I notice that there is a company offering 3D printing of designs in brass and steel. I wonder if this could be used to make small hard-to-find parts for lamps. http://i.materialise.com/
Hi, Yes This is getting cheaper all the time, you can buy your own 3D printer to run off you home pc for only a thousand pounds ,these were tens of thousands only a few years ago, no doubt Stu would be doing this in his shed if he had room! This company do this using the lost wax setup and machine the item in 3d then cast it with the brass burning the wax away, similar to how big statues are made but they use a ceramic mould over the wax model and melt the wax out before pouring the brass /copper in, For lamp use any precise internal diameters for seals etc would need honing or reaming to get the exact size,so you'd make the model smaller to allow final machining, It's worth finding a local modelmaker to turn a rare item out on his lathe or yourself making a wood model oversize and getting your local foundry cast it, its often cheaper than you think.
Very interesting. Bernie Dawg who does the silent damper caps for several stoves offers some of his caps made the same way. There is a lot of information about the process on his website: http://www.bluewaterstove.com/Bluewater_Stove_Restoration/BernieDawg_F-SERIES_Silent_Caps/BernieDawg_F-SERIES_Silent_Caps.html
