1930’s GILBERT No. 2 KASTER LEAD SOLDIER SET

Description: Offered here is an example of a 1930s No. 2 Gilbert Kaster set. The set appears to be complete. I’m basing this on the included Gilbert advertisement, and instruction sheet. I’ve included a couple of necessary extras: A beeswax candle for smoking the molds (per Gilbert’s instructions) and some casting metal so the original ingots can be preserved. The A.C. Gilbert Company was known for its line of Scientific toys like Chemistry sets, Microscope sets, Electrical sets, etc. They were also known for their world-famous Erector sets. The Gilbert Company wasn’t shy about trying out new products. They started selling metal-casting sets under the “Kaster” name in the early 1930’s. There were two basic styles of sets offered: Electric and Non-Electric. This No. 2 set is the larger of the two non-electric sets. The No. 2 set came with 3 molds (the No. 1 came with 1 mold), 12 ingots of casting metal (No. 1 had 6 ingots), and 3 colors of paint (No. 1 had 1 paint can). The non-electric sets included a ladle for melting the casting metal over a stove or fire. The Electric sets came with an electric smelting pot. Casting metal was melted in the pot by plugging the heating element into a 110V house circuit. One of the auction photos shows the line of sets offered at the time. On to more details about this set. As mentioned above, I believe the set is complete. The set includes the correct 3 molds (No. 1 Army Officer, No. 2 Infantry, and No. 6 Cavalry), two wooden mold handles, two clips for securing the molds to the handles, a mold base, 12 pigs of casting metal, ladle, 3 cans of paint, paintbrush, mold-removal tool, and casted examples of the included molds. On the downside, the box top and box bottom are a bit on the rough side as can be seen in the auction photos. The box top is complete with all four aprons, but a previous owner did a tape repair on the box. It still presents okay but could use a better restoration. The box bottom is missing one side apron and part of a long apron. I did not open the paint cans to verify the contents were still viable. I suspect being 90 years old, that the paint has dried out. The paint is likely lead-based; I’d recommend using a modern acrylic if the new owner wants to decorate their castings! The instructions were missing when I purchased this set. I acquired a very nice scan of the smaller No. 1 set from a collector and have included that. I looked over the No. 1 instructions and saw nothing unique to that set; I took some “creative liberties” and changed the “No. 1” to “No. 2” in three areas on the front page. Both instruction sheets are included. Also included is a reprint of the Kaster ad shown in the auction photos, a beeswax candle, and a few ounces of casting metal. The candle should be used to smoke the molds per Gilbert’s instructions. I’m guessing here, but the smoke may help prevent the casted metal from sticking to the molds. The bagged casting metal is 60/40 tin/lead solder with a melting point of about 375 F (lead alone melts at ~620 F). The metal should be 50-75 F above the melting point to reliably fill the mold. The molds are cooler than the melting point of the casting metal and draw heat from the casting metal when they make contact. The “balancing act” is getting the casting metal hot enough to fill the mold before setting up vs. the time delay after pouring to ensure the metal has solidified. I’d recommend NOT using the original casting metal as it is a collectible! Common solder (63/37 or 60/40) works very well for casting your army! Another alternative is “Cerrobend” casting metal. This alloy (50% Bismuth, 27% lead, 13% tin, and 10% cadmium) has a melting point of ~160 F. Yeah, you can melt it in boiling water! If you are worried about pouring 600 F metal, try the Cerrobend at ~220 F. One of the auction photos shows the ends of the two wooden handles. The Kaster molds have bosses on their backside for securing to the mold handles. One mold half has a circular boss, the other has a “Z” or “N” boss. The handle with the larger hole goes to the “Z/N”. ALSO, the set’s lower insert has places for both handles. The tab on the LEFT SIDE is wider than the right side. The handles should be placed with the larger hole to the left, and the smaller one to the right. The smaller hole will fit on the larger tab, but it makes the handle difficult to remove from the insert (and will likely tear the insert). The set has been taken apart for shipping. The box top was set upside down in the shipping box, and the set box bottom was set into the box top. Everything but the T-clips were removed from the lower insert which was set upside down into the box bottom. I did this as the molds are quite heavy and would likely collapse the bottom insert during shipping. Upon unpacking the insert, the auction winner will see a couple of strips of chipboard that were original to the set. I suspect that these are risers to be placed under the insert to better support the weight of the parts above. The auction owner will need to reassemble the set for display purposes using the included ad and/or auction photos for proper placement of the parts. Don’t hesitate to ask questions through eBay’s messaging service. Shipping is via USPS Priority Mail in an 18” x 14” x 3” box weighing 6.5 lbs. If you are interested in learning more about Gilbert Erector sets, Google ACGHS for the home page of the A. C. Gilbert Heritage Society. Included in the photos is a sample page of an Erector parts guide I wrote about 10 years ago; it details the variations of all of the parts used between 1933 – 1962 and is available as a free download from the ACGHS website. Another trivial fact; the ACGHS past president and webmaster is one of A. C. Gilbert’s grandsons!

Price: 83 USD

Location: Charlotte, Michigan

End Time: 2024-09-21T20:27:38.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD