Making a piggy bank from pennies

I have been wanting to make a piggy bank from pennies, and I'm not sure what I need. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on such a thing online from most of my searches. Basically the general plan is to take a lot of pre-1982 pennies, melt them, and pour them into a mold and voila. I had hoped to make this for a Christmas present, so I'm running out of time. I have no idea who to even hire for the melting and sculpting if needed, and I might want to do this if needed for safety's sake.

The best I can suggest is look at casting using "lost foam" method. In a nutshell that means you cast over foam and the heat from the cast burns up the foam. Since you need a hollow inside you will need to either do this kind of method or do the two sides and weld them together somehow.

Why not just make one by gluing pennies together? I would think that would be cooler and you could probably sell them for much more than the cost.

Or go buy a piggy bank and glue pennies to it. You will have to overlay them some, and also find out what kind of epoxy to use depending on the material of the piggy.

Good ideas about the gluing just I can get it done without special tools and any risks. I didn't really want to do this, but time is running short and I'm spending too much time online in my free time.

Quote: AZDuffman

The best I can suggest is look at casting using "lost foam" method. In a nutshell that means you cast over foam and the heat from the cast burns up the foam. Since you need a hollow inside you will need to either do this kind of method or do the two sides and weld them together somehow.

Good idea. At first I wasn't understanding it but I'm getting it now. I'm really seeing my limitations where I have trouble thinking it all out and I need to be able to write this down how I can do it. Wow though, the model sculpture being done by me I can envision being done perfectly, but it might look like some impressionist piece. I might even do some kind of wild boar with tusks. If there was some way to make the tusks silver, that would be a cool look. Was even thinking to have the slot be an open mouth.


I've been thinking about this for over a year and still haven't made a move completing it yet. Too bad cool things are hard. Beyond this, I've always wanted to make my own wooden fishing boat. That would be cool. I was always told how they're good to fish because the sounds made up top don't echo into the water very much.
I'll probably go with the glue idea because I can do this crappily almost guaranteed.

Quote: 1nickelmiracle

Good idea. At first I wasn't understanding it but I'm getting it now.

I think I read entirely too much about weird and obscure things.

Quote: AZDuffman

I think I read entirely too much about weird and obscure things.

You have a PHD in AZDUFFMAN. You're beyond the curve, it's a good thing. At least it isn't a PHD in Trueblood or some waste of existence.

I have some obscure thought that it is illegal to melt the pennies. Am I right?

Quote: SOOPOO

I have some obscure thought that it is illegal to melt the pennies. Am I right?

Yes, you are. though I doubt they would care enough to send you to Allenwood.