efficient pouring.
Cut off the channel, filed the rough edges.
After filing down some of the sharp edges, the coin ended up having a kind of old Roman denarius look to it.
It's unlikely I'd be able to make perfect circles by hand.
But if that was my goal, I'd need to be working these out using a die cast or punch system, which would be far beyond the tools I currently have
New goal: Making little details pop more. To do that, I sprayed some black spray paint on the coin and then took a Dremel with both a wire wheel and sanding sponge attachments.
Adding the black to the coin, and then "buffing" it out takes the black off the higher layers, but leaves some on the lower layers which gives the better contrast between the peaks and valleys.
Picked up x2 more iron flasks so I could do 3 pours in one go.
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