What liquids harden?

Question

I am looking for a good, relatively common substitute for metal. I want to be able to pour it into a mold. Any suggestions, apart from plaster and concrete? Something really solid...

Answer 1

all as far as i know, either by evaporation ,  temp,  or viscosity break down but the best I've used is a plastic or lead (pl)i  it has a relatively low melting temp and can be easily mixed with other metals such as tin.  epoxies also work very well but you will find a way to prevent it from bonding to the mold,  such as talc

Answer 2

Epoxy has been mentioned. There are several different resins that you may find useful. One that may be useful is known by the brand name of Bondo, and is readily available in auto parts stores in the United States. There is one version that uses fiberglass as one component. Bondo is commonly used to fix imperfections in metal after an auto collision, but I have used it for a number of other types of repairs, including one troublesome radiator that went out and had to be fixed on a Sunday evening. Lead actually lasts longer on body repairs, but because of the fumes involved and difficulty working it without it dropping off of vertical surfaces, is seldom used anymore. I think it is fun to work with on antique or classic car body work,. I get a kick out of someone watching me and then letting them give it a try and then watching as they repeatedly and generally unsuccessfully try to keep the lead from simply dropping on the ground while keeping it workable. If you are against metal because of the high temperatures involved in melting it, while it may not fill your needs for other reasons, you might try Wood's metal. It melts in hot water, well below the boiling point of water at sea level. I think its melting point is around 170F. Wood's metal is an alloy of three others, if memory serves. One of them is tin, another lead and I do not remember the third. You should be able to find more information on the Internet about it. I am simply going from memory of high school science classes several decades ago.