Step 6. Lost wax Casting reproduction using wax injection. 21083

[novembertim]

great videos! Very informative.

I assume the vacuum is applied so that the metal fills the mold cavity completely. But I was wondering how the vacuum works its way to the cavity. Is the mold material porous? or have small holes been made?

[novembertim]

@novembertim oh never mind! found my answer on the second page. fascinating stuff. How much did your whole setup cost if you don't mind me asking?

[Allysa1981]

Forgive my ignorance but, why do you sustain the vacuum to the casting table after the metal has been poured already? The metal is solid at that point and the vacuum would have no effect.

[shindevishal88]

Hi, Thanks for the videos. I also used same process to mfg my robot parts after seeing this videos. Actually I used coal furnace but it takes too much time So I'm searching for small electric furnace.

Please give me detail about furnace that you used also It's cost..

Thanks again.

..Vishal

India

[matostruck]

Nice videos.I am trying to cast in aluminum a 1/35 sprocket the size of a quarter. But I am new at this. How can I make the mother mold? Can you tell me how to make this mold out of? The sprocket is for a model tank. But I wanna make this sprocket in metal or aluminum. You can see photos of the sprocket in flickr.com keyword 1/35 metal tiger tank.

[hellotoy21]

@matostruck I use silicone injection molds to make my wax copies that are then cast out into sterling silver... or in your case, aluminum or bronze. The silicone molds are made from a 2 part mix. If you want the name of the supplier for the mold mix and equipment to replicate the part, or if you'd like me to make the parts for you, please send me a private message. Thanks.

[musicmaneman1]

I also do not want to buy electric furnace, kiln and vacuum machine etc...

[hellotoy21]

@musicmaneman1 for lost wax casting there are certain machines which are required. There are companies which offer custom casting service and rapid prototyping, but if you want to do it 100% yourself, it's hard to cut out the big things. The mold compound is 'Kerr satin cast 2000' I don't have any experience with drywall mud as a mold compound. The overall quality would probably be lacking. The lost wax process is well suited to making the components you spoke of.

[musicmaneman1]

What type of molding compound do you use? I have seen people use drywall mud mix. Is this acceptable? I want to make some aluminum gun parts (scope mounts and muzzle breaks and stuff) and I am crossed between sand casting and lost wax process. Have you ever done sand casting?

[menappi]

Nice series. One question, what's the advantages and disadvantages of using the vacuum method vs a centrifuge?

[hellotoy21]

@menappi Vacuum is a lot safer and usually more consistent than centrifugal but centrifugal is less expensive to purchase and slightly less expensive to operate typically.

[cgrcjet]

What temperature range can you melt at with your machine? I would like to cast some aluminum and was wondering if the machine would be able to melt it. I believe aluminum melts between 1200-1300 f .I prefer to go with a simple small electric setup like yours to melt. How long does it take to melt and what price do they typically run? Thanks

[MrRayLJohnson]

Hi,

I want to thank you for the series of YouTube videos on casting that you produced. As a newbee to lost wax casting, seeing the process was very useful in getting started.

In one of the videos, it appears that you are using a paper towel as a seal for vacuum assisted casting. Is this possible? If so, how is applied (it must be wet or treated)? Any info on seals would be appreciated as the silicone seals provided with unit are deteriorating.

Thanks,

Ray Johnson

Mole Hill Studios

[hellotoy21]

@MrRayLJohnson Hi Ray, Thank you for your positive review. I'm glad to know it has help you out. I had problems finding free information like this when I was starting out, so I wanted to put these video's up to help other people get into this form of art. The gasket material I am using is simply premium store brand paper towels. One standard size square is folded into quarters and then soaked in water. I squeeze as much out as I can by hand and then smooth it out over the casting table.

[hellotoy21]

@hellotoy21 After smoothing it out I punch a hole in the center with my finger and then tear away the piece I punched out. You should make sure to re-wet the paper towel between each cycle to avoid it burning. The pieces of paper towel will last anywhere from one to about 15 castings each if used correctly which means that 1 roll of paper towel can last me the better part of a year usually.

[hellotoy21]

@hellotoy21 I would definitely recommend practicing with it on some unimportant flasks before trying it on any valuable projects. Also, always keep a fire extinguisher near by, you should have one on hand anyways! Good luck and I hope this tip helps and saves you some money!

[savetheicelandicgoat]

what is the machine you use to melt your metal?

[hellotoy21]

@savetheicelandicgoat I use a Jelrus Digi melt machine. It's the older model, but it works like a charm. It has a graphite crucible and a digital control. It's very easy to use and set the temperature. I also have their current model and it's a pain to use because the controller is different. You need a manual just to adjust the temperature and it doesn't come with one.

[lantzn]

I see you're using a vacuum for pulling the metal into the mold (we used a centrifuge in school). How is it the vacuum does this when the bottom of your mold looks solid? Is there a small hole to the casting I'm not seeing?

[hellotoy21]

@lantzn The investment compound used for the mold is porous enough to allow air to pass through but not enough to allow the metal so the vacuum can effectively draw the metal fully into the molds. Thanks for your interest in my videos!

[stuckykalwowsky]

much appreciated, thanks

[FeatheredGems]

You don't need to vacuum the flask for that long--the metal inside completely freezes within 5 seconds or so after pouring. And why did you push on the top with whatever that thing in your hand was (couldn't tell because the video was too dark)?

[hellotoy21]

I've found with heavy castings if I don't keep the vacuum on long enough the metal shrinks back and distorts the surface. But thats just how I do it. The poking was to see if the metal had solidified yet. I over heat my metal, so it tends to take a little longer to solidify. I'm always tweaking the process to increase the quality of my castings.

[hellotoy21]

Vacuum casting machine. It pulls the metal into the mold to achieve full detailed quality castings

[JustMakingComments]

What's that machine you turn on at 0:22?