Metal Casting Zone

Hello!

I´am Andres and I live in small country (Estonia) I am 20 years old and I´ve done jewellery 8 years. I´ve watch videos and I had an intrest for lost wax casting. I am still hand-made jewelry, but now i wants to carry on casting.

Could you help me a bit:

what kind of plaster should be used (providing the best quality)? If usual medical plaster fit?

If someone is engaged in casting, might say, when I used manual Dental Lab Centifuge Casting Machine-if work quality to be very bad?

Is possible to make a homemade Vacuum INVESTMENT casting machine? I ask because here is difficult to earn money from crafts and I have done most of my working tools themselves (like cnc machine) bekause It does not get all sorts of machines and their shipping in Estonia is very expensive.

Sorry for my messy and horrible english, i Hope you guys still understand what i'm talking about.

Grateful for every answer

Best regards in small Estonia
Andres

Welcome Sekonic!

I think Dental plaster will work. I haven't done much with small items and I'm trying to do some investments with plaster/silica mix. I've started a vacuum table that's just an Aluminum plate with a hole in it. I hope to put a vacuum pump onto a cylinder for volume and valve it to the table. I'll post some pictures when I get further along.

This system would work?

(Plaster of Paris is a type of building material based on calcium sulphate hemihydrate)

whether this plaster fit CaSO4·1/2H2O

I watched, is also available on special plaster, but it is very expensive

If usual plaster (bulding materjal)suffering from heat 1200 degrees?

Thanks

That will work, it's a little more complicated than what I'm trying to build. I'll try to get some pictures or drawings of mine.

Ok thanks! But i have a air compressor not vacuum pump. It is such a compressor. What do You think, whether it is sufficient to generate a decent vacuum for investing? Or I have to buy a powerful vacuum pump.


Thanks

I'm not sure how that would work, it would pull some vacuum but it may damage the valves. Some old medical and printing equipment have vacuum pumps in them. I'm supposed to go pick up an old plate maker for making printing plates. It has a vacuum pump and a carbon arc light in it. Doubtful if it works though.

Does this mean then that the my air compressor can not produce a suitable vacuum?

Whether the quality of the work depends on the vacuum? (stronger vacuum = better work quality?)

Do You know what system is in ths machine? . Why it is so expensive? Why is it needed. Whether the machine system is simpler than my system?

Thanks

I'm just saying, I don't know if it will create enough vacuum. You will have to check it out to see.

I'm sorry my question was poorly worded. Does anyone know how strong must be investment casting vaacuum (or suffice just a underpressure)and how it measure?

Thanks

I have been looking for the same information. I found this site:
www.chaski.org/homemachinist/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=67526

It's got a good description of the process and the equipment.

Don