Somebody mentioned ceramic shell in one of the messages.I have read
before about it,It is mostly used in the big industry for casting
big giant pieces like engine cases and many things around . I was
reading the original message but I erased it by mistake,I think it
would be very interesting to know what exactly it is and why it has
not been incorporated to the jewelry industry like many other useful
things. Marco
Marcos, Shell mold techniques are not more common in the jewelery
industry because they require good atmospheric and other control,
they take several days to produce a mold, a set up takes more space
than most our studios or small factories have and there is no need
for them for the things that we usually make. They have advantages
for high temp. alloys and would be great for platinum, but the solid
mold platinum materials are quicker and much cheaper to set up for.
They are useful for people pouring huge trees. I know buckle
manufacturers that use them. So, for small scale, they have no real
advantages.
For some on small scale use of ceramic shell molds see
David Reid’s site and follow the internal links:
http://home.c2i.net/metaphor/index.html
Jesse