Today was very productive. I cast a brass metal powder test segment in polyurethene which turned out very well. It buffed up to a much higher shine than my aluminium attempt yesterday which suggests that perhaps i didnt coat the surface of the mold well enough (before buffing left and after right below).

I certainly seemed to spend more time making sure it was all coated than I did with the aluminium. I then did a full size cast taking time to make sure it was as covered as possible without 'lumping' together.(which I would later find out results in gaps in the cast - see bronze test pic lower down the page) Overall this proved to work very well and the whole thing buffed up very well when rubbed over lightly with wire wool followed by alot of 'elbow grease' to buff it up with a rag and Brasso:

I was am very happy with this result. It looks convincingly like solid brass but is extreemly lightweight, a factor that could well be important in the maufacture of a replica type object like this in the commercial world.

As I haven't gotten round to testing some polyester resin in my moulds I decided to give it a go today. I mixed the lowest amount possible (for acurate measurement of the catalyst) which was 25g or resin with 1ml of catalyst. The first batch didnt work well. It seemed to take forever (over 45mins!) to start to go off so Will in the workshop suggested I start it again as the mould may have been contaminated or the room moght not have been warm enough ( I think probably the latter).

The second attempt worked alot better but this was probably due to it being placed by the radiator. Heres how it came out:

With the confidence that it would cure quicker I dusted the segment mould with bronze powder and poured another batch of catalysed resin with a little bronze powder in to darken the mix into the mould. It came out ok but had a small bubble missin from it where some of the powder had clumped together. This was possibly due to some moisture being left there from when I cleaned the mould out earlier (see pic below).

In future I will thoroughly check that the powder is dusted evenly. Despite that slight hick up the cast turned out well. Heres how it buffed up: I discussed the possibility of applying enamel paint to the lettering of the mould then casting over the top of it with Pat from the workshop. He said that it would most likely not stick to the resin, which although not a problem as it could be stuck on, it would take away from the consistancy that is present in the other casts. Between them, Pat and Neil suggested that I try using pigment in some polyester resin to fill the lettering then once dry cast on top. I thought it was a great idea so took it on board right away and went to try it. Unfortunatly due to the cold again the resin took forever to go off so I couldnt see how they turned out and will have to wait till the morning. I suspect that I may have to ro do the 'A' as it overflowed slightly, either that or sand it down. I also think they may look better if i just get a really thin layer in the letters as oppsed to having them fill to the top of each one. A thinner line would have a more authentic soft enamel look which is present on the AFS badge itself.

Ideally I'd also like to recast in aluminium to get a higher quality finish but as I am not sure if I'll be allowed to use another coating of powder as I have already done a full cast and a test segment.

I have still had no further corrispondance with the Badge company I got in touch with, I think I scared them with the amount I knew about them before hand! Still, I have many resources online that have provided some good information about enamelling process.