Rough Casting Colours: Basic Guide 2022

Rough casting is used to make different objects from the same metal. It is done by melting the raw metal and pouring it into sand or another material. This process draws off the excess fabric in the form of slag.

When this extra material gets drawn off, the molten metal is called ‘rough’ or ‘green’. The roughed-out shape of the final product can then be finished by various processes as required.

Different metals react at different temperatures. Roughcasting involves working with various other alloys and having various castings made from them. These alloys include carbon, silicon, nickel, and manganese. 

The process doesn’t require specialized equipment or materials, but it’s a good idea to have some on hand if you regularly work with roughcasting.

Below we look at what materials are involved in rough casting, how it works, its benefits, and potential drawbacks.

Rough Casting Colours for Beginners

Roughcasting is a technique used to make different objects from the same metal. It is similar to sand casting, traditionally done by pouring liquid metal into the sand and removing the excess material. 

Roughcasting can get done using any metal, but it typically uses alloys such as silicon, nickel, and manganese. The process doesn’t require specialized equipment or materials, but you should have some on hand if you regularly work with roughcasting. 

Below we look at what materials are involved in rough casting, how it works, its benefits, and potential drawbacks.

Right Selection Of Rough Casting Colours

Choosing the right color for your roughcasting can be tricky. When selecting a color, you should consider what it will be used for, where it will get used and how much time and effort you are willing to put in. 

Some common colors include bronze, black, green, and yellow-green. 

However, these colors often have different tones, resulting in other effects. For example, green casts are more likely to look like grass, while bronze casts sometimes look like copper or brass. 

The benefits of rough casting include the following.

• Producing many pieces at once with one process.
• Producing different colors.
• Having a faster production time than conventional methods like wax molds.

The drawbacks of rough casting include that it’s difficult to control the quality of the castings made from alloys such as silicon and manganese. 

It sometimes leads to a product that’s not durable enough for its intended purpose or an unwanted discoloration on the finished product.

Addition of Contrast To Rough Casting

Each rough casting can get made in various ways, each with different effects. However, they all have in common that they are all made by pouring molten metal into a mold and letting it cool. 

The most effective way to add interest to your rough casting is through contrast. You can achieve this by using two or more colors of metal or contrasting material, such as sand, in creating the finished product. 

The technique allows for interesting textures and patterns you wouldn’t be able to achieve via other production methods. 

In addition, the resulting surface will have unusual color variations which will catch the eye of passers-by on any street corner. Finally, it highlights how successfully the technique can create attractive castings for practical and decorative use.

Addition of  Texture 

Textures can get added to metal work by using a range of processes. Some may include working with raw metal and melting it into the sand or using a metal plate as the surface upon the casting. 

Roughcasting involves pouring molten metal into sand or another material. This leaves a roughed-out shape of the final product. Texture can be made smoother by various processes.

Tips for Painting Rough Casting

When painting a rough casting, it is important to remember the metal you are working with. Metals like carbon are relatively soft. They can be painted by brushing or stippling. But metals such as silicon will burn when exposed to too much heat.

Try to use brush strokes rather than spray paint when painting a rough casting. It allows you to control the flow of paint over the metal without damaging it. 

Remember that while all metals can get smudged, some will require more heat than others. Cover the surface with a fine coat of german schmear. This will ensure that your roughed-out shape doesn’t warp or dry out while drying your paint.

It is also advisable not to leave the piece too long before finishing it off. This could result in cracks forming on the surface of your finished product due to shrinkage.

Ideally, you should complete your roughcasting within one day of making it. This will remove any residual moisture from your workpiece before it dries out completely.

How to Create a Custom Rough Casting Colour?

There are two ways to create a custom rough casting color. One is to use a metal that will react to the environment you’re working in, or the other option is to use a different material. 

Using the first method, you will need an oxidizing agent and flux metal to create a custom metal. The flux means that when you heat the molten metal on the surface of the sand, an oxide layer forms, combining with some of the metal to form a fairly stable alloy. 

You would mix powdered copper with powdered calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate and flux material like borax or alumina to make silver from copper. This process is known as melting.

Producing copper-rich frits can then get used to making silver by adding silver nitrate solution to water. 

This is an example of how a batch of silver can be entirely dissolved into a solution without forming any metallic shapes. There are various ways of creating particles that can then get used as roughcasting.

Those who want to use another material for their roughcasting colors can mix powdered metals with liquids like waxes or oils or powders like carbon black or clay powder. 

They would then pour this liquid mixture into the sand. They would heat it so that it becomes molten at certain temperatures and forms an alloy on oxidation at these temperatures.

Wrapping up

In a paragraph, Roughcasting is a technique used to make different objects from the same metal. It is done by melting the raw metal and then pouring it into sand or another material to draw off the excess fabric in the form of slag. 

When this extra material gets drawn off, the molten metal is called ‘rough’ or ‘green’. The roughed-out shape of the final product can then be finished by various processes as required. 

Different metals react at different temperatures. Roughcasting involves working with various other alloys and having various castings made from them. These alloys include carbon, silicon, nickel, and manganese. 

The process doesn’t require specialized equipment or materials, but you should have some on hand if you regularly work with roughcasting. Above, we look at what materials are involved in rough casting, how it works, its benefits, and potential drawbacks.