I have a project that I have to make in the next day or so and
have never done: casting a platinum wire shape inserted into a
wax (wedding bands) that will be cast in 18ky by a commercial
casting house. Anyone have advise? I have a very short time
frame.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
In a message dated 97-09-01 13:58:01 EDT, you write:
I have a project that I have to make in the next day or so and
have never done: casting a platinum wire shape inserted into a
wax (wedding bands) that will be cast in 18ky by a commercial
casting house. Anyone have advise? I have a very short time
frame.
That’s something I have on my “To do” list. Haven’t tried it
yet. The only advise I have is obvious. Provide external pins or
tabs to hold the inserts in place in the investment when the wax
is burned out.
Let us know how well the metals fused.
Dick Caverly
Hi Dick - I’ve done this many times with good success.
Definitely solder pins onto the wire to hold into the investment.
Also make sure your platinum is extremely clean!!! I cannot
stress this enough! Also be sure to sprue to every area that the
platinum cuts off or restricts the flow of your metal…obvious,
sure, but if we were smart we’d be doing something else for a
living…good luck, Mike
That’s something I have on my “To do” list. Haven’t tried it
yet. The only advise I have is obvious. Provide external pins or
tabs to hold the inserts in place in the investment when the wax
is burned out.
I am working on the inserts and should have the results next
week.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
Hi Rick,
to insert a Platinum section into a wax and co-cast is a great
way to do things. A good way to guarantee a bond is to drill some
holes in the side of the platinum section that is going to
connect with the gold. Now undercut these holes with a ball bur
as you would for flush setting, and, after you completely
polished the Platinum section to a showroom luster, fill these
holes with wax. These will be the locks that hold your Pt in
place. Now attach the wax to the Platinum and the wax you’ve
melted already in the holes you prepared. A regular burn-out and
cast will attach the gold to Platinum both mechanically as well
as metallurgically. Be sure you make the wax a bit larger to
adjust for the casting shrinkage. Good luck
For technical help with Platinum please call the Platinum Guild Hotline at
(714) 760-8882
Have a Platinum day
PLATINUM GUILD INTERNATIONAL USA
Jurgen J. Maerz
Manager of Technical Education,JA Certified Master Jeweler
Thanks Mike- I’m finishing up the models and inserts today- the
platinum will be a flush surface of cresting waves in the
finished bands.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
To Sharon, Mike, Jurgen, and Dick (and others who’s posts are
coming) who have replied to my post- Thanks!
The waxes are finished- I cut tubes of carvex on my unimat to
size, slid the wave crest pattern platinum inserts over the
tubes, and flowed dental green wax onto the combo. They will be
off to the caster post-haste tomorrow, design and execution
approved by groom and his mom. (Actually mom (Heather Previn,
wife of Andre)had quite a hand in the design and is a wholesale
client).
I’ll keep you all posted on the resulting castings, and if
worthy, will post them to the Orchid Gallery.
On another note, our studio hosted Kathleen Bunt several days
this past week as she finished a beautiful tahitian pearl
necklace, while she was showing locally. Kathleen is a meticulous
goldsmith, great designer, diamond setter, and a very nice person
to boot!
Rick Hamilton
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
..obvious, sure, but if we were smart we'd be doing something else for a living
Mike you sure got that right. Mark P.
I seem to remember the hoover and strong catalog mentioning
casting a platinum setting into a gold shank. May help,
interesting project. Let us know how it turns out. Mark P.
Dear Rick,
If you are molding the inserts in order to have a repeatable
piece, mold it with a protruding wire or two so you dont have to
solder it on each time. After the 18K (or 14K) is cast onto the
platinum mold the whole piece, then you can cast a platinum
piece, finish it, insert it into the mold made of the entire
piece, and inject wax around the insert. It leaves your very
little clean up in the wax! Just be sure that the edges are
sealed around the insert so investment can’t get in where you
want the fusing to be. You can also make the insert of 14K or
18K and cast other 14K or 18K around it. It doesn’t fuse because
of the oxidation of the insert during burnout, but if you design
the insert so it pops out, (no undercuts) you can clean it up
and solder it on. This soldering technique is difficult to do
without some pits, but if you can always design the insert to
hide the seam. The platinum 18K fuses together really well,
requires minimal cleanup, and is fun!
Steve Bargsten
In this case I made a continuous band of cresting wave shapes
around the carvex wax core. I then flowed dental wax around the
platinum insert, leaving the surface exposed and beveling the
edges away from the platinum surface. These rings are a special
order but the mold process you describe deserves further
discussion on the forum.
Back in 1973 my younger brother Mark and I were the designers
for a costume jewelry house in Pawtucket RI. We developed a very
similar process casting white metal sections into thermosetting
plastic resin in silicon rubber pie plate molds, so what you are
describing is very familiar to me. The process turned out to be a
bit expensive for the owners who’s mindset was $3 a dozen rings.
Did have a great look- plated metal sections in ivory or black
resin.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography