To all whom have been following these threads.
I have had one failed casting in my Ney Craft horizontal casting
in which molten Platinum blew out the back of the flask and into
the 8mm thick aluminum plate at the back of the machine, melting
a ragged hole of about 8mm which then hit the outer metal shield
stopping further penetration of the platinum. This could have
been a disaster but I was lucky. The point is Platinum casting
can be dangerous and you must take every precaution to prevent
accidents. I now have my machine in a wooden box lined with
sheet metal for more protection. It only takes once.
I teach using both machines at the academy. The use of the
horizontal was out of the necessity of cost and not wanting to
spend more money on new equipment while I was experimenting with
Platinum casting. I was also told it was told that it would not
work. Of course it is possible but there are draw backs. The
Vertical machine has a least 3 times the G force as the
horizontal machine and on a microscopic inspection of the grain
structure between the two metals the Vertical caster has much
better grain structure and its at least twice as dense.
Then there is the issue of safety. The vertical machine when used
throws the metal in a direction away from the operator. Do not
get me wrong metal can still fly at you but you are much less
likely to be stuck. While the horizontal machine flings the
metal in a possible direction towards the operator. Platinum
reaches temperatures above 3500 degrees F at super heat for
casting. If the metal would strike you this would cause major
damage due to the high heat involved.
Safety is important when taking on new endeavors and educating
one’s self is the key. I hope anyone wanting to cast Platinum to
remember to use extreme caution.
Edward J. Friedman
Senior Instructor The Revere Academy
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
-Helen Keller