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Simple mold making for one-off waxes

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hello,

I’m looking for advice on how to make super simple molds from 3D resin prints in order to create a few waxes.

My process is to design a 3D object and print it, turn it into a wax, carve it further and then cast. All work is one-off so I dont need the molds to have any shelf life beyond a few immediate wax injections.

Currently I outsource my molds. However, for a one-off wax the cost of making the mold and the turnaround time doesn’t make sense.

I don’t have a degassing chamber or a good vacuum pump. I dont have a vulcanizer. I’ve tried a few Castaldo products (Ice and the pink one), and didn’t get good results for the time invested.

Any suggestions on a mold product that 1) doesn’t require degassing 2) easy to work with and cut 3) relatively inexpensive for a one-off molds?

Thanks!
d

#2

Frank Fritzges
Rio Bravo Casting LLC
505 873-3429
frank@advancedcasting.com

#3

You could probably get by with Ferris See-Through mold compound. It has to be cut though. Pretty easy for a simple mold but requires skill for more complex pieces. There are powder separation molds for simple pieces. Craig Dabler - DIY Casting FB group has a simple silicone mold making process that gets “cured” in a toaster oven.

#4

if you print to a wax, you should be able to go directly from a 3-d print to a cast, no need for the intermediate mold step. You can design in sprues, gates, etc, or at least their attachment points, then use conventional wax for quick sprue tree-ing if you do not want to waste 3-d pribt time on sprues. You can also directly burn out resins, so you could cast the resin directly