I’m taking my first casting class. I was so nervous about getting the investment quantities right that I completely forgot to “debubble” with the liquid we have here in class. Should I expect my castings to be absolutely horrible? In your experience, what is the worst case scenario if I didn’t apply the debubbler? I’m trying to get mentally ready for what I get thank you!
Nothing you can do now. Best to not worry about it. Maybe nothing negative will happen or maybe you’ll end up with some metal ball shapes that come from attached air bubbles during the investment process.
It’s been explained to me that casting wax is oil based & investment is water based. Debbublizer reduces surface tension so the water based investment attaches to your wax model. It’s best to use debubblizer, but if you’re vacuum investing it will probably be fine or have minor issues. I’ve forgotten to use debubblizer now & again.
Look at this like a great learning experiment. You can see what a casting looks like with debubblizer and without it.
Best of luck!
Jeff
@FlorF77113 Beginning new and unknown is exciting and scary sometimes. You didn’t say if you vacuumed your mix or vibrated to get rid of the air present in the investment. There are a number of ways to help your model deal with air. When you are mounting the model try to make smooth transitions so you are limiting the places bubbles will likely be. You have to kinda think upsidedown.
You can mix a small amount of investment and use a soft paint
Brush to coat the model and make sure to get in all the spots that might be trouble, then sprinkle some dry investment. Then you can invest it in the flask you intend to use and vibrate carefully.
I’ve cast like this with very good results. There are second hand books in great shape that can be had on Amazon and second hand book stores. Practical Casting, Tim McCreight. Sharr. Choate is another author that has a few books out that are quite informative.
Lost Wax Casting is a very rewarding art form and the possibilities are just about endless.
Used in conjunction with a torch expands your pallet even more.
And your in a great community or artists that aren’t stingy with their knowledge. So don’t be shy after all questions are a sign of intelligence Here are some pics of a sculpture I made casting all the parts with the lost Wax method and some more techniques and my torch. About 15 pounds of Bronze, 8 or 10 ounces of Copper, and 4 ounces of Silver.
Steven
Thank you so much for your help and great idea, and especially for your encouragement.