Miniature model (home casting)
Home casting is the practice of a private individual creating, for him or herself, various scale models, toy soldiers, and toys in general. Home casting involves molds (moulds, forms) and casting material by means of Permanent Mold casting, using the gravity or slush casting process. Although less common in home casting, Plastic injection is also used in various mold types. These figures would often be for miniature war gaming and military miniatures or just for general amusement.
This article contains information about molds where the manufacturers of the molds possess the licensing or outright own the intellectual property that is the cast model. This page does not discuss the actual making of molds or duplicating of an existing model, nor does this article condone copyright violation by making copies of copyrighted materials.
Although Sand Casting is a viable method of casting, it is not, however, a Permanent mold and is a casting technique often employed for duplicating existing figures. Therefore, it is outside the scope of this article and is not discussed herein.
Spin Casting is a highly efficient way of mass-producing high-quality castings in very large quantities. This process, however, is not a widely used process for home casting. No manufacturer has ever been known to produce spin casting molds for private consumers for the purpose of home casting. As such, it is left out of this article.
Casting
Molds
Home casting molds can be found in a variety of materials: Slate, Iron, Bronze/Brass, Aluminum, Zinc, Plaster, Vulcanized Rubber. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Casting material
Contemporary casting materials are most often pewter or some type of white metal, but some molds are intended for materials such as plastic, wax, resin and plaster.
Casting techniques
Casting techniques vary according to mold type and casting material type.
White Metal and Pewter
Sooting vs. Talc Powder
High Pouring
Over Pouring
Things to Avoid
Water
Heating molds
Plastic
Wax
Resin
Plaster
History
Enter the Schneider Brothers
During the late 1800’s the lead/tin toy soldier had established itself as a lead toy for children. In the early 1900’s The Schneider Brothers of Leipzig, Germany began introducing a new concept for the Toy Soldier: The Home Cast Mold. The Schneider Brothers adopted six simple rules as their business model to sell their molds:
- Selling molds, rather than figures, as other companies do. The customer can make entire armies with just a few molds. Each mold is shipped in a box with a clip, 2 handles and instructions for use and is ready for immediate use.
- The figures are designed in such a way that they are easy to cast. In addition to the casting molds, casting material, a spoon, a coloring guide and a paint set are also available.
- The molds can be used on a small budget. Waste lead could be used, for example, from plumbers. At that time, water and sewage pipes were made of lead.
- The mold material. They experimented first with cast iron, then with brass / gunmetal and very soon switched to the then new type of light metal, an aluminum alloy. Cast iron was only used during the First World War due to material shortages. The aluminum parts are easy to handle and do not rust.
- New forms of distribution. So that after the long development work, money quickly came into the company coffers, direct sales are preferred and only shipped by cash on delivery.
- Immediate protection and patenting of the products.
In 1910 Heinrich Diezemann joined the mold making business. It was quickly noted that he was following the Schneider Brothers' business model. Diezemann, however, only sold to retailers, unlike the Schneider Brothers. [5]
Along with the influx of German immigrants into America, came Schneider mold importers. These American importers like Henry C. Schiercke and Eric P. Schalk (possibly of German descent) were responsible for helping to introduce the home cast mold to the United States. Even the catalogs they distributed were merely Schneider Catalogs that had been mostly translated into English with their name replacing the Schneider name.
1920's S. Sachs Toy Soldier Manufacturing Company was established in 1899 but also eventually imported Schneider molds but soon turned to producing their own molds. During the 1920s they changed their name to Metal Cast Products Co.
In 1921, after seeing the success of the Schneiders and Diezemann, The Leutzsch Metalworks Ltd. entered the toy mold business with their new brand "Ideal."
The German manufacture Bohnofix-Werk Robert Maneke A.-G., Berlin-Adlershof also released a line of Aluminum molds much like the Schneider Brothers called Terratons, but their approach was to make molds for wax. This made making figures much safer but not as durable.
The German Lionel also briefly entered the home cast market. It imported to the US as the "Liberty Foundry". It however used an insert system unlike any other home cast system ever made.
1930's
The 1930's saw the emergence of the US home casting molds.
Rapaport and Home Foundry were both based in Chicago.
ACE was started by a competitor of Gilbert, Porter Chemical.
Allied[6], like Rapoport and Home Foundry, was based in Chicago. Allied molds were made mostly based on comic strip characters.
Lincoln Logs began making home cast molds to supplement their Lincoln Logs play sets.
A.C. Gilbert[7] [8] [9] acquires a casting system from Newton and markets aggressively.
The Marks Bros. were based in Boston, Mass. Their molds seem to be mostly Terraton copies and three Schneider figures molds reminiscent of the Rapaport and Make-A-Toy versions.
Make-A-Toy made high quality molds based on Schneider molds. Although not much is known of the company, many advertisements list the mailing address with the same address of Metal Cast Products.
La Salle Metal Craft Co. is another Chicago, Illinois company. Its figures bear a striking resemblance to some Home Foundry Figures. Not much is known of this company.
In Germany, IDEAL closes its doors in 1937.
WW-2
Industry-wide end of mold production for the war effort. All American manufacturers cease production of their mold lines. During the progress of the war both factories of Ideal and Diezmann are bombed by the allies. Tragically, both companies' mold masters are destroyed in the bombings.
On June 4th, 1945, Heinrich Diezemann dies, only days before his house is bombed out. This marks the end of his company and production.
1950's
The beginning of the 1950's marks the end of The Schneider Bros. as a company. The company was dissolved on October 3, 1950.
Post-WW-2 America
After WW2 the American toy industry picked up right where it left off. Sadly, this did not include the Home casting toy industry for the most part. The only American company to re-emerge was Home Foundry. Home Foundry quickly expanded their line of molds to include fully round figures. These include themes such as the Civil War, World War 2, Cowboys & Indians, and even a mold for Knights.
Metal Cast Products was another company to re-emerge after WW2 but was quickly falling behind. After WW2 they updated their cast soldier product line to WW-2 uniforms, but by 1950 they had closed.
Post-WW-2 Britain
The British had now entered the home casting mold business as well. F. W. Nuthall was now offering a large variety of molds for casting. This included 54mm soldiers and farm animals to plaster molds.
Even plastic injection was now an option in Britain with BR Molds. Now you could buy a mold that you could inject plastic into and make your own plastic soldier.[10]
The British were prolific in making copies. British molds stamped with "VIL" are quite a common find among British-made molds and are usually always Schneider copies.
There are still many unknown British mold makers still unidentified, most notably the makers of the "F" marked molds.
Elsewhere in Sweden
In Sweden in 1958, Jan Edman established Prince August. At first the company's main purpose was on the manufacture and sale of model railway accessories, but on the side they began the modest production of molds made of gypsum. These early molds consisted of a selection of about 10 modern soldiers.[11]
1960's
Home plastic injection
Kenner also joined with a line of army and construction moulds. The Kenner moulds, however, were also made of plastic. And, of course, moulds made of plastic should be of no surprise from American toy companies.
Mattel created a line of western cowboy moulds made of metal to join in on the craze.
NGK produced the Plasticor Jr. along with moulds that are very durable.
Wax and Plaster
Emenee produced both was and plaster molds reminiscent of the old Terraton molds. The two toys line were Formex 7 for wax and Castex 5 for plaster.
Prince August now starts using black rubber molds for casting.
In 1965, the Rapaport were bought out by Martin Yale Industries Inc. Chicago. They then proceeded to change the name of Rapaport to RAPCO Inc.
1970's
The German Re-awakening
In 1971, Walter Greiner, turns his hobby into a small business for the production and delivery of casting molds. His company is called "WGW" (Walter Greiner, Weimar)
Adolf H. Hohnmann started collecting figures and molds in the 1950s. In the 1960s he then sold painted groups of pewter figures. His wife helps by attaching these figures to cardboard pads and sending them in boxes. In the 1970s, the family expanded its business to include mold sales. These molds are duplicates of the original molds from Gebr. Schneider, H. Diezemann, IDEAL and others.
Despite Greiner and Hohnmann's unfriendly relationship, after Walter Greiner's death in 1983, Höhmann also acquired molds from Ms. Greiner, thereby increasing the scope of his offer.
In the 1970s, handicraft toys were very much in vogue and therefore some companies in the handicraft and leisure sector tried to gain a foothold in pewter casting. The Hobby Horse publishing house ("SBV") tried its luck with different approaches. Around 1975-77, a total of 29 shapes in 3 series and various packs of figures and accessories appeared under the label "Prandell".[12]
Nuremberg Miesterzinn was one of the premiere mold makers of the 1970s.
Elastolin release a "farm" collection of molds.
In 1975 CASTINGS was formed by Bob Blanc, Sales and Product Development Manager for Martin Yale/RAPCO. After he left the company, he incorporated under the name REB Toys. From Martin Yale, Inc., he then bought the RAPCO tooling and mold inventory, originally located in Highland Park, IL and then Longwood, FL and then finally moving to Orcas Island, P.O. Box 298, Eastsound, WA 98245-0298. Using much of the same flyers and marketing used by RAPCO, he started to market to hobbyists, eventually resuming production of molds in Zamac (a Zinc-based alloy) using the old original patterns.[7]
The Rise of Vulcanized Rubber
Although traditional home casting molds have been metal, by the 1970's Vulcanized Rubber was finally becoming the dominant material for home molds. This rubber could catch better detail than old metal-type molds and made for much cleaner casting and did require as much cleanup.
The American Companies
Dutkin's Collectibles
At some time in 1972, Bert Dunken dusted his old casting set and rediscovered the fun of homecasting that he knew from his childhood. In searching for other molds, he contacted the Yale/RAPCO office and found that they still had a large inventory of molds. Bert bought much of this inventory and soon began selling them to hobbyists. His advertisements sparked interest in homecasting and soon small dealers began selling their castings from mail-order or at markets and fairs. This eventually led to the creation of Dunken Co., P.O. Box 95V, Calvert, TX 77837. Its products included the revived Yale/RAPCO (CASTINGS line described below) and began importing the Prince August silicone rubber molds. Although they did not include US soldiers, there are some cowboys and Indians, and some Seven Year War Types that could be used in our French and Indian Wars with minor changes. Soon after seeing the value of the rubber molds, he began selling his own line of rubber molds for homecasting.[7]
Bob Blanc of Castings added a line of silicone rubber molds, to cast a wide variety of fully round figures of which American Revolutionary and Civil War types where common subject matter.[7]
Edward H. Burley began selling rubber molds of comic strip characters.
European Companies
Airfix, a British company known from plastic model making, together with the German company "Plasty Spielzeug GmbH" brought out a pewter casting series made entirely from replicas of old Schneider molds. Airfix sold the molds under the label of the "Westfälische Zinnfiguren-Manufaktur".[13]
Zinnbrigade of Schildkröt. Under the label "Zinnbrigade", the German toy manufacturer Schildkröt produced a fully plastic series of shapes on a 40mm scale from around 1976-1985, which deals with the time of the German Empire up to the First World War in 1914. Marching and fighting German troops were shown in the uniforms of the imperial era with the characteristic “pickelhauben”. Later in the series, a number of forms from the Napoleonic era appeared.[14]
The "SCAD" series is probably the least well known series of molds. It also comes from the 70s and that is almost all that can be said about it. Unfortunately, no really meaningful manufacturer designation got lost on the packaging of the molds, so that the word "Made in France" remains the only designation of origin. Some information in a painting manual show the publication or announcement years of 1975 and 1976. This series, too, should only have been given a short duration.[15]
2000's
Troll Factory
Creartec introduced a line of molds called Artidee
The Coming of the Architecture molds
Hirstarts https://hirstarts.com/
Green Stuff
4bot-Industries
Arcane Scenery
Little Terrain
Anatoli Nowikoff https://www.nowikoff.de
New companies are constantly popping up
The Consolidation of the US Homecasting Industry: Richard Campbell
Acquisition of Dutkins and then Dunkins
Acquisition of Castings after the passing of Bob Blanc
Continued Research
Spanish Molds
The Sánquez brothers
French Molds
Electric Foundry
Companies of Today
Dunken
Prince August
Related Websites
Forum Site
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VintageMetalMoldsForLeadAndTin
Online Database
http://www.karsten-boeer.com/Zinngiessformen_DB/Formenkb.php
Resource Archive
Places to Buy
American
European
German
http://www.zinn-blei-soldaten.de/
Auction Sites
https://www.todocoleccion.net/
Related Articles
References
- ↑ Stearns, Philip O. (1974). How To Make Model Soldiers. New York, N. Y.: Acro Publishing Company, inc. pp. 34–37. ISBN 0-668-03446-7. Search this book on
- ↑ Goodenough, Simon (1978). Military Miniature The art of making model soldiers. Radnor, Pennsylvania: Chilton Book Company. pp. 118–122. ISBN 0-8019-6722-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Bard, Bob (1957). Making & Collecting Military Miniatures. New York: Robert M. McBride Co., Inc. pp. 159–173. Search this book on
- ↑ Meidenbauer, Georg (1984). Zinnfiguren aus Meisterzinn. Giessen - bemalen - aufstellen. TOPP Frech-Verlag-Stuttgart. pp. 8–15. ISBN 3-7724-0472-3. Search this book on
- ↑ Christensen, Dick Günter (2017). Die Glorreichen Drei [The Magnificent Three] (in Deutsch). Hofheim: Günter Christensen. pp. 45–50. Search this book on
- ↑ Clayman, Andrew (2021). "Allied MFG Co., est. 1934". Made In Chicago Museum. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Poole, E. K. (1997). Collecting American-Made Toy Soldiers Identification and value guide Edition No. 3. Florence, Alabama: Books Americana Incorporated. pp. 602–619. ISBN 0-89689-118-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Hansen, Bruce (June 2005). "Gilbert Kaster Sets". A.C. Gilbert Heritage Society Newsletter. 15 (2).
- ↑ Lasky, Thad C. (1990). "The Erector Kaster Kit". The Collector, the American Flyer Collector's Club. 13 (3): 3.
- ↑ Morehead, Paul (2019). "Figures from BR Moulds". Plastic Warrior. 176: 4–6.
- ↑ Mogensen, Claus (June 2003). "Castings of Prince August and others". Chakoten. 58th volume, No 2.
- ↑ Wloka, Ralf (2021). "Zinngießformen und Figuren von Prandell". Zinnhobby.de. Retrieved 2021-10-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Wloka, Ralf (2021). "Zinngießformen der Westfälischen Zinnfiguren-Manufaktur". Zinnhobby.de. Retrieved 2021-10-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Wloka, Ralf (2021). "Zinngießformen von Zinnbrigade". Zinnhobby.de. Retrieved 2021-10-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Wloka, Ralf (2020). "Zinngießformen von SCAD". Zinnhobby.de. Retrieved 2021-10-31. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
This article "Miniature model (home casting)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Miniature model (home casting). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
