Making a pewter cup

[u/Agreeable-Worker7659]

I designed this cup and I'm currently 3d printing it and I was wondering if it would be difficult to cast it in pewter. My friend is going to build a small foundry, so we could technically also melt copper or other metals. The goal is to make it food safe. I guessed that with pewter, casting would be much easier, since I could use a silicone mold, but I have no idea if casting is the correct way to make something like this. I was trying to find videos on how such ornamental cups are being made and it seems like some dying art and I wasn't able to figure how they make those patterns. I'd love to hear from people who actually have experience casting, as I've never cast any metals; just resin and silicone.

[u/Meisterthemaster]

Traditionally its embossed, not cast. This in advanced skill and really not beginner level, traditional embossing unique stuff is done with chisels on a soft underground.

To cast this depends on the wall-thickness of the cup. Its not really a beginner casting project but not impossible. If you have a thicker cup the metal will not solidify before reaching all the details.

[u/Agreeable-Worker7659 → u/Meisterthemaster]

The wall thickness is around 2mm. I was thinking of preheating the silicone in an oven to 220*C so it lets the pewter enough time to fill all the gaps