That is an old Satellite burnout oven, pretty much a bulletproof oven. If you want you can just plug it into a standalone Sentry if you want a controller for it. The switch can also be taken apart and the contacts cleaned to regain functionality. I used to work at a jewelers supply and we sold those over and over. The melted contact on the switch was a common problem as the contacts inside the switch would eventually get oxidized, resulting in higher resistance and creating heat, which went back up the wire and causing melting of the insulation. The fix is to pop open the switch and use a bit of sandpaper or a fine file to dress the contacts. I used one of those for years without a controller, I just got used to where the switch needed to be in order to get my temperatures.
@@charmspeakjewelrydesignstu7224 There are two metal tabs on either side of the switch body, they extend from the front plate around the bakelite body of the switch. Just use a thin screwdriver to pry the tabs back and the switch will come apart. Inside there is a bi-metal coil that opens and closes as it heats up due to resistance, and that is what separates the contacts inside. The contacts will be oxidized due to the spark that happens each time the switch opens and closes but they are made of something that doesn't melt, it just gets surface oxidation. Of course this is for the switches that were installed in the 1960's through the early 80's and I don't know how old your oven is. The other upgrade to do to that oven is to replace the wiring that melted with larger gauge wiring, preferably with the heat resistant insulation (woven type). The stock wiring itself could handle the loads, but the problem with the melting wire insulation you saw was the result of the spade connector oxidizing over time. Pulling the bottom panel off of the oven and cleaning those connectors say once a year can prevent this from happening. The thermocouple that sets the reading on the temperature gauge on the front is entirely separate from the heating circuit, I think it uses a K type thermocouple (Chromel/Alumel) thermocouple. Check the tip that extends into the oven chamber, if you see erosion on the tip where the contact between the two as it bends back on itself then it may be off. There is an adjustment on the front of the gauge, you can purchase some cones from a ceramics supply to get an idea if they are far off, or better yet if you can get a laser temperature reader that you can shoot down the vent on top then you will get a more accurate idea of where the temperature reading is in regards to the display. Turning the screw in the center of the display allows for adjustment of the needle.
i have a laser temp reader it didn't go high enough to read my kiln so I bought a hand held k-type thermocouple reader (basically a long probe) that is inserted into the vent to read the temperature from Rio. I think the temperature gauge is sticky and doesn't adjust as the temperature raises or lowers. Like I said it is super old but I have had good results for burnout, I just usually err on the higher end of my temperatures as its a bit of a guessing game unless i spend a lot of time taking readings which is new in the last few months for me. I'm getting into 3d printing (siraya true blue) and want to be sure I'm getting a good burn out as I've been doing wax until now with using steam dewaxing before burnout. Thanks for your reply@@RRSF09
@@charmspeakjewelrydesignstu7224 On revisiting the video I noticed that you had bent the tabs out on the old switch, the release to open up the switch is actually the center part of those tabs. You can use the outside part of the tab to leverage against and then pull the inside bit out, that will release one side - do the same on the other and it will be able to be pulled apart.
great videos, I have been using a wire brush on a drill press to clean the metal before putting it in and you dont have the water issues. it reduces the amount of slag you get with bronze or silver. The nylon versions of wire brushes work well and they come in different grits, harbor freight in the us sells a three pack and they work great on any scraps the get remelted.
We usually run everything through our tumbler in batches but pulled some larger scrap due to the amount of metal needed. Wire brushes are definitely an option for those consistently using large scrap. - Shannon
Have you tried casting White Bronze? Belmont Metals has some... apparently nice for sculptures and decorative car parts that polish up nicely and don't tarnish or corrode
Thank you so much for this detailed video on your tests and process. I’ve had my mould break/crack when my vacuum starts vacuuming 🙄 I think it’s when my ratio water/investment is less dense. I’m now going to start making tests with 3D printing as well. Wish me luck! 😂
Could be any combination of investment mixing ratio, placement of items in your flask, to burnout temperatures. Definitely worth doing some A/B testing.
hi, tks for the great videos. any interest in discussing different alloy types and your experience with casting different mixes. I would like to do some copper + silver +aluminum + silicon to get a warm copper hue with a luster and some durability. interested to here of any mixes you have tried and your experience with alloying different metals. do you only use supplier alloys or do you prepare your own?
Optima Prestige investment 40:1, burnout 300F for 2 hours, ramp up to 1350 hold for 2 hours, ramp down to 900, cast. Works great. Also, try the Pro CAD barrier liquid. You will never have another surface defect with your castings.
Could you explain how the ProCAD Barrier Liquid is used?... I did a search and it says for resins... also could you link to the product as I see several different ones... Greatly appreciate your tips!
We’ve never needed a barrier liquid for any of our resins. Wouldnt recommend if you have an appropriate resin post processing system. We do a thicker investment mix to mitigate any potential expansion due to our prints being like 100mm long (approx 250 grams per item).
I heard ppl use baby powder does the same job. today will be my 1st try to use baby powder dip and brush the excess from the resin models. Your burnout cyle is super fast. i wonder how heavy is your models. Thanks
Hi Dan and Shannon Firstly, thank you for your content and sharing your knowledge, I'm so happy to become a member. Your video's have helped me to become a semi-competent caster in very little time. This video is very timely for me as I am beginning bronze jewelry casting. I did my very first test today and had mixed results, but still failing forwards! FYI, I'm using Ransom & Randolph's Ultra-Vest Investment and thought that perhaps there might be a more suitable option. Which investment are you using for Bronze?
We pick our investment first based on model type, then metal. So if you are using wax Ultra-Vest will be great, if you are using 3D prints it won't work so well. R&R Plasticast, Optima Prestige, or X-Vest are better with 3D prints. When just starting out we would recommend going with the normal 8-14 hr burnout first. Then cutting back time as you gain experience. As a new member make sure you integrate your TH-cam account with your Discord account so the integration can add you to our Discord Channel.
What temp do printed models melt? I've been steaming my 4x6" flasks for 1 hour after they cure for 2 hours on the counter. I am however working with wax not printed media. It has improved my burnout, it's cleaner now.
Prints can’t be steam de-waxed. Waxes are completely gone by like 200F, where as prints start at like 600F. We’ve tried the 6hr rapid burnout with wax as well and it works great.
We have the Ventura melter. And ya it’s a lot easier. Also allows us to get a few more pours out of every crucible. pepetools.com/en-ca/collections/mold-making-tools/products/electro-melt-gold-melting-furnace-3kg-100oz-1kg-30oz#/?aff=24%20
Hi, great vids and advice! I struggled with a specific casting now for a long while, been doing castings in gold and silver for a year and still learning. But this one is in brass. I came to a situation where i did 2 castings just now, and the printed models came out porous and pitted, but the injected wax model came out perfect. This was in gold and silver now. Question: why? 🤔 I mixed my model (gents signet ring) with the top in bluecast xone v2 and the ring injected wax. Will this be my problem like im thinking it is? I really went through weeks of fine tuning the burnouts and the temps and playing around with sprue's etc. Might it be that the waxes just dont like to be burned out at the same time?
We usually run different resins, waxes, and sometimes even organic matter all in the same flask. Brass can be a tricky one depending on how you are melting it and In our experience can have a higher rate of porosity. One of the many reasons why we like bronze for our personal work. This is usually due to melt temps and how much Zinc and other metals you may have burned off. There has been some confusion in our Discord lately around Blucast XOne V2 as it seems to be performing very hit or miss. It's rumoured that the resin is being altered or starts curing if X-Rayed in transit. However pitting is not usually the problem indicated. But an asphalt texture. You could be getting a 2 for one issue where you have a bad bottle of resin and you are also over cooking your brass but it depends on your process.
Thank you so very much! I knew i couldnt so unlucky, but that theres an explanation for the suffering😅 I think casting is awesome, the whole proses, thank you for helping me😊
We're working on moding the kiln to try and help reduce the times but a lot of our items right now are like 100mm long so we're playing a balancing game.
No need for a controller as the entire burnout is done at 1 temp before ramping down. However we are implementing consistent use of the air pump as mentioned at the end of the video.
Dental investments are usually more expensive and more taxing on your workflow in terms of mixing. Been having success with Plasticast and Optima with rapid burnouts so we’re just going to continue with that experimentation.
That is an old Satellite burnout oven, pretty much a bulletproof oven. If you want you can just plug it into a standalone Sentry if you want a controller for it. The switch can also be taken apart and the contacts cleaned to regain functionality. I used to work at a jewelers supply and we sold those over and over. The melted contact on the switch was a common problem as the contacts inside the switch would eventually get oxidized, resulting in higher resistance and creating heat, which went back up the wire and causing melting of the insulation. The fix is to pop open the switch and use a bit of sandpaper or a fine file to dress the contacts.
I used one of those for years without a controller, I just got used to where the switch needed to be in order to get my temperatures.
I’d like to know more about how you “pop” the switch apart? I have a very old oven. It heats well, but don't finalize trust the temperature gauge.
@@charmspeakjewelrydesignstu7224 There are two metal tabs on either side of the switch body, they extend from the front plate around the bakelite body of the switch. Just use a thin screwdriver to pry the tabs back and the switch will come apart. Inside there is a bi-metal coil that opens and closes as it heats up due to resistance, and that is what separates the contacts inside. The contacts will be oxidized due to the spark that happens each time the switch opens and closes but they are made of something that doesn't melt, it just gets surface oxidation.
Of course this is for the switches that were installed in the 1960's through the early 80's and I don't know how old your oven is. The other upgrade to do to that oven is to replace the wiring that melted with larger gauge wiring, preferably with the heat resistant insulation (woven type). The stock wiring itself could handle the loads, but the problem with the melting wire insulation you saw was the result of the spade connector oxidizing over time. Pulling the bottom panel off of the oven and cleaning those connectors say once a year can prevent this from happening.
The thermocouple that sets the reading on the temperature gauge on the front is entirely separate from the heating circuit, I think it uses a K type thermocouple (Chromel/Alumel) thermocouple. Check the tip that extends into the oven chamber, if you see erosion on the tip where the contact between the two as it bends back on itself then it may be off. There is an adjustment on the front of the gauge, you can purchase some cones from a ceramics supply to get an idea if they are far off, or better yet if you can get a laser temperature reader that you can shoot down the vent on top then you will get a more accurate idea of where the temperature reading is in regards to the display. Turning the screw in the center of the display allows for adjustment of the needle.
i have a laser temp reader it didn't go high enough to read my kiln so I bought a hand held k-type thermocouple reader (basically a long probe) that is inserted into the vent to read the temperature from Rio. I think the temperature gauge is sticky and doesn't adjust as the temperature raises or lowers. Like I said it is super old but I have had good results for burnout, I just usually err on the higher end of my temperatures as its a bit of a guessing game unless i spend a lot of time taking readings which is new in the last few months for me. I'm getting into 3d printing (siraya true blue) and want to be sure I'm getting a good burn out as I've been doing wax until now with using steam dewaxing before burnout.
Thanks for your reply@@RRSF09
@@charmspeakjewelrydesignstu7224 On revisiting the video I noticed that you had bent the tabs out on the old switch, the release to open up the switch is actually the center part of those tabs. You can use the outside part of the tab to leverage against and then pull the inside bit out, that will release one side - do the same on the other and it will be able to be pulled apart.
great videos, I have been using a wire brush on a drill press to clean the metal before putting it in and you dont have the water issues. it reduces the amount of slag you get with bronze or silver. The nylon versions of wire brushes work well and they come in different grits, harbor freight in the us sells a three pack and they work great on any scraps the get remelted.
We usually run everything through our tumbler in batches but pulled some larger scrap due to the amount of metal needed.
Wire brushes are definitely an option for those consistently using large scrap. - Shannon
Have you tried casting White Bronze? Belmont Metals has some... apparently nice for sculptures and decorative car parts that polish up nicely and don't tarnish or corrode
Thank you for the great video, what temp should the flask be for casting ancient bronze?
Thank you so much for this detailed video on your tests and process. I’ve had my mould break/crack when my vacuum starts vacuuming 🙄 I think it’s when my ratio water/investment is less dense.
I’m now going to start making tests with 3D printing as well. Wish me luck! 😂
Could be any combination of investment mixing ratio, placement of items in your flask, to burnout temperatures. Definitely worth doing some A/B testing.
hi, tks for the great videos. any interest in discussing different alloy types and your experience with casting different mixes. I would like to do some copper + silver +aluminum + silicon to get a warm copper hue with a luster and some durability. interested to here of any mixes you have tried and your experience with alloying different metals. do you only use supplier alloys or do you prepare your own?
Did you mention which investment you are using?
Re: drop to 200f: Were the cold flasks too close to the temp sensor by chance?
Optima Prestige investment 40:1, burnout 300F for 2 hours, ramp up to 1350 hold for 2 hours, ramp down to 900, cast. Works great. Also, try the Pro CAD barrier liquid. You will never have another surface defect with your castings.
Would you use that on xone ??
Could you explain how the ProCAD Barrier Liquid is used?... I did a search and it says for resins... also could you link to the product as I see several different ones... Greatly appreciate your tips!
which resin are you printing with?
We’ve never needed a barrier liquid for any of our resins. Wouldnt recommend if you have an appropriate resin post processing system.
We do a thicker investment mix to mitigate any potential expansion due to our prints being like 100mm long (approx 250 grams per item).
I heard ppl use baby powder does the same job. today will be my 1st try to use baby powder dip and brush the excess from the resin models. Your burnout cyle is super fast. i wonder how heavy is your models. Thanks
Hi Dan and Shannon
Firstly, thank you for your content and sharing your knowledge, I'm so happy to become a member.
Your video's have helped me to become a semi-competent caster in very little time.
This video is very timely for me as I am beginning bronze jewelry casting.
I did my very first test today and had mixed results, but still failing forwards!
FYI, I'm using Ransom & Randolph's Ultra-Vest Investment and thought that perhaps there might be a more suitable option.
Which investment are you using for Bronze?
We pick our investment first based on model type, then metal. So if you are using wax Ultra-Vest will be great, if you are using 3D prints it won't work so well.
R&R Plasticast, Optima Prestige, or X-Vest are better with 3D prints.
When just starting out we would recommend going with the normal 8-14 hr burnout first. Then cutting back time as you gain experience.
As a new member make sure you integrate your TH-cam account with your Discord account so the integration can add you to our Discord Channel.
How often should I raise the temperature till I reach 1350? Also by how many degrees?
What temp do printed models melt? I've been steaming my 4x6" flasks for 1 hour after they cure for 2 hours on the counter. I am however working with wax not printed media. It has improved my burnout, it's cleaner now.
Prints can’t be steam de-waxed. Waxes are completely gone by like 200F, where as prints start at like 600F.
We’ve tried the 6hr rapid burnout with wax as well and it works great.
which furnaces are you using? the riogrande tilt-pour ones? I'd like to get a tilt pour like yours, it seems much better than grabbing the crucible
We have the Ventura melter. And ya it’s a lot easier. Also allows us to get a few more pours out of every crucible. pepetools.com/en-ca/collections/mold-making-tools/products/electro-melt-gold-melting-furnace-3kg-100oz-1kg-30oz#/?aff=24%20
What are those pieces at the bottom of your burnout kiln that elevate the flasks?
Just pieces of half round steel. - Shannon
Hi, great vids and advice!
I struggled with a specific casting now for a long while, been doing castings in gold and silver for a year and still learning. But this one is in brass. I came to a situation where i did 2 castings just now, and the printed models came out porous and pitted, but the injected wax model came out perfect. This was in gold and silver now.
Question: why? 🤔
I mixed my model (gents signet ring) with the top in bluecast xone v2 and the ring injected wax.
Will this be my problem like im thinking it is? I really went through weeks of fine tuning the burnouts and the temps and playing around with sprue's etc. Might it be that the waxes just dont like to be burned out at the same time?
We usually run different resins, waxes, and sometimes even organic matter all in the same flask.
Brass can be a tricky one depending on how you are melting it and In our experience can have a higher rate of porosity. One of the many reasons why we like bronze for our personal work. This is usually due to melt temps and how much Zinc and other metals you may have burned off.
There has been some confusion in our Discord lately around Blucast XOne V2 as it seems to be performing very hit or miss. It's rumoured that the resin is being altered or starts curing if X-Rayed in transit. However pitting is not usually the problem indicated. But an asphalt texture.
You could be getting a 2 for one issue where you have a bad bottle of resin and you are also over cooking your brass but it depends on your process.
Thank you so very much! I knew i couldnt so unlucky, but that theres an explanation for the suffering😅
I think casting is awesome, the whole proses, thank you for helping me😊
Hey, do you like to flip the flask for resin burnout? Does it help the gas escape?
We just leave it facing down with an air gap
@@ClearMindJewellery thanks
HOW MANY HOURS TO HOLD ON 1350F(732C). CAN U GIVE ME A RAPID BURNOUT SUGGESTION FOR GOLD 22K AND I AM USING WHITE WAX RESIN(HIGH WAX CONTENT)
Wax of various kinds works with this schedule in the video. We hold at max for 1 hour. Only do longer with 5x7" flasks and bulky prints. - Shannon
thank you@@ClearMindJewellery
try the new Bluecast X-one v2.. 2 hour burnout :)
wuuuuut
@@TurdFergusen ikr, its crazy good 😍
We're working on moding the kiln to try and help reduce the times but a lot of our items right now are like 100mm long so we're playing a balancing game.
@@ClearMindJewelleryare you going to add a controller?
No need for a controller as the entire burnout is done at 1 temp before ramping down. However we are implementing consistent use of the air pump as mentioned at the end of the video.
Have you tried dental investments? there isn't much info on them
Dental investments are usually more expensive and more taxing on your workflow in terms of mixing. Been having success with Plasticast and Optima with rapid burnouts so we’re just going to continue with that experimentation.
"promo sm" 😒