I am interested in doing lost wax casting at my home studio. I have
done a fair amount of casting at the local university. I have the
space, but have not purchased any of the burnout kilns,
casting/investing machines, ventilation systems, etc. Would anyone
here have advice as to where to purchase these specialty items? Or,
any online resources (or book recommendations) for on
safety, and set up for this kind of studio?
Thanks!
Marysa
There is a lot of used equipment out there. It might take you a
little longer to find everything you need but if you do your homework
you can save a lot of money.
Hi Marysa,
I expect different people have their own ideas of what is
appropriate in a casting studio. I will outline the setup I have.
Casting machine: I have chosen to use a benchtop vacuum casting
machine which comes with a bell jar vacuum chamber for debublising
the investment and a casting chamber I have 3 90mm flanged perforated
flasks and a 120 mm flask. In addition to the supplied silicone
rubber flask gasket I use a special high temperature gasket which so
far has lasted four years.
Crucible furnace: I use a small propane fired crucible furnace with
a graphite lined ceramic crucible. It usually takes 20 minutes or so
for the first melt but subsequent melts are much faster. The burner
is connected to a 9 kg gas cylinder.
internal capacity of 300 mm cubed. This is larger than most people
would need but I share it with my partner who works in ceramics.
Theoretically I could fit 8 of my 90mm casting flasks in this unit by
putting in a shelf but at the moment I only have 3 flasks. The power
consumption of the kiln is about 12 amps at 240 volts. It runs on a
separate 15 am circuit.
litre bucket for quenching, digital scales (accurate to 1 gram) for
weighing out investment powder and mixing water, various plastic
containers (ice cream tubs) for mixing up investment and
debubblising, rubber sleeve for the flasks, and a respirator to wear
while I’m handling investment powder
These are all in my “dirty area” in an outside shed
In my “clean” studio space in addition to the normal array of tools
jewellery making I have a temperature controlled wax pen for heat
working the wax, a mould frame for making RTV silicone rubber moulds,
a wax injector, and a range of wax working tools including scalpels,
probes, wax burns, gas flame
You only need the wax injector and mould making equipment if you
intend to make wax replicas from a master. I was fortunate to obtain
the wax injector cheaply with a job lot of tools. If you choose to
use a centrifugal casting machine you won’t need a crucible furnace
but instead need a fairly large melting torch. I managed for some
time without a wax pen instead using various probes and an alcohol
burner, but I wouldn’t be without my wax pen now
As for books the most useful I have found is Tim McCreight Practical
If you would like to discuss further send me a personal e-mail
All the best
Jenifer Gow
Tears of the Moon Artisan Jewellery
To all Orchid members who may be considering to purchase a
Centrifugal Casting Machine, yes there is a lot of used equipment
out there, but there is also one place where you can purchase NEW
Made in USA Casting Equipment and that’s directly from the
Manufacturer LUCAS DENTAL CO., Brooklyn, NY.
LUCAS has (2) models that are designed for the Jewelry Industry.
There old standard #750 “GIANT” long arm casting machine and there
latest New Model #8500 “JEWEL” long arm casting machine which comes
complete with a Casting Well and there latest design releasing
handle.
These two models can be seen listed on Ebay, item [masked] Model
#750 “Giant” long arm casting machine and item [masked] #8500
"Jewel" long arm casting machine.
You really must see the #8500 “JEWEL” with the New Trigger Releasing
Handle. Imagine, no more reaching inside a Casting Well to release
the Arm. This is a major “Safety Imporovment” on Centrifugal Casting
Machines. just another revolutionary technology improvement from
Lucas dental co.
Both of these Casting Machines are available directly from Lucas
dental co. at discounted prices. Contact LUCAS at Toll-Free
1-(800)-332-5573 or Email: Lucadent [AT] verizon. net to get your
low discounted prices and details.
Thank you, Sincerely, Richard Lucas
[Edit] eBay links removed. Sorry, no ebay links on Orchid [/Edit]
To all Orchid members who may be considering to purchase a
Centrifugal Casting Machine, yes there is a lot of used equipment out
there, but there is also one place where you can purchase NEW Made in
USA Casting Equipment at discounted prices and that’s directly from
the Manufacturer Lucas dental co., Brooklyn, NY. Lucas has (2) models
that are designed for the Jewelry Industry. There old standard #750
"GIANT" long arm casting machine and there latest New Model #8500
"JEWEL" long arm casting machine which comes complete with a Casting
Well and their latest design releasing handle. Both of these two
models can be seen listed on Ebay by Seller LUCADENT-18 model #750
"GIANT" long arm casting machine and their latest Model #8500 "JEWEL"
long arm casting machine complete with a protective casting well
You really must see the #8500 “JEWEL” with the New Trigger Releasing
Handle… Imagine, no more reaching inside a Casting Well to release
the Arm. This is a major “Safety Improvement” on Centrifugal Casting
Machines. just another revolutionary technology improvement from ucas
dental coo. Both of these Casting Machines are available directly
from Lucas Dental Co. at discountedprices. Contact LUCAS at Toll-Free
1-(800)-332-5573 or Email: Lucadent AT Verizon. Net to get your low
discounted prices and details. #8500 “JEWEL” at $425.00 Dick
DeLuca. Customer Service. Lucas dental co.