Don't have an account yet? You can create one. As a registered user you have some advantages like theme manager, comments configuration and post comments with your name.
Shade's Live Action Role Playing (LARP) List: Forums
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:49 pm Post subject: Making coins
Seegras wrote:
As for in-game money, we normally use coins cast from tin, or specially minted coins. The self-cast coins are cheaper. Look like those: http://www.scotchco.de/mein_schatz.jpg.
Can you describe exactly how you do this?
Last edited by RyanPaddy on Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:56 pm; edited 2 times in total
Joined: Jun 21, 2005 Posts: 44 Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:51 am Post subject:
RyanPaddy wrote:
Seegras wrote:
As for in-game money, we normally use coins cast from tin, or specially minted coins. The self-cast coins are cheaper. Look like those: http://www.scotchco.de/mein_schatz.jpg.
Can you describe exactly how you do this? Perhaps you could start a new topic to do it? ;)
Joined: Jul 11, 2004 Posts: 290 Location: Derby, UK
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:47 am Post subject:
One method other than casting is to get a non-ferrous metal supplier to slice some rod for you, then get a steel stamp so you can hammer the pattern onto them.
Then oxidise - preferably doing it in batches, so the coins look like they are different ages.
Joined: Aug 09, 2004 Posts: 153 Location: Kiel, Germany
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:13 am Post subject:
Problem with the translation: there are some very specific technical terms. I'd have to look them up and probably I would have to describe what is meant and why I chose that translation and not another - so it would be prone to quite some misunderstanding. But I could give it a try... _________________ "Like the moon goddess on her path eternal..."
Joined: Jul 12, 2002 Posts: 1060 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject:
I'd really appreciate a version of that text in English. There may be a description of how to cast coins in English somewhere on the web, but I've never seen it.
Perhaps someone could add the English version to that German Wiki? Useful for directing hopeless mono-linguists like me to.
Lig, I've heard about the stamping method but I thought that the stamps are massively expensive. Is that right? I'd be very interested in that method if there's a good description of it somewhere, as it sounds a lot less messy and faster.
Joined: Jun 21, 2005 Posts: 44 Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:14 am Post subject:
RyanPaddy wrote:
Perhaps someone could add the English version to that German Wiki? Useful for directing hopeless mono-linguists like me to.
There is http://larpwiki.org, the brother of the german larpwiki, meant precisly for things like that.
RyanPaddy wrote:
Lig, I've heard about the stamping method but I thought that the stamps are massively expensive. Is that right?
Right. Making the stamp costs some hundred bucks. And they're not that durable (well, maybe they are pretty durable when only using them on tin).
Anyway, casting coins, short version. It's quite similar to casting miniatures for wargames.
* First you make a model of what you want. You may use a real old coin as model (since the coins are going to be in tin, there's no problem of mistaken them for the originals), or you make one, with whatever you want (clay, plastic, stone, wood..)
* Then you make a form, silicon rubber works well. You have to use talcum powder so the two sides won't glue themselves together. First pour some silicon rubber into a form; press in the coin(s) into it, let it dry, use talcum powder on it, and pour in the rest of the silicon rubber. Let it dry, and separate the two halves. Cut in the channels for filling in the tin.
These two steps take some days and are best done at home.
* Now you've got a form. Heat tin (can be easiliy done on the campfire), fasten the forms together (you might want to use talcum here too) and pour in tin. wait some seconds until its hard, and you can separate the forms. Cut off the edges and rest of the casting-channel, and you've got your coin.
* You can add a finish to it. We used watered-down black paint used for painting on glass, to get the looks of a patina.
With two people you can produce maybe 100 coins an hour (two forms, each with half a dozen coins each). It's a bit tedious actually.
Important: Only use un-leaded tin. You're going to have those coins in your hands often, you often have no decent means to wash you hands on events, and if you're eating by hand you're going to intake lead, which is poisonous.
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 8:06 am Post subject: About the form
Seegras:
Are you sure about the silicon rubber for the mold? Maybe the term is different in english, because I would think that the silicon rubber will melt, may it be even a litle, when you inject the tin.
Joined: Jul 11, 2004 Posts: 290 Location: Derby, UK
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 1:01 pm Post subject:
It all depends on how complicated you want it to be, and how hard you want the stamp to be. I'll be using a shallow, simple design on soft copper, and it will cost 10's of pounds, not hundreds (edit: adjust upwards if using dollars). However, I work in the jewellery trade, so I can get trade rates for stuff like that.
A full-on historical coin with a portrait and latin text or whatever, is obviously going to be a complicated specialist task.
Important: Only use un-leaded tin. You're going to have those coins in your hands often, you often have no decent means to wash you hands on events, and if you're eating by hand you're going to intake lead, which is poisonous.
WARNING: This product contains lead, a metal known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
PHEW! We almost had the state of California shut down this site! Good thing I caught that in time!
I'm sure it would be okay to use a lead/tin combination as long as that warning was part of the engraving.
Seriously, though, I think a better method would be to stamp coins. Well, at least a faster less tedious method. But I suppose you could do the casting as an in-game activity. Players could be paid to operate the mint. Of course, you would want a special safety regulation specifying absolutely no combat around the mint area. I mean, I've heard of a cat on a hot tin roof, but molten tin splattered all over skin? Let's move this fight away from the mint, please.
I would see if I could somehow get my hands on a hardened steel rod. Maybe even a standard steel rod from Home Depot woudl work. (would you want cold rolled or hot rolled, though?)
What I would do is get a steel rod and a metal pipe that would go around the rod. Cut the rod in half, polish the cut, and engrave your design using a dremel tool. (any other ideas on how to engrave a design?)
Once you have your design, you just need a bunch of slugs of tin, maybe even copper. I can't think of where to get tin slugs, but you could make copper slugs by purchasing a large grounding rod (also from Home Depot) and cutting disks out of this. (Power tool HIGHLY recommended!)
Once you have a slug, put your bottom die into the pipe, drop in the slug, put the top die in, and whack it with a sledgehammer. Remove coin, repeat.
Copper will oxidise pretty quickly, having a nice brownish tarnish in just a week or so. If you want a polished finish on your coins before stamping (for better appearance) perhaps you could put them in a tumbler with sand. One place I know to get a tumbler is any decint size gun store, or a large outdoor sporting goods store that carries lots of guns. They'll usually have re-loading supplies, which includes tumblers and media for the tumblers (used for polishing brass shell casings before re-loading)
I'm not sure how tin fares. I'd imagine it would be pretty soft, but I don't know. The softer metal would be preferrable so that you have a longer die life on your steel rods.
If anybody wants to experament (the latex weapon project has drained my LARP budget for the next several months) here's a list of items.
1 square plywood board.
4 large wood screws.
One 3/4" threaded floor flange (found next to the metal pipes)
One 3/4" metal pipe, about 6"
One short steel rod large enough to fit inside the 3/4" pipe without too much play.
One copper grounding rod
One small sledgehammer (no need for a long handle 20lb sledge!)
One mitr Saw and metal cutting blade
One dremel tool
Safety goggles
Leather Gloves
First, screw the floor flange onto the plywood board. next, screw the pipe into the flange. This is your stamping rig.
Cut the steel rod in half, polish the ends, and engrave your design on both halves.
Cut out a disk of copper.
Insert bottom die, then the copper slug, then the top die.
WHACK!!!
Hopefully the plywood board held up, and you have your first coin.
This method would be nice because it would create older looking coins. You could get coins minted, but they look like, well, modern coins. If you want to have them made...
I couldn't find any pricing, but if you get a pre made coin, it will definitely be cheaper. Otherwise, they also do custom designs, but be prepared for an investment in several hundred dollars to make the die.
I was reaaing your tpic when I had a mental breakthrough. The method I am about to explain to you is extremely simple and may sound stupid but dont blame me.
Here goes ! Why don't you just use washers! You can buy them by the (some large amount) at any hardware store and then stamp them, paint them, or whatever. You could even put them in the middle of those tin covers that chocolate coins come in the glue them in.
I wonder if they make washers out of softer material that would be more forgiving on a die. If they're hardened, that would dramatically decrease the tool life of the die. I wonder if there are brass washers out there. I'll try to remember to check it next time I'm at the hardware store. _________________ Edgar(at)realmsoftracon.com http://www.realmsoftracon.com
Joined: May 02, 2002 Posts: 158 Location: New York
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject: Tags for coins....
Actually, look into getting valve tags from a larger hardware or industrial supply house. They are thin metal tags of various sizes and shapes that hang from valves for the purpose of identification.
Not sure on the cost anymore, but they are designed to be easily marked. I have actually marked several using a hand stamp and a hammer.
If you have trouble finding them let me know I will seach on the net. _________________ Nothing beats a friend like a rubber sword...
Joined: May 21, 2004 Posts: 221 Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 11:07 am Post subject:
coins have to be the most difficult thing to find if you don't want to make them yourself. What I did to get started was use pashillo slot machine tokens that I found on ebay for $40 - $50. They aren't pretty and they only come in silver, but they work to get you started.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
! Why don't you just use washers! You can buy them by the (some large amount) at any hardware store and then stamp them, paint them, or whatever. You could even put them in the middle of those tin covers that chocolate coins come in the glue them in.
