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09/03/2023 9:31 pm
Here's something I picked up:
"A zinc die casting expert in the die casting mold manufacturer says, once those occur, there is no cure for them.
Speaking from his experiences, any efforts to remove the "rash" (small voids or bubbles, shrinkage and surface defects) will be to no purpose.
It is an inveterate issue by the “casting defect”.
Here is common knowledge on the Casting defects.
The items below are the excerpts from "Die casting Die, and Die Casting Molding Method".
Casting defects are any imperfections or irregularities that occur in the process of casting metal or other materials into a desired shape.
There are many other types of casting defects that can occur, but these are some of the most common ones.
Some common types of casting defects include:
1. Porosity: This is the presence of small voids or bubbles in the casting that are caused by gases being trapped in the molten metal as it solidifies.
2. Shrinkage: This is when the metal cools and contracts during solidification, causing it to pull away from the mold and leaving small voids or cracks in the casting.
3. Inclusions: These are small particles of impurities or other foreign material in the inferior materials that become trapped in the casting during the pouring process.
4. Cold shuts: This occurs when two streams of molten metal don't completely fuse together during the pouring process, leaving a line of weakness in the casting.
5. Misruns: This is when the molten metal doesn't completely fill the mold cavity, resulting in a partially formed casting.
6. Hot tears: This occurs when the metal solidifies but is still under internal stress, causing it to crack or tear as it cools.
7. Surface defects: These are any irregularities or imperfections that occur on the surface of the casting, such as roughness, cracks, or pits."
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
10/03/2023 4:15 pm
Hey guys. Just wanted to chime in on this topic, not because of the disappointment we have in seeing our favorite models crumble to pieces due to manufacturing flaws, but rather, to suggest an amendment to the way we describe the condition. Whenever this topic of diecast rot (or whatever term we choose to use) comes up, I always cringe as I await the inevitable use of the word "cancer" to describe it. In 2009, I lost my wife to cancer at age 42. leaving me with our not-yet-3 year old. Whenever the word cancer is used to describe model cars breaking down, it fills me with a sense of dread and anxiety, and brings back extremely painful memories. I'd like to ask, respectfully, would it be possible to just use another word instead of "cancer" to talk about it? I don't mean to be disrespectful of anyone's opinions about how they feel about their models. I certainly am very attached to mine, and in fact, collecting the precision models became a form of therapy for me after my wife's death. It is always sad to see one of my models fall apart in the infrequent occurrences of it happening, but to describe it as cancer, I feel, trivializes actual people dying from a serious disease. Again, no disrespect intended. It's just hard for me to read that word in relation to an inanimate object, and not find it upsetting. Thank you very much for your reading this, and for your attention and consideration.
Best,
Rich
10/03/2023 7:56 pm
George, your pictures of the 59 Impala might be mine as my model is bending and twisting exactly the same as yours.
I was so sad when I first noticed the car bending. And then the doors weren't straight and wouldn't close properly. As time went on, the drivers side door actually fell off and the car was even more bent. Finally sadly, I chucked the car in the garbage and with much remorse, chalked it up as a loss. I loved the color of it, and the black top fit it well. Too bad that DM let us down on this one.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
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