I have to put my two pence/cents worth in here. Decades ago I was
taught by a master craftsman. He said if you are making only one of
a kind items like you describe, it is better to make the piece out of
metal and not wax and have it cast. Why because you don’t have to
make a master and account for shrinkage in the cast. Also wrought
items will not have porosity, always a hazard in casting. If you have
detailed work and are not experienced in casting, I am a master
mould maker, you will cause yourself no amount of grief. I agree with
Ted from Dorset, just make the ring.
If you still want to cast send me a picture/drawing as an attachment
to @Richard5 and I will see if I can give you
further advice. Hint match your design abilities to your technical
skills.
Re: dentists they have a lot of stuff that degrades below medical
quality in normal use. They often just throw it out. It is great for
the jewellery trade. So at your next check up tell them you are a
jeweller and ask if they have any stuff. You might get some freebies
and a new customer.
Also if you fire guild ( a really toxic process) they can disolve
the gold into mercury in their shaking centrifuge things.
I have a friend who overseas medical theatres in hospitals, the
stuff hospitals throw out is amazing. He recently gave me before it
went to scrap an intravenous drip stand. It was decommissioned
because there was some rust on the wheel brackets. Well it is the
best flexi drive stand one could ever get.
Us oldies know that some of the best stuff does not come from the
jewellery industry, so newbies think hard before you pay your hard
earned cash. Here are 2. Need an anvil polished railway track is
great. Need a bezel pusher a nail hammered into a wooden door knob
with the head cut off the nail will last a few years before you need
a new nail.
Am trying to burnout the wax from my mould using the kitchen stove
and a ceramic plant pot as described. Can anyone advise how I know
the temperature is right and how long I should leave it in?
I have never tried using my kitchen oven. I use a kiln and I step it
up 1st 350 deg F for 2 hrs, 2nd 700 deg F for 2 hrs, 3rd 1350 deg. F
for 3 hrs and final 1000 - 1100 deg F for 1 hr before casting. I am
afraid those temps may be hard to attain in a kitchen over. Good
luck.
As far as I know, you cannot rally get things hot enough in the oven
to be able to pour molten metal into it, yu need AT LEAST 900
deg. F for a number of hours to drive off molecular water fro the
investment, so it doesn’t explode on you when the molten metal causes
it, IT being the molecular water combined within the plaster matrix
in the investment. You have to be careful here, erupting molten metal
is NOT GOOD.
I would not use my kitchen oven for wax burnout. There is smoke, and
wax dripping all over the burners. The recommended proceedure is to
use a small electric hot plate which one sets up outside of the
house. Set the burner on high. I do not recall how long the burnout
took—I beieve a couple of hours. Best to check some of the steam
casting tutorials on the internet for that or perhaps
some one on Orchid can give you the
I was making an engagement ring for my girlfriend through steam
casting and sought advice here. It wasn’t successful despite my best
(and worst) efforts lol! I therefore reverted to a different tack and
cast a crude version of the ring using delft clay and then spent ages
and ages filing and perfecting the crude cast produced. This was a
really inefficient way to make this ring but that’s just the way I
roll lol!!
I pulled it from the rotonda fountain in Rome on Sunday and she said
yes he he!
I am glad for you the lady said yes! I am frankly just as glad you
survived the entire process! There is an old saying… “Hot metal
hunts a bone”… don’t forget it. You and 49.5 zillion other folks
have failed at steam casting… it certainly can be done but it is
dangerous…and not really a good way to “roll”. But, on the bright
side… you still (hopefully) have all your skin… un-cooked
AND… you now know how to use a file!!! Congrats for hanging in
there…that says a lot about you!!