When the molds were ready for casting, I heated a furnace to 800°F for the burnout of the plastic. If the temperature was any lower, the plastic would expand and crack the shell m… See more

Because my goal is a smooth, polished surface finish, the defects on the surface of the plates had to be filled with filler metal. I used a TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welder to add filler al… See more

One real setback I encountered was in the casting tree that included the three smaller plates (two ears and a small chin plate). While removing the ceramic shell, the small chin plate b… See more

The current state of all plates is unfinished. Multiple plates still have filler metal beads and require grinding and sanding. This is a quick rundown of the remaining steps I hope to co… See more