Thread: lead keels

My limited understanding of this design is it's a fairly easy casting to make yourself.

Is there a reason you'd rather pay to have one made? It's not as hard as you think.

I had my TS keel (250kg) cast by Austral Bronze in Sydney.

If wanting to get someone to pour it for you look for non ferrous foundries in the yellow pages.

MIK

Am a bit apprehensive about working with molten lead.Was thinking I will make a mould and get someone to cast it for me.

It's not especially hard to work lead. There are some precautions you want to employ, but working with molten metals generally requires some level of safety procedures.

I can understand you're not wanting to do it and making a mold is easy enough. Talk to your foundry first because they'll give you more precise measurements to account for shrinkage as the lead cools.

I've had some luck getting local schools to cast relatively small pieces. A ballast casting may be more then they're willing to do, but it's worth a shot. They're usually considerably cheaper then a full up foundry too.