Mostly what people cast in their backyard is grey iron (cast iron).
Thanks, Charles.
So leaving steel out, would grey iron be suitable for jewelry?
Thinking of Berlin Iron jewelry it should be, but is it doable for
small shops?
Ditto
So leaving steel out, would grey iron be suitable for jewelry? Thinking of Berlin Iron jewelry it should be, but is it doable for small shops?
Purely as a technical exercise, replicating Berlin cast iron
jewellery would be worth exploring.
If its been done before it can be done again.
Has anyone seen anything written as to its making? So with that as
the starting point in a replication process, one would appear to need
the following.
A suitable melting method, today, id choose high frequency melting
under vacumn.
the super fluid silicon alloyed cast iron,
the correct investment casting media to acommodate,
a preheated to above iron molten temp flask,
a suitable centrifugal casting machine to use all the above.
then start with a simple model of say a key.
when that is a repeatable item, choose an object that has smaller
interconnecting passages and see if the process will fill these
smaller areas.
Continue experimenting getting smaller each time to see how far it
can be taken before voids start to form.
Adjust the process based on your learning curve.
hopefully you might just replicate the intricate detail achieved in
the past.
Hopefully one day, I might just come across a broken piece of this
iron work and get it analysed.
Its not something id want to put into production, as Im a hammer
man, as Ive mention in the past, all my work is wrought.
Ted
in Dorset
UK.
So leaving steel out, would grey iron be suitable for jewelry? Thinking of Berlin Iron jewelry it should be, but is it doable for small shops?
If it can be done in the back yard it can be done in a small shop.
The other option is to just ask a backyard caster that does grey
iron to make your pieces for you, the cost will usually be nominal,
and you wont have to lay out for equipment unless you want to.
The backyard casters I know are pretty accessible. Which country do
you live in? Maybe you can contact one of these guys to either help
you set up, or you could commission them.
Most of us are metal melting freaks, we just like melting metal.
Regards Charles A.
There is a short article in Wikipedia about Berlin Iron Jewelry.
There are some interesting details included. It also implies that
reproductions are being manufactured today. Where and by whom it
doesn’t say
backyard caster that does grey iron
You’ll find lots of if you search on “foundry” instead
of “caster”