Has anyone done cold cast bronze?

What would the cost be, as opposed to sending it to a foundry and having a bronze casting done? I was reading in an old art book about using thixotropic polyester, MEK peroxide catalyst, and bronze metallic granules (101 mesh). This mixture was made to a buttery consistency and applied to the plaster mosd with a spatula. Do you think this would work. I went on the net and it seems like most cold casting done now are more liquidy.........which would not work for me. Thanks for any input.

If production cost is your main concern just cast the piece in polymer plaster/polymer concrete/sandfilled resin and then spray paint bronze, gold, copper or anything else you want. Get some colored shoe polish to finish the patina (let dry and buff out). Going to the many extra hours to hand layup/cast in fiberglass (Forton MG - unless you solid cast, much more expensive), and then hand polish and patina the piece, you will not get you any extra money for the piece. This is in the Pacific Northwest at least, serious collectors just don't buy cold cast and the people buying eye candy really only care a) does it match my interior and lifestyle b) can it go outside c) can I get a bargain. There is great joy in selling a piece of spray painted resin for $50 - especially the 'primed - ready for faux finishing' cast for a mere $40.

If you still want to try cold cast, bronze filled polyester is still your best bet, but epoxy must be used for any metal powders containing aluminum. There are some new Mica powders which are promising, but like I have written, paint is the way to go and the fine grade powders can be made into a sprayable paint. The only advantage to cold cast is if the piece chips - who cares about that once the piece is sold? If you are worried about chips, why buy cold cast in the first place? Finally, the cold cast is nowhere near as strong as bronze and this will have to influence the design of your piece - no pointy bits or thin sections carrying weight.

Hope this helps - you may have a totally different experience. I think the only interesting thing left to do with art casting is to incorporate found objects, unusual materials, into a resin base and then polishing it out. Another option to look into is sand casting aluminum and then highly polishing - this should be less than bronze and if successful easier and less costly to setup than a bronze foundry.

People have been trying to do cold cast bronze for 20 years- it simply can not work well.

The casting will come out a lovely chocolaty color and buff up to a nice luster- except- the bronze powder is so heavy you will note that the finish is rather uneven since the bronze settled into the low parts of the casting. Even if you are happy with the result, it will not stay buffed and bronzy- it will ultimately turn back to that chocolate color and sealing the casting won't stop it since the color comes from inside the casting as a reaction between the bronze and resin.

The only effect that seems to last is a quick murriatic acid wash to turn the bronze green., but then, why have it bronze at all.

If you really want a metal look on a resin casting- coat the finished resin casting with something that carries a current and electroplate it with a real metal surface. Or go for Vapor Deposition, which is a dry process with the same result. If you plate with copper you can use the same patina chemicals as with real bronze and because the copper will be pure, the color effect will be more dramatic and rich.

Or use one of the many surface treatments that are essentially a resin paint with a heavy metal fill.

any of these will get you a surface better looking than cold cast.