How many of you use steam dewaxers?
I do on some pieces. If I have many parts in injection wax I’ll use
it, or if I want to do an accelerated burnout I’ll use it. At my
altitude, steam will only reach 200 degrees F, so it won’t melt out
any of the higher temp carving waxes.
How important is it to your operation?
Not huge. It does cut down on fumes during burnout and might give
you slightly cleaner investment art the end. If you do large
production runs and have a large enough dewaxer to handle the load,
cutting down on most of the fumes would make it worthwhile. Some
communities are a bit sticky about that sort of thing and it’s a lot
cheaper than a fume scrubber.
I heard that a rice steamer will work. What do you think?
Anything that is enclosed and will boil water will work. I use a
thrift store stockpot with a rack in it, sitting on a hotplate.
How bad are the fumes while the steamer is dewaxing?
Smells like hot wax, but no fumes really, never gets that warm.
Electromelts are great for the small shop if you vacuum cast, get an
automatic one. Accurate temps and will hold them nicely.
Harry