Wax web alternative?

I’m getting ready to do my first vacuum casting and am wondering what
others use to create the grooves along the sides of solid flasks?
I’ve seen the Wax Web product, but it seems a little pricey–just
wondering if there are other alternatives.

I'm getting ready to do my first vacuum casting and am wondering
what others use to create the grooves along the sides of solid
flasks? I've seen the Wax Web product, but it seems a little
pricey--just wondering if there are other alternatives. 

And I never was a fan of wax web in any case. The stuff has a
“memory” of being packed flat, and tends to not want to hug the flask
walls. Sometimes it can wander over and contact a wax while
investing, which is not a good thing at all.

Instead, go to Gesswein’s web site, and check out Tyvek flask
liners. http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/jz

These things (invented by a fellow Orchidian, by the way) are
somewhat like light carboard with big holes punched in it, sorta
like Perfboard on steroids. Anyway, they sell two sizes. We get the
larger ones, despite using 2.5 x 2.5 flasks. We cut the liners in
half lengthwise to fit our shorter flasks, trim the length down for
our smaller diameter flasks (which you could use if you’re really
cheap, by piecing bits together) to fit our flasks, and get two
flasks per liner. and they’re pretty cheap. They work better, I
think, than wax web, creating larger air channels down the inside
walls of the flasks, and they stay where you put them and burn out
cleanly.

Try em. You’ll like em.
Peter Rowe

Beckie, my solution to this is your local wine dealer. They make a
plastic web to protect wine bottles that fits a small flask almost
perfectly and burns out with no problem. The wine dealers I use give
them to me whenever I ask, or more fun buy a several bottles of
wine.

Beckie,

You can simply use spru wax,

Position four or five pieces on the inside of the flask and melt
them to the inside near the top. They stick out the top when you are
done. Make sure they do not touch the bottom spru base or your waxes.

I put masking tap around the top of the flask to label content and
keep the investment from boiling out during the second vacuuming.

Todd Hawkinson
Southeast Technical College
www.southeastmn.edu/jewelry

Hi Becky,

I bought the wax web and was unhappy with the ease of use. I
currently use a small drill and drill holes in the investment next
to the flask about half to two thirds the distance of the length. I
space the holes about 5mm to 10mm apart around the edge. This has
worked great for me.

Good luck,
Ken Moore