*Important note:* Not all hs-PLA's are the same. Some filaments just don't get soft enough. There can be a massive differenceS between filaments used. The one I use and recommend is "Sunlu - Meta PLA". Make sure it has Meta in the name. There is another video using this method in case you missed it. *Print-Wave Metal Casting: Aluminium Mug* th-cam.com/video/5ZhkHHd6YwM/w-d-xo.html
Here is a trick for knowing when the plaster is dry. After drying it, let it go to room temperature, then place your hand on the surface. If it feels cool, it's still moist. If it feels warm, its dry. (If it is dry it will feel warm even at room temperature). We use this trick all the time making ceramics.
If anything it was understated. This was some top notch stuff and while I guess we'll never stop seeing 3d printing innovations, they still surprise me when I see them!
I"m just sitting here in my underpants saying "holy shit" repeatedly. Incredible. One of the most integral processes to modern humans industrialization has just been meaningfully iterated. so smart to recognize the application of the microwave.
Your "not brass" metal is probably Zamak, an alloy of Zinc, Aluminium, Magnesium and Copper. It's a really amazing metal for casting, has a much lower melting point than brass, and does less toxic Zinc fumes. I love Zamak :)
Surely the aluminum fumes can't be better than the zinc ones tho. Either way people should be on daily silica supplements for all the airborne aluminum from cloud seeding, doubly so when they're sanding and melting alloys in their home
Yep I work as an electroplater and we plate a lot of cast Zamak parts. Probably Zamak 3 if I had to guess, there are multiple types of Zamak. We do zinc plating for a better surface finish and then a chemical dye that turns the plating a brassy color. We do a lot of handles for hotels.
Thank you! I am happy to receive feedback, so I know what people enjoy. I also like those slow-motion metal melting scenes, so I'll keep using them whenever it makes the video more visually appealing.
John Heisz just added a 3d printer to his wood shop. Check out what he’s been doing with it. I tried sharing link to his channel but I guess it got deleted.
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Seriously incredible work on this channel. You've re-awakened my dream of finally making some custom wedding rings!
Thank you for this. I just learned lost PLA to silver this year, and this just took it a step further. There are so many sources of old scrap meltable metals all over.
What a truly inspirational video. Like all great ideas, they are so obvious once you are shown it. I have just started putting together the necessary items to build my own metal melting workshop. I have spent hundreds of hours watching videos and reading articles and no one comes close to how you do it.
Yes. Looks like zamak. A very common material in door handles and many other things. It's a really nice material for casting. Melts at lower temperature and thus have a lower shrinkage. And it's easier to find than brass
@@ShakeTheFuture I use two ways of checking if it is zamak. One is measuring the density of the piece. By weight in dry and underwater. The second way is to scratch the surface of the metal and put a bit of copper sulfate solution. If it turns black it is zinc based and probably zamak. In Spain it is sold as antifungal in any place that deals with plants. Usually blue color.
@@jabonet Yeah, blue... I´ve heard, man can dissolve those blue copper- sulfate-granules, and use the solution to copper-plate steel/iron, with a DC-source, and a sacrificial piece of copper.
I've tried many different casting processes and not tried this one before! For me any material is precious so I try my hardest to make everything as cheap as possible. My favourite way to cast things is to print a 3D model in vase mode and then dip it in plaster of Paris, creating about 3 or 4 mm shell. Then, after drying, put it in the oven to soften the plastic and carefully remove it. Then I pack the mould shell inside some dry sand. I found casting like this uses absolute minimum materials possible
The g-code shown in the video is not the only one I use. I have much shorter-faster moving g-codes that do the shaking. You suggestion using accelerometer testing g-code is great. Cheers!
My Anycubic Kobra 2 features what they call 'resonance tuning'. Shake the table faster and faster until it 'hums', do they same thing for the nozzle. The excursion is pretty short, however...will have to do some testing.
Microwaving an object like this will create hots spots and cold spots - the EM waves in a microwave oven are about ~10cm, so you'll get 5cm of very hot plaster and 5cm of cold plaster - the heat from the hot areas will - of course - spread, so the cold areas will receive some heat, but it's less than ideal or efficient . . you also set up stresses in the plaster than make it much more likely to break, crack and crumble . . . . this is why pretty much all microwaves have a rotating turntable so areas of the food are not just stuck in a cold spot . . . . if you can find some easy way of moving the plaster around, up and down or rotating (or any movement) you will get better, more consistent, results.
Yes, indeed. Using the rotating turntable can be beneficial. I don’t use it because my microwave is flipped on its side. I could flip it back to its intended position when I microwave molds, but it’s just not worth it for me. Cheers!
Paragraphs like this generally come from people who have never tried anything like this themselves, but think YT videos outlining theory overrides experience. We’ve all watched videos on microwaves, guy. This person is pushing limits, and proving your comment pointless before you even posted it.
Add salt to your plaster to speed up the curing time. You can get it to set within minutes, depending on the amount of salt. (A great tip that I got from a dental prosthetic maker)
This is one of those few videos where my mind starts to race! Not only is this approach novel (but once you have seen it IT IS SO OBVIOUS!), but the elegant simplicity and accessability deserves a round of applause. I already have some ideas for improvement - like adding vents for more complex objects and a bigger funnel. I will totally try this in the near future. Oh, and as others have already said: that mystery alloy the door handle was made of almost certainly is Zamac. You, my good sir, had a bright idea that certainly is going to make some waves amongst makers of all kinds.
30 seconds in, based on what you said, I would have normally stopped watching the video figuring it was just hype. But since I've seen your other videos, instead, I continued watching, knowing that you do stuff I didn't think was possible. Not to mention things I don't think I would be willing to do. Like putting wet plaster right onto the build plate! WTF???? LOL Your videos are making me want to do things I am very nervous about doing. Though I'm still incredibly concerned about the danger aspects, and I don't have a microwave, so who knows. I would love a video on a deep dive on stainless steel casting. I heard you say that it can be done, but you aren't sure if you could melt enough for the butter knife. A whole video figuring that out would be of great interest to me. Thanks again for another great video!
Thanks! Yeah, stainless steel needs a lot of heat. So far, I have successfully melted a few stainless steel nuts (A2-70). I am talking about quantities enough to cast a ring. Because it requires such high heat, I had to use a few tricks to melt it. Preheating the crucible and using smaller crucibles helped. That's why I'm unsure if I can manage larger quantities, but I'll definitely try and make a video about it. Cheers!
@@dougaltolan3017 Well, it isn´t a different ball game apparently, if one only handles smaller amounts, like, for a big butterknife... Mind you, only with a 3d-printer, plaster, and a microwave oven...!!! Imagine what one could do with TWO microwave ovens...!!!
Thank you for this video. Seriously. I've been considering how best to make a mold for some things I want to make, using many materials, but often using 3d printing to help create the mold itself, but I haven't been able to figure out which way to go about it for reliable and reusable results. This seems like the best method so far.
The first *500* people to use my link in the description will receive a one month free trial of Skillshare! skl.sh/shakethefuture06241 Even though this method does not replace *Lost PLA casting* , it's amazing and has its own strengths and weaknesses. I can cast items that I could not before due to the size limitations of the kiln. Sure, there will be people who say that it's much easier to do sand casting. It might be. If you are into sand casting, all power to you. This is just another way. Some people might prefer to use plaster/investment molds over sand casting. It's great for people who just want to try out metal casting. This method has taken over a significant portion of my metal casting projects. It's great, and the future videos I'll be sharing will demonstrate that you can cast objects way more complicated than a butter knife. We are only getting started
Thanks, Seth! I would love to see what you come up with. You're the first one to mention the Batman scene. I'm glad that at least somebody found it funny. 😊
@@ShakeTheFuture I'd really like to focus on making molds that can be reused. It might be possible with the right material. Keep up the good work. You have a knack for creating very entertaining videos!
Neat technique! I saw you patiently sanding with a Dremel. Bosch makes a cute 12V cordless die grinder that’s great for shaping and polishing metal parts. So satisfying.
That butter knife came out great. Maybe making a batch of tall "funnels" out of investment to make the pouring sprue longer, then stick them onto the moulds with bit of investment as glue? That silver metal the door handles were made from is probably Zamak, a pretty common zinc-based die-casting metal.
Thanks! Well, you can always carve out the investment. It's very easy to do it after microwaving while the investment is still wet. I did not do it with the butter knife, since I have a silicon carbide ring, but I could have done that instead. One of those wax carving/sculpting tools that looks like a letter "U" attached to a stick works very good.
I think, that it was a proof-of-concept.video, where he knows, that it´d be better off with long sprues, and still doesn´t use any, cause in this case, it still worked out well. Pouring steel, if I got it right... With a 3d-printer and a mirowave-oven, mind you. That´s Startrek-level stuff.
btw if you need higher temperatures, get a broken toaster oven for free, a kiln coil and pid controller for 10-15 bucks each, and a bag of refractory concrete for 5-10 bucks. you can add insulation around to make it more efficient (and reach higher temps) too.
Interesting approach! I've seen them do this the 'traditional' way where they dip the part repeatedly in a professional casting use, where sometimes the part is so complex that there's no other way to get it out other than burn-out. I tried this with a super-complicated compressor section and even went to the extra effort of reverse assembling the blades upside down, fitting all the parts by hand, and they Still got stuck! Not so bad when it comes out on the first try, but it usually takes two and breaks me when I have to wreck a beautiful resin print. By the by, rather than occupy your printer with the shaking motion, anything that vibrates like a orbital sander or neck massager, you can ziptie a rod to and let the rod pop the bubbles on complex prints where moving multi-section molds would be bad. 😉
Thanks! Yes, I do vibrate the bucket with a reciprocating saw before pouring. You can see me doing it in other videos. The printer vibration is an additional step 😊
@@hanelyp1 could even put in side actions/splits in the 3d print to make it easier to get it out of the mold. Would destroy the mold when demolding the final part but that could be worth it.
Zinc, or some zinc alloy, from my experience in the foundry industry. When I worked for National Zinc Processors, we would see all sorts of spouts and handles come in for recycling. Awesome work as always and looking forward to your channel growth.
This method looks good for making ceramic slip casting molds. You really do want a kiln to do a proper burnout for metal casting. Steam explosions are no joke.
Especially for copper based alloys, have you tried spraying the inside of the mold with a very fine graphite powder mixed with alcohol (dries, burns out quickly)?
I really like this method. I look forward to trying it out. I'm glad to see you have sponsors. Where do you buy your plaster? What type of plaster can be used and which to avoid? Thanks in advance.
Thanks! For Mario's star, I used a professional investment called "Unicast Prestige." The butter knife was cast using just ordinary dental Plaster of Paris. I live in Spain, and I got it from the "Dentalix" store. For this method, you'll want to use plaster that isn't as brittle. For example, for Lost PLA casting, I sometimes use the cheapest construction plaster I can find. For this method, it's better to use something a bit stronger since you'll need to pull the PLA out of the mold. Dental Plaster of Paris works fine. If you are doing something with a lot of detail or hills and valleys, like letters, you might want to use something a bit stronger like Ultracal or Hydrocal. Using mold release can also help. For now, I use Vaseline, but I want to try out mold release sprays.
This is sweet thanks a lot! Shaking the investment on the printer for shorter distances and at higher frequency, rough guess like 60 hz, (think input shaper calibration) might get more bubbles out
That was the first G-code I used. It also traveled a shorter distance at some point during the 2-minute shaking. However, I recently changed the G-code to begin using shorter distances right from the start just like you suggested. Indeed, it's better that way 👍 Cheers!
Have you tried doing this with flexible filament? Could remove the microwave step! Maybe even allow for reuse by having a position jig for gluing the pieces back to the bed?
For the debubbling try using a shorter frequency shake, but start it before you pour the plaster, that will help dislodge the bubbles as you pour, you can also try poking with your finger into the plaster and touching all over the surface of the part, pay attention to the corners where the bubbles usually get trapped and this will help remove them. Another tip for people that never have used plaster, DO NOT pour any remaining plaster into the sink even if you wash it and dilute it, it will still solidify and clog your pipes.
Yes, I actually do use different bed-shaking patterns. That was one of the early trials. Starting to shake the bed before pouring is a great idea. I heard about shaking the mold while pouring the plaster being beneficial, but I never tried it because it was not as straightforward a process as shaking the mold with a printer. I'll definitely start doing it. Putting a finger in the plaster to remove the bubbles is something I never heard of, and it totally makes sense. I'll try it out with problematic, bubble-trapping molds. Thank you very much!
Very cool results! I use a similar trick for very detailed plaster sculptures, where I boil the molded plaster part to soften the plastic instead of microwaving it. I'll give the microwave method a test - but I fear it may weaken the plaster. For your purposes, as long as it holds up for the casting, that doesn't matter. But I want my pieces to have maximum strength and microwaving may cause issues - especially if it's done before the plaster reaches maximum strength.
@@ShakeTheFuture I honestly don't know much either, but I know people use it to dry food completely very efficiently and make it stable at room temperature for like months. I think there might be something here... or not, idk lol
I just had a thought - they make a wax filament, which would allow you to use a 2-filament printer to make a more complicated cast. Would require a little bit of burnout, but may be easier for some objects than using a full flask process.
I do have 1 spool of wax filament. I never made a video about it, because it's difficult to print and the adhesion in bad. I find that it's much easier (and 3x cheaper) to use PLA. That said, I have not touched the spool in years. Maybe I should give it another shot with Prusa MK4.
Your content is always fantastic, thank you ! Have you tried to anneal you printed object with your microwave ? It should be really fast and efficient.
Ive been messing with the combo of 3d printing qnd mold making, and this was by far one of the most genius ideas. I have an actual melting furnace but it makes me nervous to pour big stuff where my house is 😂 The idea of making small mold frames directly on the printing bed is 🤌 One of those rarer moments where you think, "now THAT is good" I'm going to try more for making a 3d print prototype, take a silicone mold of that, pour a wax cast then electroform and reclaim the wax. One day in the near future ill try the actual 20lb bronze pours i initially intended to 😂
Yes, you can. One thing I've learned over the years is that just because a product is labeled 'Plaster of Paris' doesn't mean it's always the same. I also use plaster from hardware stores. Obviously, some experimentation is required, as some plasters work better than others. I used to use a cheaper hardware store plaster until recently, but I’ve since switched to hardware store Plaster of Paris (the bag actually says 'POP') because it's slightly better. I’ve stopped using dental Plaster of Paris for now, as it's expensive and not noticeably better than the more affordable alternatives.
Something to be aware of that I've previously found using this method is to be aware of the spaces of the internal geometries if the part has "hollow" sections. As an example, when casting a donut shaped object, the metal shrinking can potentially contract and cause the plaster filling the "hole" to fracture. This of course can also happen with traditional investment casting, but when I tried this using a plain plaster-sand mould, the lack of usual internal investment structure (wire, etc) meant that the sections could crack off and cause cast failures, including fracturing the mould.
How about the weakness of the moulds with the gypsum in it it tends to turn yellow and break easily if you fire it in a kiln. And if you don't fire it in a kiln the water moisture is still in the mould enough to cause defects on the castings when metals as hot as bronze containing copper are poured in? What are your ratios of the investment? Am I right in saying that this is better for smaller objects? And what type of build plate surface do you use so the plaster does not mess up the bed surface for the next print?
Obviously, this is just general information. There are different kinds of investments that can be used. The start was cast using "unicast prestige" investment, and the knife using Plaster of Paris. The "proper" investment was mixed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Sometimes I add some sand, but I'm not sure if I did this time. I mixed the Plaster of Paris in a 1 to 1.2 ratio; for example, 200g of water to 240g of plaster. That said, not all Plaster of Paris products are the same, so the ratios can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I have not yet cast any copper using this method, but I am about to do so as I write this. I am just making more molds so I can dry them all in the oven together. I would not cast copper in Plaster of Paris, even though I have done it using the Lost PLA method with quick-cooling casts like the egg cup shown at the end of the video. Those work pretty well. I know that in general, it's assumed that you need a kiln to get rid of the water in the mold, but in my experience, that's not always the case. Sure, for professional casts and perfect results, you'll want to do everything by the book. I definitely recommend it. That said, I can get pretty good casts using this method, and *I'll have more videos showing it* My oven can go up to 250°C, and I turn ON the fan. I think the fan really helps... like really helps. As I said in the video, there might be investments that will require kilns for sure, so it's all about trial and error. If one does not feel comfortable trying it out, then don't! I am not responsible for anything that can go wrong. As long as you dry your molds properly and wear PPE, you'll be fine. And if you find that your molds are still wet (after hours of drying) or casts come out bad, then you know that your oven can't do it. End of the game. I always dry my molds in the oven for at least 4 hours (or more depending on the size and temperature), and I make sure that the temperature of the molds is close to 250°C. Let's put it this way: if your oven can reach 250°C and your molds are way off that temperature, you know they are still wet. It's fine if they are hotter (since oven thermostats tend to overshoot), but if the mold has only reached 220°C in an oven that can reach 250°C, then you know it's still wet. It will also depend on the air fryer/oven you're using. My air fryer struggles to bring the molds to 205°C (the maximum temperature it can reach), so I always switch to the oven. I personally get the best results casting copper using Ultracal/Hydrocal products. I have not tried "unicast," but I suppose it should also work. I wouldn't know about casting large items, as my casts are generally pretty small anyway, so nothing has changed compared to Lost PLA casting. I just use the original Prusa PEI sheet build plate that came with the printer. It does not have any texture, which I think helps. I have not had any issues with the build plate. The investment does not affect it as far as I am aware. The mold can be removed easily. Sometimes I just go slow to avoid pulling out the print from the mold. If it's a print that is properly embedded into the investment, I just remove it from the build plate as I would a normal print. *For anyone who finds it useful* : If this video has inspired you to buy a 3D printer, you need a modern 3D printer with a "perfect" first layer, such as the Prusa MK4 or Bamboo printers. That way, you'll get the best results. I would avoid getting older generation printers that do not lay-down a perfect first layer automatically. It will make things more frustrating and complicated
Using the printer as a linear nutator is brilliant. I’ve been doing similar in cold pour silicone for decades. Similar process but you’ve updated the technology 😂 Great job , thanks for sharing !
The PaulsGarage channel has taught me about ZA-12. It's a common Zinc Aluminum alloy for casting, and may be what you had there. Pure aluminum needs pressure to overcome the surface tension and get fine details.
When I do Lost PLA casting with the burnout, I usually print my parts around 3% bigger to compensate for the shrinkage. I have not checked whether not the shrinkage is the same by using this method. Cheers!
Interesting idea but it will only work for a pattern that can be withdrawn with the necessary draft so I see no advantage over sand casting which is much quicker and an indefinite number of castings can be made from one pattern.
I agree that sand casting is much quicker and less wasteful, but there are some advantages to other methods that I'll demonstrate in future projects, such as the dice example at the end of the video. That said, I have never done sand casting, so I might not know what I am talking about 😊 Thanks for the comment!
With the pattern softened for removal I don't see this method limited to sand casting draft requirements. On the other hand, if drafting is satisfied a pattern might be reused.
It does not remove water completely, and microwaving too much can crack the mold or cause the microwave to overheat. Once there is no food, water, or crucible in the microwave to absorb the energy, the magnetron will start to heat up even more, causing the thermal cut-off switch to activate and cut off the power. Doing this repeatedly risks damaging the magnetron. I am not saying that it cannot work, but it is something I cannot advise doing. Cheers!
I've considered but not tested it but if you have a kiln you might have clay, and could probably make a clay mold for metal too if you don't want to mess with plaster and metal temps. Sand should be best and plaster obviously breaks up easier but clay might get you a really nice resolution and be able to be pre-heated.
Honestly, I have no idea, but what I do want to try is leaving the wet mold in the car. Since I live in Spain and it's summertime, I might cut down on my electrical bill 💰💰💰
Hello Just wanted to say your ideas and videos are absolute genius, thank you for showing great results. I wanted to ask if you could test an idea which is also very interesting and could be a game changer for ceramic molds using desktop 3d printers. If possible can you use water soluble filament, create any complex geometry and then dissolve the filament so that you are left with an intricate ceramic mold. I think this can work both with the ceramic mold poured surrounding the water soluble mold or if the ceramic slurry is poured inside the water soluble mold. Similar to your method, no burnout would be required. The mold would then need to be dried out to remove any moisture and be ready for casting, would be great to see if this is possible. I have attached a video for reference which will help clarify what I mean but I think can be used for casting very complex shapes. Would be great to see what you think of this. Ceramic pour printing th-cam.com/video/KeQFBX5JFoI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rHQaBYmi7Zv1Hgfn
Last time I bought 8mm aluminium rope-crimps from AliExpress (around 1kg). They are a good size for my crucibles, and it worked out to be quite cheap. Next time, I'll get some ingots from AliExpress or somewhere else. Since I live in an apartment, it's not very convenient for me to cut metal to fit into the crucible, so I prefer to buy smaller pieces of metal, like cable-crimps or ingots. For brass, I just buy some pipe fittings from the local hardware store. For copper, I buy some copper pipes and cut them with a pipe cutter. That's my favorite way to cut metal to size. For cast iron, I just buy 0.5-1 kg weight plates. I have a lot of 1 kg weights in stock from my failed bodybuilding days :) I recently bought a 0.5 kg weight plate from a sports shop and was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under 2 euros. It's one of the cheapest metals and it casts beautifully, but it is a pain to cut it into smaller pieces. I usually make a cut with the saw and then go outside and break the plate with a hammer.
No, it does not need to be done on the bed. You can print it and then glue it to other surfaces. I prefer the bed because it does not require gluing, and the result is nearly perfect. Cleaning it is very easy. I just wash it with some soap under running tap water. It's best to get another build surface for your printer. There are plenty of generic but good build plates available these days. Depending on the printer used, you might be able to print on other surfaces, like plexiglass. My printer (Prusa mk4) can do that without problems, I have not tried it out myself, but there are definitely options. Cheers!
How does the part stay stick to the build plate? Does it remain hot? I’ve never used anything but textured PEI and they always let go of the part 100% when cool.
No, it does not stay hot. The build plate on the Prusa MK4 (plain-PEI) sticks very well. The objects don't pop off the plate when they cool down; you need to bend the sheet.
Your mystery metal in the door handles is probably some form of Zamak which was brass plated. There's a bunch of different kinds but what they have in common is that they are zinc alloys designed for die casting. Melting point is fairly low, and the metal is very fluid so it fills details in the mould well. Hence your nice cast (except for the damage from early opening). Zamak is actually so good that it's worth setting up just to cast it; it has reasonable mechanical properties (superior to cast iron, for example) and easily produces good castings. However it cannot tolerate even the slightest contamination with lead, inclusion of lead in the alloy will cause a form of corrosion which makes the metal break with a strange 'crystalline' appearance or worse crumble into little bits. In fact manufacturers go so far as to distill the zinc to obtain sufficient purity to make good Zamak. This would be a problem if you used the same crucible and tools for Zamak as for brass, as brass often contains 0.5% or so of lead as a machinability aid.
Online or in Art shops (or whatever they are called). If you are looking for something specific, I've had great success with "unicast prestige" powders.
I like your projects a lot, did you tried with alluminium from car rims? I'm not sure about what language to use because i've saw that you're in spain, y want to have a long conversation with you because i honestly thout that i have ideas that can be usefull for you and you should have tricks for me, anyway Like from Galicia!
Thanks! Yes, indeed I live in Spain, but I am originally from Latvia and my Spanish is not as good as my English. I suppose Kefir from Mercadona or the plastic bags gave it away 😂😂
I Love your creativity. Perhaps you could add someething to your investment that would allow you to bring it up to vitrification temperature in the microwave. Some of the silicon carbide that you use for crucibles perhaps?
I have tried it, but not enough times to draw any conclusions. I think the time I tried it, nothing happened. Maybe I needed to add more silicon carbide. There is also a possibility that the mold will crack because of the microwaves. There might be a way to do it in a controlled environment. I did not continue experimenting because it's also an extra cost to add silicon carbide to the investment. That said, I do make molds out of silicon carbide. Smaller molds can be burned out without using any kilns; only microwaving them is enough. Cheers
@@ShakeTheFuture many microwaves have a "popcorn" or a "smart defrost" mode; the actual behaviour varies, but on certain models these modes will "feather" the microwave emissions (you don't want frozen food to explode after all) and use humidity sensors to detect if the object is steaming and automatically stop early.
I'm thinking of building a custom microwave so that I can make it larger and have custom controls- such as built in burnout schedules, etc. I had thought that building it with multiple magnetrons might be a fool's errand since the complications due to microwave interference would be difficult to overcome... but it just hit me. What if I made separate microwave chambers that were isolated with aluminum shielding (or built the shielding into the kaowool when I built the furnace) so that there were effectively two or more different microwave chambers that were thermally connected to the main chamber and could contribute heat flow to the main chamber without having to send their microwave radiation there. Perhaps such a scheme could allow for more reliable heating at temperatures required for steel or even titanium. I would make blocks of silicon carbide that are connected by hallways of silicon carbide to the rings of silicon carbide that heat up the central chamber. Essentially, a thermal circuit. The silicon carbide blocks and hallways would be thermally insulated from the exterior as usual by kaowool and kapton tape. Inside the kaowool around the middle of the hallways (separated far enough from the silicon carbide to not melt), I would place aluminum reflectors that would achieve separating the magentrons' EM waves. I guess the whole point of such an elaborate setup would be to ensure that the microwave can run for a long time without overheating the magnetrons. Distributing the load across the magnetrons could allow the microwave to get to a similar temperature with less duty cycle per magnetron. This would make it more reliable overall. Or you could more quickly reach high temperatures. That could be nice too. LOL. Now I'm probably going to have dreams of distributing a thermal circuit in a sphere around the central chamber and pumping in energy from 16 magnetrons. The real problem is plugging them all in. Hahaha.
Microwaving an object like this will create hots spots and cold spots - the EM waves in a microwave oven are about ~10cm, so you'll get 5cm of very hot plaster and 5cm of cold plaster - the heat from the hot areas with spread, so the cold areas will receive some heat, but it's less than ideal or efficient . . you also set up stresses in the plaster than make it much more likely to break, crack and crumble . . . . this is why pretty much all microwaves have a rotating turntable so areas of the food are not just stuck in a cold spot . . . . if you can find some easy way of moving the plaster around, up and down or rotating (or any movement) you will get better, more consistent, results.
_"LOL. Now I'm probably going to have dreams of distributing a thermal circuit in a sphere around the central chamber and pumping in energy from 16 magnetrons. The real problem is plugging them all in. Hahaha."_ Lol, you'd need to get all 16 in phase, otherwise there would be a ton of destructive interference.
Interesting. I'll stick to my old way, but this way is interesting and opens things up for people who prefer or are more familiar with different tools.
I have just tried casting my first aluminium using your techniques, do you have any recommendations for simple investment that you used in this video? Thanks!
If I don't use a "proper" investment, but something like a Plaster of Paris type of powder, then I usually mix it with sand. Depending on the brand, I generally mix it as follows: *1 part water* *1.1 parts plaster* *0.5 parts sand* For example: 200g of water, 220g of plaster, and 100g of sand. This is a basic formula that can be adjusted depending on the plaster used or one's specific needs.
Crazy idea, throw on some ultrasound sensors/speakers. You can use clicks to precisely measure top of fluids you add with another tool, then you can use the ultrasound to probe the plaster.
*Important note:* Not all hs-PLA's are the same. Some filaments just don't get soft enough. There can be a massive differenceS between filaments used.
The one I use and recommend is "Sunlu - Meta PLA". Make sure it has Meta in the name.
There is another video using this method in case you missed it.
*Print-Wave Metal Casting: Aluminium Mug*
th-cam.com/video/5ZhkHHd6YwM/w-d-xo.html
Here is a trick for knowing when the plaster is dry. After drying it, let it go to room temperature, then place your hand on the surface. If it feels cool, it's still moist. If it feels warm, its dry. (If it is dry it will feel warm even at room temperature). We use this trick all the time making ceramics.
Thank You for sharing the trick. Do you think it also applies to very small/stubborn quantities of water?
@@ShakeTheFuture yes, as long as there is moisture. It's critical in ceramics, so the pieces don't explode in the kiln.
no clickbait ,super informative and inspiring content -that is what TH-cam used to be. Thank you!
Thank You! I am glad you like it.
If anything it was understated. This was some top notch stuff and while I guess we'll never stop seeing 3d printing innovations, they still surprise me when I see them!
I"m just sitting here in my underpants saying "holy shit" repeatedly. Incredible. One of the most integral processes to modern humans industrialization has just been meaningfully iterated. so smart to recognize the application of the microwave.
Imagine the advantages that smooth glass heat-bed could add to that... The mating of the plaster-halves would be even more precise.
What color are they 😉
Your "not brass" metal is probably Zamak, an alloy of Zinc, Aluminium, Magnesium and Copper. It's a really amazing metal for casting, has a much lower melting point than brass, and does less toxic Zinc fumes.
I love Zamak :)
Not to mention, zinc alloys shrink so much less than just about any other casting metal.
Surely the aluminum fumes can't be better than the zinc ones tho. Either way people should be on daily silica supplements for all the airborne aluminum from cloud seeding, doubly so when they're sanding and melting alloys in their home
Yep I work as an electroplater and we plate a lot of cast Zamak parts. Probably Zamak 3 if I had to guess, there are multiple types of Zamak. We do zinc plating for a better surface finish and then a chemical dye that turns the plating a brassy color. We do a lot of handles for hotels.
Yeah, but it looses basically all strength at 250°C and is an absolute bitch to electroplate with other metals.
This is the most underrated channel on you tube. This guy is awesome. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
It definitely IS. I never comment, but I came to say the same, this is premium content !
Thank You very much for the kind words!
This dude is using just average kitchen supplies to metal cast stuff, I'm definitely inspired. Unexpected way of use!
Thank You! I am Glad you enjoyed it.
That slow motion scene with melted pouring brass and music was great. Amazing tech and this is GREAT!
Thank you! I am happy to receive feedback, so I know what people enjoy. I also like those slow-motion metal melting scenes, so I'll keep using them whenever it makes the video more visually appealing.
THE most significant use for 3D printers i have seen since 3D printers became an affordable thing.
John Heisz just added a 3d printer to his wood shop. Check out what he’s been doing with it.
I tried sharing link to his channel but I guess it got deleted.
Cheers!
Then you, my friend, haven’t seen a giant TPE marital aid! 😊
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Seriously incredible work on this channel. You've re-awakened my dream of finally making some custom wedding rings!
Cheers!
Thank you for this. I just learned lost PLA to silver this year, and this just took it a step further. There are so many sources of old scrap meltable metals all over.
Cheers!
What a truly inspirational video. Like all great ideas, they are so obvious once you are shown it. I have just started putting together the necessary items to build my own metal melting workshop. I have spent hundreds of hours watching videos and reading articles and no one comes close to how you do it.
Thank You for taking time to leave a comment. It's always nice to know that the people found the video/information useful.
This is incredible! The mold process, the melting process, the information...
What a great channel, thank you!
Thank You very much for taking the time to leave the comment.
Severely underrated channel and methods 👍🏻 great work.
Thank You very much!
The "Brass" is most likely ZAMAC of some sort. It flowed very nicely which is charactaristic of ZAMAC.
I see, Thanks for the info. I heard about zamac, but never tried it...purposely 😂
Yes. Looks like zamak. A very common material in door handles and many other things. It's a really nice material for casting. Melts at lower temperature and thus have a lower shrinkage. And it's easier to find than brass
@@jabonet I'll need to check my collection of door handles and see if I have more. Then I can "purposely" try it out.
@@ShakeTheFuture I use two ways of checking if it is zamak. One is measuring the density of the piece. By weight in dry and underwater. The second way is to scratch the surface of the metal and put a bit of copper sulfate solution. If it turns black it is zinc based and probably zamak. In Spain it is sold as antifungal in any place that deals with plants. Usually blue color.
@@jabonet Yeah, blue... I´ve heard, man can dissolve those blue copper- sulfate-granules, and use the solution to copper-plate steel/iron, with a DC-source, and a sacrificial piece of copper.
I've tried many different casting processes and not tried this one before!
For me any material is precious so I try my hardest to make everything as cheap as possible.
My favourite way to cast things is to print a 3D model in vase mode and then dip it in plaster of Paris, creating about 3 or 4 mm shell. Then, after drying, put it in the oven to soften the plastic and carefully remove it. Then I pack the mould shell inside some dry sand. I found casting like this uses absolute minimum materials possible
Thanks for sharing your casting process 👍
I think an accelerometer testing g-code would be great for popping bubbles of various sizes, as it passes through a huge range of frequencies.
great idea
The g-code shown in the video is not the only one I use. I have much shorter-faster moving g-codes that do the shaking. You suggestion using accelerometer testing g-code is great. Cheers!
He should use the vibration like my bambu does before every print
@@AckzaTV That's the first thing I thought of! That annoying BBBBBRRRRRTTT!!! lol
My Anycubic Kobra 2 features what they call 'resonance tuning'.
Shake the table faster and faster until it 'hums', do they same thing for the nozzle.
The excursion is pretty short, however...will have to do some testing.
Bro, you are a genius. The onscreen jokes are pretty good too. Keep up the fantastic work!!
Thank You!
Wow. Most underrated maker channel on TH-cam!
Thank You!
Microwaving an object like this will create hots spots and cold spots - the EM waves in a microwave oven are about ~10cm, so you'll get 5cm of very hot plaster and 5cm of cold plaster - the heat from the hot areas will - of course - spread, so the cold areas will receive some heat, but it's less than ideal or efficient . . you also set up stresses in the plaster than make it much more likely to break, crack and crumble . . . . this is why pretty much all microwaves have a rotating turntable so areas of the food are not just stuck in a cold spot . . . . if you can find some easy way of moving the plaster around, up and down or rotating (or any movement) you will get better, more consistent, results.
Yes, indeed. Using the rotating turntable can be beneficial. I don’t use it because my microwave is flipped on its side. I could flip it back to its intended position when I microwave molds, but it’s just not worth it for me. Cheers!
Paragraphs like this generally come from people who have never tried anything like this themselves, but think YT videos outlining theory overrides experience.
We’ve all watched videos on microwaves, guy. This person is pushing limits, and proving your comment pointless before you even posted it.
Add salt to your plaster to speed up the curing time. You can get it to set within minutes, depending on the amount of salt. (A great tip that I got from a dental prosthetic maker)
Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out!
This is one of those few videos where my mind starts to race! Not only is this approach novel (but once you have seen it IT IS SO OBVIOUS!), but the elegant simplicity and accessability deserves a round of applause. I already have some ideas for improvement - like adding vents for more complex objects and a bigger funnel. I will totally try this in the near future. Oh, and as others have already said: that mystery alloy the door handle was made of almost certainly is Zamac. You, my good sir, had a bright idea that certainly is going to make some waves amongst makers of all kinds.
Thank You very much!
Great video again! I hope I am not dead before I can reach this point of my Bucket List...
I hope not 😀
30 seconds in, based on what you said, I would have normally stopped watching the video figuring it was just hype. But since I've seen your other videos, instead, I continued watching, knowing that you do stuff I didn't think was possible. Not to mention things I don't think I would be willing to do. Like putting wet plaster right onto the build plate! WTF???? LOL
Your videos are making me want to do things I am very nervous about doing. Though I'm still incredibly concerned about the danger aspects, and I don't have a microwave, so who knows.
I would love a video on a deep dive on stainless steel casting. I heard you say that it can be done, but you aren't sure if you could melt enough for the butter knife. A whole video figuring that out would be of great interest to me.
Thanks again for another great video!
Melting points
Brass 930C
Aluminium 660C
Stainless steel 1,500C
It's a very different ball game.
Thanks! Yeah, stainless steel needs a lot of heat. So far, I have successfully melted a few stainless steel nuts (A2-70). I am talking about quantities enough to cast a ring. Because it requires such high heat, I had to use a few tricks to melt it. Preheating the crucible and using smaller crucibles helped. That's why I'm unsure if I can manage larger quantities, but I'll definitely try and make a video about it. Cheers!
@@dougaltolan3017 Well, it isn´t a different ball game apparently, if one only handles smaller amounts, like, for a big butterknife... Mind you, only with a 3d-printer, plaster, and a microwave oven...!!! Imagine what one could do with TWO microwave ovens...!!!
Thank you for this video. Seriously. I've been considering how best to make a mold for some things I want to make, using many materials, but often using 3d printing to help create the mold itself, but I haven't been able to figure out which way to go about it for reliable and reusable results. This seems like the best method so far.
I am glad you found it useful. Cheers!
The first *500* people to use my link in the description will
receive a one month free trial of Skillshare!
skl.sh/shakethefuture06241
Even though this method does not replace *Lost PLA casting* , it's amazing and has its own strengths and weaknesses. I can cast items that I could not before due to the size limitations of the kiln. Sure, there will be people who say that it's much easier to do sand casting. It might be. If you are into sand casting, all power to you. This is just another way. Some people might prefer to use plaster/investment molds over sand casting. It's great for people who just want to try out metal casting. This method has taken over a significant portion of my metal casting projects.
It's great, and the future videos I'll be sharing will demonstrate that you can cast objects way more complicated than a butter knife. We are only getting started
Wow this is such a cool and innovative process! I’m already thinking of ways to use it. Thanks for sharing! The Batman scene made me laugh. Nice job!
Thanks, Seth! I would love to see what you come up with. You're the first one to mention the Batman scene. I'm glad that at least somebody found it funny. 😊
@@ShakeTheFuture I'd really like to focus on making molds that can be reused. It might be possible with the right material. Keep up the good work. You have a knack for creating very entertaining videos!
Awesome work like usual. Your videos are always an immediate click. Thanks from Brazil, man
Thank You! I am glad you find them useful.
Neat technique! I saw you patiently sanding with a Dremel. Bosch makes a cute 12V cordless die grinder that’s great for shaping and polishing metal parts. So satisfying.
Thanks for the suggestion.
That butter knife came out great.
Maybe making a batch of tall "funnels" out of investment to make the pouring sprue longer, then stick them onto the moulds with bit of investment as glue?
That silver metal the door handles were made from is probably Zamak, a pretty common zinc-based die-casting metal.
Thanks! Well, you can always carve out the investment. It's very easy to do it after microwaving while the investment is still wet. I did not do it with the butter knife, since I have a silicon carbide ring, but I could have done that instead. One of those wax carving/sculpting tools that looks like a letter "U" attached to a stick works very good.
I think, that it was a proof-of-concept.video, where he knows, that it´d be better off with long sprues, and still doesn´t use any, cause in this case, it still worked out well. Pouring steel, if I got it right... With a 3d-printer and a mirowave-oven, mind you. That´s Startrek-level stuff.
btw if you need higher temperatures, get a broken toaster oven for free, a kiln coil and pid controller for 10-15 bucks each, and a bag of refractory concrete for 5-10 bucks.
you can add insulation around to make it more efficient (and reach higher temps) too.
Thanks for the tip!
Interesting approach! I've seen them do this the 'traditional' way where they dip the part repeatedly in a professional casting use, where sometimes the part is so complex that there's no other way to get it out other than burn-out. I tried this with a super-complicated compressor section and even went to the extra effort of reverse assembling the blades upside down, fitting all the parts by hand, and they Still got stuck! Not so bad when it comes out on the first try, but it usually takes two and breaks me when I have to wreck a beautiful resin print.
By the by, rather than occupy your printer with the shaking motion, anything that vibrates like a orbital sander or neck massager, you can ziptie a rod to and let the rod pop the bubbles on complex prints where moving multi-section molds would be bad. 😉
Thanks! Yes, I do vibrate the bucket with a reciprocating saw before pouring. You can see me doing it in other videos. The printer vibration is an additional step 😊
This is a great idea. You can even do it with non drafted things. Im def going to try this! Tyvm sir!
Cheers!
Even limited undercut if my guess is right.
@@hanelyp1 could even put in side actions/splits in the 3d print to make it easier to get it out of the mold. Would destroy the mold when demolding the final part but that could be worth it.
This is awesome. Really shows how you don't need special equipment
Cheers!
Great video. Thankyou for sharing. So clever what you have done on the plastic printer and the microwave. I would never have thought of that.
Thank You very much!
Zinc, or some zinc alloy, from my experience in the foundry industry. When I worked for National Zinc Processors, we would see all sorts of spouts and handles come in for recycling. Awesome work as always and looking forward to your channel growth.
Thank You!
Wow, that’s an amazing technique. Very useful.
Thank You!
This is such a cool process, and using a microwave to melt metal is awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Thank You for commenting. Much appreciated!
Awesome innovation to use the print bed as the mating surface and even shaking the bubbles out!
Cheers!
This method looks good for making ceramic slip casting molds. You really do want a kiln to do a proper burnout for metal casting. Steam explosions are no joke.
Thanks!
Especially for copper based alloys, have you tried spraying the inside of the mold with a very fine graphite powder mixed with alcohol (dries, burns out quickly)?
Thanks for the info. I have never tried or heard about it. I might try it out. Cheers!
Thanks for this STF! I like the way you do your making and teaching!
Thank You very much. I am glad you found it useful.
I really like this method. I look forward to trying it out. I'm glad to see you have sponsors. Where do you buy your plaster? What type of plaster can be used and which to avoid? Thanks in advance.
Thanks! For Mario's star, I used a professional investment called "Unicast Prestige." The butter knife was cast using just ordinary dental Plaster of Paris. I live in Spain, and I got it from the "Dentalix" store. For this method, you'll want to use plaster that isn't as brittle. For example, for Lost PLA casting, I sometimes use the cheapest construction plaster I can find. For this method, it's better to use something a bit stronger since you'll need to pull the PLA out of the mold. Dental Plaster of Paris works fine. If you are doing something with a lot of detail or hills and valleys, like letters, you might want to use something a bit stronger like Ultracal or Hydrocal. Using mold release can also help. For now, I use Vaseline, but I want to try out mold release sprays.
@@ShakeTheFuture Thank you!
This is a super cool technique. Great video.
Cheers!
This is sweet thanks a lot! Shaking the investment on the printer for shorter distances and at higher frequency, rough guess like 60 hz, (think input shaper calibration) might get more bubbles out
That was the first G-code I used. It also traveled a shorter distance at some point during the 2-minute shaking. However, I recently changed the G-code to begin using shorter distances right from the start just like you suggested. Indeed, it's better that way 👍 Cheers!
Have you tried doing this with flexible filament?
Could remove the microwave step!
Maybe even allow for reuse by having a position jig for gluing the pieces back to the bed?
I have not tried it yet, but I will. Cheers!
For the debubbling try using a shorter frequency shake, but start it before you pour the plaster, that will help dislodge the bubbles as you pour, you can also try poking with your finger into the plaster and touching all over the surface of the part, pay attention to the corners where the bubbles usually get trapped and this will help remove them.
Another tip for people that never have used plaster, DO NOT pour any remaining plaster into the sink even if you wash it and dilute it, it will still solidify and clog your pipes.
Yes, I actually do use different bed-shaking patterns. That was one of the early trials. Starting to shake the bed before pouring is a great idea. I heard about shaking the mold while pouring the plaster being beneficial, but I never tried it because it was not as straightforward a process as shaking the mold with a printer. I'll definitely start doing it.
Putting a finger in the plaster to remove the bubbles is something I never heard of, and it totally makes sense. I'll try it out with problematic, bubble-trapping molds. Thank you very much!
Now I am wondering if this could be used for some kind of injection molding of plastics.
I am sure there is a way it can be used. I also do the same method for making silicone molds. Instead of pouring investment, I pour silicone.
my guess for your non-brass is ZAMAK/Zamac. easy to cast, low melting point around 400°C, good surface finish, strong enough for most uses
Thank You! It's good to know.
Very cool results!
I use a similar trick for very detailed plaster sculptures, where I boil the molded plaster part to soften the plastic instead of microwaving it. I'll give the microwave method a test - but I fear it may weaken the plaster. For your purposes, as long as it holds up for the casting, that doesn't matter. But I want my pieces to have maximum strength and microwaving may cause issues - especially if it's done before the plaster reaches maximum strength.
Thanks Mattias!
This was very informative. I may try it out on some of my camera adapters. Thanks for the tips!
Cheers!
This is amazing! Why didn't anyone popularize it earlier!
Thanks!
Another innovative casting technique, _thanks!_ 11:00 maybe tin?
Yeah, zink is the same metal as tin, I think ... Very good for casting too, with preeeetty low melting-temperature...!!!
Would it be possible to freeze dry the mold to get rid of the moisture? I wonder if that would be more efficient.
I don't know anything about freeze-drying, so I wouldn't know. Cheers!
@@ShakeTheFuture I honestly don't know much either, but I know people use it to dry food completely very efficiently and make it stable at room temperature for like months. I think there might be something here... or not, idk lol
This is very nice, well done.
Thank You very much!
I just had a thought - they make a wax filament, which would allow you to use a 2-filament printer to make a more complicated cast. Would require a little bit of burnout, but may be easier for some objects than using a full flask process.
I do have 1 spool of wax filament. I never made a video about it, because it's difficult to print and the adhesion in bad. I find that it's much easier (and 3x cheaper) to use PLA. That said, I have not touched the spool in years. Maybe I should give it another shot with Prusa MK4.
Your content is always fantastic, thank you !
Have you tried to anneal you printed object with your microwave ?
It should be really fast and efficient.
Thanks! I have not done that. That's something I should probably explore. Cheers!
I totally didn't know you could just melt any pla in a microwave like that. Very cool. Any caveats I should know about?
Thanks! I'll be making another video with more examples of this method. I'll demonstrate how it's possible to do a bit more complicated casts.
Excellent as usual!
Thank You!
This is ingenious! Thanks so much for sharing!
Cheers!
Ive been messing with the combo of 3d printing qnd mold making, and this was by far one of the most genius ideas. I have an actual melting furnace but it makes me nervous to pour big stuff where my house is 😂
The idea of making small mold frames directly on the printing bed is 🤌
One of those rarer moments where you think, "now THAT is good"
I'm going to try more for making a 3d print prototype, take a silicone mold of that, pour a wax cast then electroform and reclaim the wax. One day in the near future ill try the actual 20lb bronze pours i initially intended to 😂
Can you use metal powder so you do not have to pour hot metal. Like sintering.
Yes, you can sinter using the microwave, but I have not done it myself. There are some people doing it on TH-cam.
Amazing video! You said plaster of paris but then you said dental plaster. Can I use just regular plaster of paris from the hardware store?
Yes, you can. One thing I've learned over the years is that just because a product is labeled 'Plaster of Paris' doesn't mean it's always the same. I also use plaster from hardware stores. Obviously, some experimentation is required, as some plasters work better than others. I used to use a cheaper hardware store plaster until recently, but I’ve since switched to hardware store Plaster of Paris (the bag actually says 'POP') because it's slightly better. I’ve stopped using dental Plaster of Paris for now, as it's expensive and not noticeably better than the more affordable alternatives.
@ thank you for replying! I am located in Greece, not so far from you. Would you consider making me your wool pot and send me, paying of course.
Excellent work. 👍
Thank You!
I’m going to try this with a plaque I’ve been struggling with. I’ll come back when I have some time to try this.
Something to be aware of that I've previously found using this method is to be aware of the spaces of the internal geometries if the part has "hollow" sections. As an example, when casting a donut shaped object, the metal shrinking can potentially contract and cause the plaster filling the "hole" to fracture. This of course can also happen with traditional investment casting, but when I tried this using a plain plaster-sand mould, the lack of usual internal investment structure (wire, etc) meant that the sections could crack off and cause cast failures, including fracturing the mould.
This is brilliant! I must try this!
Cheers!
Very neat. Can you use this same method with plaster as the "investment" and concrete as the thing being cast?
I have never tried it, so I would not know. Cheers!
How about the weakness of the moulds with the gypsum in it it tends to turn yellow and break easily if you fire it in a kiln. And if you don't fire it in a kiln the water moisture is still in the mould enough to cause defects on the castings when metals as hot as bronze containing copper are poured in? What are your ratios of the investment? Am I right in saying that this is better for smaller objects? And what type of build plate surface do you use so the plaster does not mess up the bed surface for the next print?
Obviously, this is just general information. There are different kinds of investments that can be used. The start was cast using "unicast prestige" investment, and the knife using Plaster of Paris.
The "proper" investment was mixed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Sometimes I add some sand, but I'm not sure if I did this time. I mixed the Plaster of Paris in a 1 to 1.2 ratio; for example, 200g of water to 240g of plaster. That said, not all Plaster of Paris products are the same, so the ratios can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
I have not yet cast any copper using this method, but I am about to do so as I write this. I am just making more molds so I can dry them all in the oven together. I would not cast copper in Plaster of Paris, even though I have done it using the Lost PLA method with quick-cooling casts like the egg cup shown at the end of the video. Those work pretty well.
I know that in general, it's assumed that you need a kiln to get rid of the water in the mold, but in my experience, that's not always the case. Sure, for professional casts and perfect results, you'll want to do everything by the book. I definitely recommend it. That said, I can get pretty good casts using this method, and *I'll have more videos showing it*
My oven can go up to 250°C, and I turn ON the fan. I think the fan really helps... like really helps. As I said in the video, there might be investments that will require kilns for sure, so it's all about trial and error. If one does not feel comfortable trying it out, then don't! I am not responsible for anything that can go wrong. As long as you dry your molds properly and wear PPE, you'll be fine.
And if you find that your molds are still wet (after hours of drying) or casts come out bad, then you know that your oven can't do it. End of the game.
I always dry my molds in the oven for at least 4 hours (or more depending on the size and temperature), and I make sure that the temperature of the molds is close to 250°C. Let's put it this way: if your oven can reach 250°C and your molds are way off that temperature, you know they are still wet. It's fine if they are hotter (since oven thermostats tend to overshoot), but if the mold has only reached 220°C in an oven that can reach 250°C, then you know it's still wet.
It will also depend on the air fryer/oven you're using. My air fryer struggles to bring the molds to 205°C (the maximum temperature it can reach), so I always switch to the oven.
I personally get the best results casting copper using Ultracal/Hydrocal products. I have not tried "unicast," but I suppose it should also work. I wouldn't know about casting large items, as my casts are generally pretty small anyway, so nothing has changed compared to Lost PLA casting. I just use the original Prusa PEI sheet build plate that came with the printer. It does not have any texture, which I think helps. I have not had any issues with the build plate. The investment does not affect it as far as I am aware. The mold can be removed easily. Sometimes I just go slow to avoid pulling out the print from the mold. If it's a print that is properly embedded into the investment, I just remove it from the build plate as I would a normal print.
*For anyone who finds it useful* : If this video has inspired you to buy a 3D printer, you need a modern 3D printer with a "perfect" first layer, such as the Prusa MK4 or Bamboo printers. That way, you'll get the best results. I would avoid getting older generation printers that do not lay-down a perfect first layer automatically. It will make things more frustrating and complicated
@@ShakeTheFuture Oh and where can we get the gcode to shake the 3d printer do they only work for one 3d printer or many?
That door handle is most likely made of zamak12, a very common casting zinc alloy. It's used in everything.
Cheers!
Using the printer as a linear nutator is brilliant. I’ve been doing similar in cold pour silicone for decades. Similar process but you’ve updated the technology 😂
Great job , thanks for sharing !
Thank You!
Innovative as always.
Thank You!
The PaulsGarage channel has taught me about ZA-12. It's a common Zinc Aluminum alloy for casting, and may be what you had there. Pure aluminum needs pressure to overcome the surface tension and get fine details.
Thanks for the info.
I love that youve got your 2-part with sprues and gates and all -- nice! Much shrinkage factor?
When I do Lost PLA casting with the burnout, I usually print my parts around 3% bigger to compensate for the shrinkage. I have not checked whether not the shrinkage is the same by using this method. Cheers!
I wish i could super like this video
Thank You! You already did, just by taking time to comment. Much appreciated.
Great video. Thanks for making it.
Thank You Marc!
Interesting idea but it will only work for a pattern that can be withdrawn with the necessary draft so I see no advantage over sand casting which is much quicker and an indefinite number of castings can be made from one pattern.
I agree that sand casting is much quicker and less wasteful, but there are some advantages to other methods that I'll demonstrate in future projects, such as the dice example at the end of the video. That said, I have never done sand casting, so I might not know what I am talking about 😊 Thanks for the comment!
With the pattern softened for removal I don't see this method limited to sand casting draft requirements. On the other hand, if drafting is satisfied a pattern might be reused.
but why not dry plaster in microwave? It worked for me quite well but I've never done metal casting
It does not remove water completely, and microwaving too much can crack the mold or cause the microwave to overheat. Once there is no food, water, or crucible in the microwave to absorb the energy, the magnetron will start to heat up even more, causing the thermal cut-off switch to activate and cut off the power. Doing this repeatedly risks damaging the magnetron. I am not saying that it cannot work, but it is something I cannot advise doing. Cheers!
@@ShakeTheFuture thank you! Found the answer in video as well! Great job!
Great video. Very interesting methods.
Thank You!
I've considered but not tested it but if you have a kiln you might have clay, and could probably make a clay mold for metal too if you don't want to mess with plaster and metal temps. Sand should be best and plaster obviously breaks up easier but clay might get you a really nice resolution and be able to be pre-heated.
Cheers!
You, sir, are awesome.
Thank You!
Any chance pulling a vacuum on plaster may improve drying without heat.
Honestly, I have no idea, but what I do want to try is leaving the wet mold in the car. Since I live in Spain and it's summertime, I might cut down on my electrical bill 💰💰💰
My Bambu a1 mini would vibrate the plaster really well, it does that test before each print that vibrates the x & y.
I am sure it can be done on prusa....but I have not looked into that. It's not my area of expertise 😊
Hello
Just wanted to say your ideas and videos are absolute genius, thank you for showing great results. I wanted to ask if you could test an idea which is also very interesting and could be a game changer for ceramic molds using desktop 3d printers. If possible can you use water soluble filament, create any complex geometry and then dissolve the filament so that you are left with an intricate ceramic mold. I think this can work both with the ceramic mold poured surrounding the water soluble mold or if the ceramic slurry is poured inside the water soluble mold. Similar to your method, no burnout would be required. The mold would then need to be dried out to remove any moisture and be ready for casting, would be great to see if this is possible. I have attached a video for reference which will help clarify what I mean but I think can be used for casting very complex shapes. Would be great to see what you think of this.
Ceramic pour printing
th-cam.com/video/KeQFBX5JFoI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rHQaBYmi7Zv1Hgfn
Lost pva casting would be a suitable name
That's a great idea. I might try it out in the future. Cheers!
I got sad about the printer bed :/ does it clean well after pouring plaster?
Yes, I have not had any issues so far. You can always get a cheap build plate and use it only for these things...which I am planning to do.
Excellent and informative. Well done sir.
Thank you!
Where do you source metal? A friend gave you the door handles, but what about the rest?
Last time I bought 8mm aluminium rope-crimps from AliExpress (around 1kg). They are a good size for my crucibles, and it worked out to be quite cheap. Next time, I'll get some ingots from AliExpress or somewhere else. Since I live in an apartment, it's not very convenient for me to cut metal to fit into the crucible, so I prefer to buy smaller pieces of metal, like cable-crimps or ingots.
For brass, I just buy some pipe fittings from the local hardware store. For copper, I buy some copper pipes and cut them with a pipe cutter. That's my favorite way to cut metal to size. For cast iron, I just buy 0.5-1 kg weight plates. I have a lot of 1 kg weights in stock from my failed bodybuilding days :)
I recently bought a 0.5 kg weight plate from a sports shop and was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under 2 euros.
It's one of the cheapest metals and it casts beautifully, but it is a pain to cut it into smaller pieces. I usually make a cut with the saw and then go outside and break the plate with a hammer.
Does it *need* to be done on the bed? It must be a cleaning nightmare. Would any other flat surface do well enough?
No, it does not need to be done on the bed. You can print it and then glue it to other surfaces. I prefer the bed because it does not require gluing, and the result is nearly perfect. Cleaning it is very easy. I just wash it with some soap under running tap water. It's best to get another build surface for your printer. There are plenty of generic but good build plates available these days. Depending on the printer used, you might be able to print on other surfaces, like plexiglass. My printer (Prusa mk4) can do that without problems, I have not tried it out myself, but there are definitely options. Cheers!
How does the part stay stick to the build plate? Does it remain hot? I’ve never used anything but textured PEI and they always let go of the part 100% when cool.
No, it does not stay hot. The build plate on the Prusa MK4 (plain-PEI) sticks very well. The objects don't pop off the plate when they cool down; you need to bend the sheet.
Deserves attention! 💯
Cheers!
Your mystery metal in the door handles is probably some form of Zamak which was brass plated. There's a bunch of different kinds but what they have in common is that they are zinc alloys designed for die casting. Melting point is fairly low, and the metal is very fluid so it fills details in the mould well. Hence your nice cast (except for the damage from early opening).
Zamak is actually so good that it's worth setting up just to cast it; it has reasonable mechanical properties (superior to cast iron, for example) and easily produces good castings. However it cannot tolerate even the slightest contamination with lead, inclusion of lead in the alloy will cause a form of corrosion which makes the metal break with a strange 'crystalline' appearance or worse crumble into little bits. In fact manufacturers go so far as to distill the zinc to obtain sufficient purity to make good Zamak.
This would be a problem if you used the same crucible and tools for Zamak as for brass, as brass often contains 0.5% or so of lead as a machinability aid.
Thanks! That's some good info. I'll need to buy some zamak ingots and explore it a bit more. Cheers!
Where do one go to get plaster that would be suitable for this endeavor?
Online or in Art shops (or whatever they are called). If you are looking for something specific, I've had great success with "unicast prestige" powders.
I like your projects a lot, did you tried with alluminium from car rims? I'm not sure about what language to use because i've saw that you're in spain, y want to have a long conversation with you because i honestly thout that i have ideas that can be usefull for you and you should have tricks for me, anyway Like from Galicia!
Thanks! Yes, indeed I live in Spain, but I am originally from Latvia and my Spanish is not as good as my English. I suppose Kefir from Mercadona or the plastic bags gave it away 😂😂
@@ShakeTheFuture if you need assistance or help with a printer send me a mensage 😉
@@somathebest Thanks!
At 11:11, it seems like Zamak - a zinc alloy
Woah, this is incredible
Cheers!
I Love your creativity. Perhaps you could add someething to your investment that would allow you to bring it up to vitrification temperature in the microwave. Some of the silicon carbide that you use for crucibles perhaps?
I have tried it, but not enough times to draw any conclusions. I think the time I tried it, nothing happened. Maybe I needed to add more silicon carbide. There is also a possibility that the mold will crack because of the microwaves.
There might be a way to do it in a controlled environment. I did not continue experimenting because it's also an extra cost to add silicon carbide to the investment. That said, I do make molds out of silicon carbide. Smaller molds can be burned out without using any kilns; only microwaving them is enough.
Cheers
@@ShakeTheFuture many microwaves have a "popcorn" or a "smart defrost" mode; the actual behaviour varies, but on certain models these modes will "feather" the microwave emissions (you don't want frozen food to explode after all) and use humidity sensors to detect if the object is steaming and automatically stop early.
I'm thinking of building a custom microwave so that I can make it larger and have custom controls- such as built in burnout schedules, etc. I had thought that building it with multiple magnetrons might be a fool's errand since the complications due to microwave interference would be difficult to overcome... but it just hit me. What if I made separate microwave chambers that were isolated with aluminum shielding (or built the shielding into the kaowool when I built the furnace) so that there were effectively two or more different microwave chambers that were thermally connected to the main chamber and could contribute heat flow to the main chamber without having to send their microwave radiation there. Perhaps such a scheme could allow for more reliable heating at temperatures required for steel or even titanium.
I would make blocks of silicon carbide that are connected by hallways of silicon carbide to the rings of silicon carbide that heat up the central chamber. Essentially, a thermal circuit. The silicon carbide blocks and hallways would be thermally insulated from the exterior as usual by kaowool and kapton tape. Inside the kaowool around the middle of the hallways (separated far enough from the silicon carbide to not melt), I would place aluminum reflectors that would achieve separating the magentrons' EM waves.
I guess the whole point of such an elaborate setup would be to ensure that the microwave can run for a long time without overheating the magnetrons. Distributing the load across the magnetrons could allow the microwave to get to a similar temperature with less duty cycle per magnetron. This would make it more reliable overall. Or you could more quickly reach high temperatures. That could be nice too.
LOL. Now I'm probably going to have dreams of distributing a thermal circuit in a sphere around the central chamber and pumping in energy from 16 magnetrons. The real problem is plugging them all in. Hahaha.
Well, it's definitely possible. Industrial microwaves have 2 magnetrons. I've never tried them out, but they should melt metals way faster.
Microwaving an object like this will create hots spots and cold spots - the EM waves in a microwave oven are about ~10cm, so you'll get 5cm of very hot plaster and 5cm of cold plaster - the heat from the hot areas with spread, so the cold areas will receive some heat, but it's less than ideal or efficient . . you also set up stresses in the plaster than make it much more likely to break, crack and crumble . . . . this is why pretty much all microwaves have a rotating turntable so areas of the food are not just stuck in a cold spot . . . . if you can find some easy way of moving the plaster around, up and down or rotating (or any movement) you will get better, more consistent, results.
_"LOL. Now I'm probably going to have dreams of distributing a thermal circuit in a sphere around the central chamber and pumping in energy from 16 magnetrons. The real problem is plugging them all in. Hahaha."_
Lol, you'd need to get all 16 in phase, otherwise there would be a ton of destructive interference.
Interesting. I'll stick to my old way, but this way is interesting and opens things up for people who prefer or are more familiar with different tools.
Cheers!
I have just tried casting my first aluminium using your techniques, do you have any recommendations for simple investment that you used in this video? Thanks!
If I don't use a "proper" investment, but something like a Plaster of Paris type of powder, then I usually mix it with sand. Depending on the brand, I generally mix it as follows:
*1 part water*
*1.1 parts plaster*
*0.5 parts sand*
For example: 200g of water, 220g of plaster, and 100g of sand.
This is a basic formula that can be adjusted depending on the plaster used or one's specific needs.
@@ShakeTheFuture amazing thanks for your response!
Crazy idea, throw on some ultrasound sensors/speakers. You can use clicks to precisely measure top of fluids you add with another tool, then you can use the ultrasound to probe the plaster.
I was going to try to use an ultrasonic cleaner with plaster and metal, so your suggestion is not crazy. I just need to get it first. Cheers!