Casting a zinc belt buckle.

UPDATE: I have improved this technique and a much better example is on this post:
Make your own fish trilobite or turtle belt buckle.

This is the shape of the Twin Cities with the neck of the dinosaur approximating the path of the Mississippi.


I used:
a small porcelain dish like a evaporation dish or crucible to heat the zinc
UPDATE: This is much easier with a small can like one that veggies come in. Plus it is esentially free instead of $5.
a source of scrap zinc
clay
plaster
a candle
an item you would like to cast
a place to have a fire
a coat hanger
tongs
Sandpaper or a Dremel tool.

To start I pushed the dino into the clay creating a negative. Then fill the hole with wax. This wax will be a positive of the eventual cast.




Next I placed the wax in the bottom of a milk carton and pour plaster over it.

Once the plaster was set I melted the wax out of the plaster by holding in over the fire.

Now the fun begins.
dish with the zinc and waiting for it to melt.
then I pour into the plaster cast


I Bent the coat hanger to attach to the belt as shown below.