hey /diy/ Made a post about being interested in some sort of

You could use any metal of a higher melting temperature than your working temp. Wood is also a cheap way to do it, but not of good quality. But my recommendation would be to use Gypsum Cement

>been doing a lot of research
Really? I googled "how to cast silver" and the first link explained what materials casts are made of. Try it yourself!

>>1237891
can't use would or metal because i need to be able to delicately carve my design into the material and then poor molten hot silver into the mold. Both wood and metal would be too difficult to carve small, detailed designs (most of which will be on rings).

>>1237893
You don't carve the mould. You carve wax, then encase the wax in clay and harden it, then melt out the wax so you have an empty fireproof mould to pour your molten metal in.

>>1237897
For some of the things I have in mind it would be really difficult to carve the wax just because it might be too hard, but I'll look around I could be wrong. Saw a video of an experienced silversmith carving out the mold himself, then pouring the molten material into the cast.

>>1237880

Try sandcasting, broseph.

>>1237902
the only problem I see with sandcasting is that, I'm going to making things the size of rings and shit, so things that are really small, and the roughness of the sand mold might show up on the finished casting that I'll have to fill off. Seems like it would be an unnecessary waste of material.

>>1237905
petrobond

>>1237905
Have cast a decent amount of brass, and yes, the sand would definitely leave a rough surface. There would be much filing, and probably cussing. I think Anon with the cement idea was on to something. Fired clay even? It may even require you to use a centrifuge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost-wax_casting

>>1237900
>experienced silversmith
That may be your clue right there.

The wax isn't too hard - I've done this sort of work before, and it's very easy to work with. Infact, here's information right off an amazon listing for lost-wax casting supplies:
>Hardness varies by color: green cannot be flexed, purple has some flexibility, blue is more flexible.

I worked with blue, and it was soft enough to be smoothed over with some rough cloth. Any tool will work for it, so I'd suggest a basic file set and some carving tools from a hobby shop. I've also seen CVS selling dental tools for cheap (because that's somehow a good idea), which would work perfectly on wax. Emory boards would also help.

>>1237905
Look up delft clay casting. Easy peasy.

>>1237984
And fuck buying wax. You want to make machinable wax? Here's how you make machinable wax.

Ingredients and tools:
>Paraffin wax.
>High density polyethylene (HDPE, #2 plastic.) Milk jugs/pastic bags/zipper bags
>Stock pot
>Candy thermometer
>Wooden spoons to stir with
>Steel mesh strainer
>Some sort of form to pour into (they should be taller and thin to eliminate shrinkage and divots)
>Crayons (2 crayons per pound of wax for dye)
>Heat source (I use a hot plate.)

Be warned, do this shit outside, it stinks to high hell.

Take and measure the paraffin wax and the plastic. The ratio you want is 4 to 1, wax to plastic. The more wax you add, the harder it becomes.

Put the wax in the stock pot and warm it to 300 degrees F. You don't want to warm it too fast or it will burn. When it gets up to temp, start feeding it plastic. Do it in as small a piece as you can, it will help with the plastic going into solution.

Keep doing this until you have used up your plastic. Keep stirring to keep it smooth. Add the crayons. Stir until the color becomes uniform. Turn off the heat.

Now, get the strainer and pour the wax into the forms. Let it cool (should take 4 to 6 hours to reach maximum hardness.)

Enjoy.

Hijacking this thread to state that I would pay good money for a small commission (maybe 100-500 pieces) of jewelry I had designed years back. The rubber master mold is already finished. I couldn't find any foundry or jeweler in the USA who would cast it for me in any metal that wasn't at least silver. I mostly wanted it for myself as a sort of fan project, but decided I wouldn't mind selling some extras as well.

Since its a larger piece of prop jewelry I was hoping to cast it in an aluminum bronze alloy to make it cheaper, lighter, but still sturdy. If any DIY foundries out there thinks they might be interested send me an email at
[email protected]

OP, go search for "lost wax casting".

you'll need a kiln.
basic 101:
carve object in wax. I recommend "ferris file-a-wax" as a good type.
gate it up with runners and risers as appropriate. those are straight sticks of wax that serve to let silver flow in, and air to flow out which are attached to your sculpt.
you prepare investment - an ultra fine ceramic powder, which the whole tree is dipped into.
after a few dips, you end up with a layer of ceramic.
that's then fired in the kiln, which melts the wax out,leaving a hard, hollow shell.
silver is then melted, and poured into the still-hot shell.
the shell is then broken away and cleaned, leaving a silver version of your sculpt.
runners and risers are cut away with a saw or clippers, and then you polish the metal, set stones, enamel, etc.

>>1239248
Really? The guy didn't even know what casting was, and you want him to try to do some shit using gypsum slurry and a kiln? Christ, you're stupid.

>>1237905
>design rings using whatever free software you can download
>send file off to someone who can 3D print it using wax filament
>send the 3D print to someone who can make a mold and then cast it for you

Or you can do all the above for yourself, google it lad

A'ight broseph, you're in luck. I happen to be a jeweler, myself. Molding and casting is more common nowadays than actually making a ring from scratch, so here's how we do it. I haven't read the thread because I don't really need to.
First off, to create your prototype you need to practice carving into jeweler's wax. Purchase some of that and get to practicing. Distributors like Rio Grande often sell it in a pre-formed ring-like shape for convenience.
So let's say you've carved a design. It doesn't need to be prefect, but it can't be missing any small details. It's okay to have excess, since you'll be grinding and polishing your final product anyway.
so now you want to make your mold. You would essentially suspend your wax in casting plaster and allow it to harden around it. Make sure the plaster is well-mixed. You also want your casting mold to have two holes. One is for pouring, so it needs to be wide enough to accept input. The other will allow hot air to escape so you're not making a molten metal bomb. This can be achieved by adding two cylinders to your wax carving in order to make the shape of the holes. Clear any wax from your holes once your plaster is hardened, then you're ready for pouring.
You must do research on how to safely pour molten metal. You also need to be keenly aware of what kind of alloy you're pouring. Impurities tend to violently explode when precious metal is liquefied. As you pour your metal into your mold, the wax will evaporate out of your second hole almost instantly, leaving a cavity in the shape of your ring that the metal can fill. After your metal cools in the mold, you must dunk the mold in water. The goal is to dissolve the mold away as much as possible before being forced to resort to chiseling. In most cases a practiced hand never needs a chisel. DO NOT DUNK IF YOUR METAL IS STILL VERY HOT. You'll crack the final product.

>>1241961
Continued. Further, if your metal isn't fully liquefied of is otherwise inconsistent in some way, (like if your pouring is unsteady) your product will be porous. Bear this in mind: You can do absolutely everything right in this process and still end up with a bad product, and all your time spent carving your wax will be wasted. Luck must be with you, as well as skill. In the industry itself, we make renders of the rings and then 3D print them in wax because this occurrence is so commonplace.
This is hard stuff, my friend. But it's something I learned to do professionally in only a few sessions. Prepare to fail a lot, but it's awesome when it works out. You'll have to do a lot of detailing work on your casted product, but casting a ring will get you plenty close enough to what you're trying to produce.
From a jeweler to a novice, best of luck. And for God's sake, wear a leather apron, use tongs and leather gloves, and wear a welder's mask or something to protect your face. Molten silver is a bitch if it touches you or gets in your eye.

>>1241963
>I'm a jeweler
>Recommends buying from Rio Grande
>Neglects to mention burnout
>Precious metals explode!!!eleventy!
>Says use plaster, but don't chisel
>Says it'd great when it doesn't fail

Negro, why are you role playing on a Manchu Rian rice weaving forum? Every goddamned thing you said reeks 'I just Google lost wax and have no idea what I'm doing.' Shut the fuck up before you get somebody hurt.

>>1237880
Google green sand molding and head to amazon for a few pounds of oil based green sand anon.

>>1237880
Maybe cast in kast-o-lite 3,000? Protip. Make a small electric foundry for silver. You can use the same shit to cans the foundry. Then u dont have horseshit chemicals to breathe and u can cast in your garage or something.

>>1237905
I seen a guy press a quarter in it. Flawless copy in the sand.

>>1238965
Fuck yeah anon!

>>1239230
Use the rubbe master and cast pewter?

>>1242610
This is correct. It depends on the fineness of the sand. You wouldn't use playground sand, you'd use ultra-fine silica sand (150 mesh or finer.)