Hi Alma,
What`s a sprue?? I have no knowledge of casting, or workings of a
kiln, although I do have one, that a friend left me. Pray tell??
Tina
Dublin, Ireland
Hi Tina,
A sprue is a thin wax rod or wire ( or sometimes several wires)
which provides a channel for melted wax to leave the mold during
burnout thus leaving an entrance through which the molten metal can
flow during the casting process. You will find detailed information
and illustrations in a number of books on casting. Tim McCreight has
some and you can get even more detailed from
several sites on line. The is easily available in the
United States, but if you have difficulty getting this in
Ireland. contact me off-line sending me your address and I will be
happy to mail you the infommation. It is a simple process which you
will enjoy using.
Alma
Hi Terri -
Who is the advanced instructor and where does she give lessons?
The one I was referring to is in Berkeley, California. Her name is
Hadar Jacobson. Here are some examples of her work with PMC. Links
to class schedules are at the bottom of the page:
http://www.artinsilver.com/gallery.htm
Linda
Hi Tina,
You can read a lot about sprues in the Ganoksin Jewelry Making
Library. The following link has pretty much all the information
you’ll need to know about them, including illustrations:
This next link is the Library’s Lost Wax section. You’ll never be
able to say you don’t know much about casting once you’ve perused
this! Great info!
James in SoFl who will be setting up the new Durston soon.
Thanks for your mail all the same, it was soooo good of you to respond. About PMC classes , well I don't know of any in Dublin, I will look into that too, "just out of interest".
I’ve never heard of any in Ireland Tina, however, there is a group
in England that does PMC classes if you are interested. I’ll try
and dig out the I meant to get a starter pack from them
when I was over there and talking to them but they never sent me on
the about what was available etc so I didn’t chase after
them.
If you do hear anything about classes in Ireland, please let us
know…I am also in Dublin. A complete beginner in metals although
I have done some piercing. I mainly do beadwork type stuff and also
glass lampworking.
Regards,
Nicola 
Suzanne, As usual, your wordsmithing skills are exemplary. Each
medium has advantages and disadvantages. Exploration of PMC/ArtClay
techniques are just beginning. This material opens another chapter.
Judy in Kansas
Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
Hello Alma,
Back in my undergraduate days, I used steam casting to produce the
required cast piece for a metals class. The prof was unsure it
would work, but told me to give it a try. I carved a wax ring that
looked like a ladder wrapped around the finger… obviously many
open spaces and probably the reason he didn’t think it would steam
cast. Only one rather large (3mm diameter) sprue ending in a cone
to hold the melted the metal.
I used a piece of steel pipe for an investment ring and taped one
end shut. Mixed up the investment and poured it in around the
suspended wax - no vacuum or vibrator to release bubbles, just sort
of tapping it a few time on the table. Immediately after burn-out,
while everything was still hot, I put the pipe and investment into a
small box and added soil(sand would work too) around the pipe to
hold it without burning. I quickly melted the silver in the cone
and when the metal was “rolling”, tightly pressed a wet stamp on the
top of the pipe. (The stamp was a piece of wood with several layers
of terrycloth stapled to one side and a handle on the other.)
It happened quickly and some steam puffed out from the sides of the
stamp, but most of the steam forced the metal into the investment.
The ring came out with a couple bubbles - easily trimmed off. I
haven’t done it since, but there’s no reason I couldn’t.
Just sharing a distant memory,
Judy in Kansas
Judy M. Willingham, R.S.
B.A.E. 237 Seaton Hall
Kansas State University
Manhatttan KS 66506
(785) 532-2936 FAX (785) 532-6944