Medieval Cast Pewter belt

I had wanted to create a medieval style plaque belt for my wife for some time and finally talked my self out of all my excuses.

I wanted the belt to reflect elements of her registered SCA heraldry, shown below but not be an exact copy. 

I decided to cast the plaques in pewter since the material and equipment was relatively inexpensive.

About $80.00 for the casting furnace and I recommend getting the Lyman Casting Dipper to make your life easier.

Next, I designed the part in SolidWorks exactly as I wanted, then printed the STL file on my Creality 3D printer using PLA plastic. This provided me with the positive image, including a sprue, needed to create the high-temperature silicone mold.

With a bit of rubber cement, I secured the part to a smooth surface. Then, using Mold Max™ 60, a high-temperature silicone, along with some reusable mold forms that  I 3D-printed from an online design, I poured the catalyzed silicone to create the mold. in two operations to create a front and back.

I ended up using a pair of soapstone blocks that I had to clamp on either side of the silicone mold to act as a heat sink but could still only cast 6-8 at a time before needing to allow the mold to cool.

After some clean up and polishing i mixed a clear slow curing epoxy resin that I added some liquid pigments to. this needed about 24 hrs to cure. 

Once the plaques were complete I used the posts to attach them to a leather belt that I lined with felt after all the setting was done. For the closure I used a 1 1/2" removable pin hinge and riveted the two haves to the leather.

It weighs in at 2lbs 15 oz which makes the belt hang just as I hoped.