OK. So I think I'm pretty convinced at this point that its either a press die or lost wax investment. Of the latter I basically understand the process, but not in detail. I guess one question would be how many times could a resin cast once made be used before you had to go through the process of making a new one? And while on he subject would a graphite mold be possible or a better choice?
Overall, to be honest, I'm generally leaning towards hydraulic press dies as Arbutus has suggested. I just seems so much easier. And a good die could used for years I would think. The question is how to roll the pressed sheets into cones. Joining the seams themselves should of course be fairly straight forward if the cone shape is correct.
I shouldn't like to come across as if I know the best way, only that investment casting offers amazing possibilities and is, because I'm familiar with it, how I'd come at it. Stamping them may be best.
I mistakenly thought the idea was to impress the pattern via rolls which seemed challenging. Flat pressing then rolling makes more sense. I still think the tooling will be expensive, but maybe with cnc....
Does it just have to look decorative and be the right shape, or does the pattern matter? i.e. each one specific to a clan or someother distinction?
On your question about the investment casting, you have two paths: a resin pattern or wax pattern. In either case, you use one pattern for each part (the "lost" bit of the name). Keep in mind its not that much work printing each resin pattern (or injecting a wax one). Casting can work in volume, you attach each pattern to a tree and cast a bunch at a time. Depends on the size of course and how big your investment flasks are. As an example, making a volume of bronze 1/4" dia valve handwheels for models.
You have a choice of two paths. Assuming a 3D file, resin is easier to create but harder to burn out. It's ideal if you don't have the original and/or the shape would be impossible to cast in wax. Wax is easier to burn out, but requires interim steps of making a rubber mold. This can be poured silicon rubber - pay attention to the shore rating, but the classic way vulcanizing rubber over a master. Then, it's splitting the mold and making wax pattern(s) by inject melted wax into the mmodle. If you have an original, and the shape is such that you'll be able to get the wax out of a mold, you can use the original to create the rubber mold. The wax pattern is created by injected molten wax into the rubber mold. Whether printing or was injecting, it's not too onerous to make lots, but 200 anything will take time. My thought was, if you got it to the point of making the wax patterns, you could send them out to be cast. I hear there are places that do this, e.g. not ever jeweler has their own casting set up.
@whydontu 's post is interesting .... how exact to these need to be? i.e. some clan pattern or symbol, or just look decorative?
Lost resin cast parts in moderate volume
Still not perfect, but this part would be near impossible to create any other way. This part, from my beginner perspective at mold splitting (it's a trade unto itself), would have been challenging to do in wax via a split mold .... but that would led to better casting results
. Your explanation makes sense, it would be very tough to control and hold the temp through the various stages.
. Someday I'll circle back to them, but i have way too many other things on the go right now.