Were Third Reich badges ever cast?

[richardf8]

Great thread!

[Danmark]

Hi all,

From what I have read today, and from talking to my “brains trust” ( because no ONE person can know all the answers ) there REALLY IS some knowledge out there of these new methods so I’m on a learning curve also.

Spin Casting – is used for gaming figurines, fishing lures, prototyping, trophies and medallions, the critical thing is the types of alloys that you can and cannot use. Apparently normal casting alloys DO NOT work with spin casting as they cool too rapidly with a result of porosity and unfilled dies and leave an ‘orange peel’ effect to the surface ( this could be a thing to watch out for ) The correct alloys to use are slow cool types and noticeably softer to be suitable for this low temp operation. So we are looking at “bendable” alloys like lead, tin, copper & pewter RATHER than zinc or hard alloys. Also, because the casting is contained within the die, there is no need for a trimming die so the cut / drag marks on the edges may not be there in one of these spun cast badges unless the forger builds these features in.

Electrocasting - Apparently there are a few patents out on this process and it’s a (little) like powder coating, in that the die is negatively charged and the powdered metal positively charged and attracted to the die which is heated and the powder is fused together. Because it is pulled toward a surface, the detail on the front is good – but NOT the back. So, it is either rough or requires surface finishing…… maybe we watch out for badges with machined back surfaces ……. and because it is a 'sintering' process, the density may not be the same and there would be a weight difference to watch out for as well.

Hope this helps...... cheers, Dan

[Saladin]

Absolutely excellent bit of information Dan...and thank you very much for taking the time to find out about these new production methods.
I do believe that the processes will soon be used by modern forgers to produce higher quality badges once they have perfected the techniques.
The deficiencies that you point out very well will indeed be ones to watch out for.
Best regards
Doug

[Adrian]

Great information guys! Thank you for taking the time to share it here.

[Thomas Durante]

Great info Dan! This is a really excellent thread!

Tom