CAST YOUR OWN TIN SOLDIERS!

Evening Star, Issue 22578, 20 February 1937, Page 8

CAST YOUR OWN TIN SOLDIERS!

Casting tin sokliors is as easy as easy —you even make the mould yourself. Listen! Procure a single tin soldier of a kind of which you would like to have a whole “ regiment.” This you can borrow from a friend, or you can buy one as pattern.' Remove the bottom of an old cigar box, so that only the frame remains, and place it on a piece of wood which is a little larger than the box. The frame must be large enough to allow plenty of room round the sides of the 11 model ” soldier when you put him into it. (See fig. 1.) Before you begin, fill in all the cracks and corners between the frame and the piece of wood it stands on with putty or clay, see the diagram. Now stir a small quantity of dry, ground plaster of paris in a little cold water until a smooth, lumpless paste is formed, with which the frame is half-filled. The soldier should then be coated with a thin layer of oil and placed on the plaster of paris just as it begins to stiffen. Press it carefully into the paste until just half of the soldier and his foot-stand is above the surface. (See fig. II.) A wooden cork, like the one shown in the bottom left-hand_ corner, is also pressed halfway down into the plaster, between the top of the soldier’s head and the top surface of the frame. Now wait until the plaster is absolutely hard, then, with a penknife, cut two holes in the plaster, one on each side of the soldier. (See fig. II), These holes should Took like the little sketch at the extreme left-hand side of the diagram. Remove very carefully all loose scraps,. of plaster, and coat the whole surface of the plaster, the wooden plug, and the soldier, also remembering the two holes, with a layer

of oil. When the last layer of plaster is hard remove the frame and the stand from the block and divide it carefully into two parts. Fig. 111. shows how the plaster has formed two pegs, which fit into the two holes* These pegs are used as guide pegs for rejoining the block. Carefully remove the tin soldier and the wooden peg. If this peg has been placed correctly it will have made a channel, through which melted metal can be poured in making the soldiers. If tim channel is not quite the right shape it can ha altered with a knife, but, of course, tha soldier’s impression must be left untouched. After a day or so, when the plaster is perfectly solid, you can. begin to cast. The plaster cast is joined together and bound with a piece of string,then it is placed on a board as shown in fig. TV. You must on no account hold the mould in your hand while you make the casts! You have previously bought some solder from an ironmonger ; you can get a stick large enough to make many soldiers 'for a very small sum. You can also buy a crucible from the ironmonger, or if you wish, you can make one yourself from a cleaned shoe polish tin with a handle of wire-and wood. (See fig. VI.) The rest is easy. Melt a little solder in the crucible, and when it is quite liquid, pour it carefully into the mould through the channel shown by the arrow in fig. IV. Do not pour in more solder than halfway up this channel. The metal solidifies immediately.- Remove the form and take the soldier out, but be careful, he is very hot! If there is a little extra bit of metal oa his hat you can remove it _ with a pair of pliers and melt it next time you cast a soldier.