I appreciate the rough cost preview. So many diy channels just say "hey look so cheap" and only calculate material cost and ignore all the tooling. Another great thing is you showing the fails, and the subsequent solutions. It makes the videos more informative, honest and, when repeating your experiments, one isn't discouraged so easily.
At 3:30 a pro tip is to use anything that vibrates or oscillates relatively violently (hair clippers, orbital sander) and touch a part of the body of the device it to your mold to vibrate the whole thing which causes the bubbles to vibrate up and out of the plaster. I do this on teeth/mouth molds since air bubbles are hell when you need the fine detail. Hope it helps!
I made a vibrating plate for this purpose by taking my palm sander wall mount caddy and screwing it onto a board and then I could leave it on for a while. Picked this up from the folks who pour cement countertops.
I have a lot of lost wax casting experience Suggestions: Print a sprew cone and some vents to allow air to leave more easily. Use dental investment plaster and keep it hot. Pull the mold out just as the metal is ready to cast. Pouring hot metal into a mold that isn't close to the temperature of the metal doesn't get best results. Always use a steel containment AND add steel rings to the top edge of the container or build a collar to set the casting can into. Use a length of chain to swing the container around right after your pour. This increases the g-force on the molten metal and forces it into details better than gravity. PLA has a specific density around 1.25 g/c³ and you can estimate the weight of the metal required by the difference the density of the desired metal. Make the sprew cone about 50% of the total mass so you can melt and pour the least amount of metal and still have a small sprew to remove... so, quicker and more efficient. Do the majority of your cleanup on the PLA. It's easier to finish than the metal. This reduces the amount of sanding you'll need to do to the cast piece and allows you to get better fit and finish with less work. Add a flux like boric acid to the melt to help separate slag. This reduces the risk of small oxide inclusions that can ruin an otherwise perfect casting.
Just a couple of suggestions for future pours.... When designing the mold, have the fill pipe fill the mold from the bottom and always include a vent for air escape at the highest point in the mold
When I was at art school in '79 we had an interesting process that the teacher said came from the auto industry: You made your model out of wax , then you mixed up some construction sand and a liquid epoxy, Then painted your model with something called a zircon wash which looked and felt like a very soupy plaster, Then you carefully packed the wet model in the uncured epoxy sand in a cardboard box a bit bigger than the model and let it cure for a couple of hours, Then you put the whole thing in a 300°f oven for 4 hours so the wax melted through the zircon wash into the sand. Meanwhile you were heating your bronze or aluminum. Then you pour the metal into the mold, and the magic part was that the heat from the metal broke down the epoxy while the metal was cooling, so a couple of whacks with a hammer was all it took to remove the sand from the casting. You could make a big wax piece in the morning and have it in metal by dinner. The zircon wash was interesting stuff in that it was porus enough to let the wax out and the gasses out but it could preserve details like fingerprints. Oddly I have never heard of this process anywhere else. We also did lost styrofoam casting, but that is another tale.
They still do that process when the cost of manufacturing and shipping of ordered 3d metal print is prohibitive, mostly in poorer countries though. Wax parts for the actual casting is still 100% 3d printed though, mostly smaller details.
That's still used in LOTS of industries. Anywhere you need a feature inside a part, you can cast negatives or positives and thermally remove them. Keeps from having to use welsh plugs. The stuff I use for prototypes is made for lighting on fire for quick curing. (Zircon ZA-95)
In a college sculpture class, we cast in bronze by first sculpting it in wax (a bitch to work with), then dipping it several times (each time letting it dry) in a silica sand and water slurry. Once fully dried, we fired it in a kiln to melt out the wax and harden the cast. Then poured in the hot bronze, busted off the mold with a hammer and it came out great.
That’s called last wax or investment casting, a lot of gun parts and auto parts are still made this way. Very fast, accurate way of making precision parts.
Its also possible to trim porcelain/rock using 3d printers mechanisms to create stencil blocks. Or use cnc to creatr gears ;p anyway technicallt cnc and 3d printers are the some thi g ;p
@@ahmetmutlu348 3d printers are additive manufacturing while CNC machines (lathes, mills, etc) are typically subtractive manufacturing. They take material away from a larger piece of stock to create parts where 3d printers build the part up layer by layer.
My Uncle was a friend of Leonard Lee. His name was David Pearce. We spend many hours discussing all things old. Those guys never bought stuff, they “scrounged”, and fabricated the tools, or product’s they needed. He was a student of the original fabrication techniques, mostly for making original parts for Early firearms,, wood working tools,,etc. When I needed a repair part for something, I remember him telling me how common small foundries were. Every small town had a few people who were capable , so it’s only post war that we lost the common practice. He said when he started he made many of his moods from plaster of Paris, and for one off parts it worked. Like you showed, if you need one small part who cares of you have to take two or three shots at it to get a part made, and keep an old machine running for another 100 years +. I’m sure David would really appreciate that 2023 folks are not afraid of fabricating unique parts, without buying a 100k cnc mill
@@Gu1tarZer0 I think my friend forgot to put my Link in the description because I didn’t see it there but that’s okay, if people don’t know me by now they might find me eventually👌🏻😁
👏👏👏Really applaud how you show the process...the WHOLE process...including the failed attempts that lead up to a method that works. We never lose... we either win, or we LEARN!
I seriously could watch this guy for hours. Always learn something new, and I love that he shows failures and learnings every time. True authentic content
@@maxheadroom1506 if someone is casting at home just add the riser, no need to reinvent the wheel and in doing so price it out of reach for many makers.
@@hot_wheelz i've cast precision objects out of gold and we used a cenfrifugal spring loaded casting machine with crucibles and casting rings. If you are doing precision parts it is worth to get the right equipment. you can find these casting machines on ebay from china. some you can get used from jewelers although they use smaller machines. Or you can build one. here is a used one for $50 you can get them usually for $300-600 www.ebay.com/itm/194054623219?hash=item2d2e8e8ff3:g:zFEAAOSw1gNgbPyv
I knew this process would work. I thought about trying it a few times but never have. I know the basics and assumed that melting the plastic out would be similar to lost wax casting. You proved me correct. Maybe one day I will attempt it. Thanks for the video.
That stupid, I think like that once, I regretted throwing away my bionicle Legos... Now they worth so much money... Anyways, sure you can think like that. But why? It's like throwing away your identity what you known.
Nice. Hey, if you use Chitubox as a slicer, It has a construct-support option. If you generate supports, you can use the cavities they create as vents and multiple spouts for the molten bronze to flow down. other slicer programs have this feature as well.
@@GodzillaGoesGaga There's no 0x on my calculator either. I have it in "Base N" mode more than "normal". Also, I don't write it with 0x, I use old-school $. I learned hex on Commodore 16 and hand coded all my assembly with the built-in assembly monitor mode.
Really glad you showed up in the TH-cam recommended. I appreciate you took us down the whole learning process, not just how-to-vid. One small note, you started with degrees in Celsius, but then moved to Fahrenheit and I kind of lost track.
Get a small vibratory table and you'll knock out those bubbles. We do it in dentistry. You can also use a vacuum mixer if you really want but the vibrating platform usually does the job alone
For a small part like that a little platform stuck to a blade for an oscillatory tool works well. Alternately, a little platform mounted on some rubber with a wee electric motor and off balance weight attached to the bottom works a treat. The instructor I took Jewelry from uses a platform they fitted to the top of their vibratory tumbler. They also would paint/dip then smooth w/ brush a coat of the plaster to the part first, which makes sure the cast surface is as clean as you can get, then they put in the rest of the investment.
When I was in highschool my jewelry teacher had this handy little vibrating bubble remover, it attached to your finger and had a silicone tip for better contact, worked a treat.when I was older I figured out it's real purpose.
Your video was very informative and well presented. I really applaud you for showing the failures as well because it makes everything so much more relatable and authentic. I've done a whack of DIY projects (no metal casting yet and soon) and while I don't make videos about it the stuff I do my best work on now is that which I screwed up so royally when I was learning it. It's nice to know we're all learning how to be masters of the process and that we're here to teach each other from our own mistakes along the way. Bravo!!! You're awesome!!!
Just got my first 3D printer. I've been a cad and cam programmer for many years now, and I often wondered how this could be done. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't wait for more of your videos!
Hey awesome video! I appreciate that it's a tutorial from start to finish, including the design and printing. I love that you used a kiln for the burnout, it's a pain in the ass with the regular propane furnace but you can pull it off if you're careful. I did some of this with a friend this summer with a propane furnace and from our experience you really don't need the investment plaster specifically. We lost pla cast some parts for a diy electric bike as well as some stock aluminum for milling. After a bit of research everything said to use investment plaster. This is essentially plaster of paris. It was pretty expensive for not a lot of plaster and we're college kids on a budget so we looked at home depot at all the interior plasters down with the drywall. These say they're "jypsum plaster". Plaster of paris is also a "jypsum plaster" with some added stuff here and there, but it's the jypsum part that counts the most for high temperature applications. We tried a few to see what worked; I'd recommend the Diamond verneer plaster. It's $13 for 50lb and it worked superbly. We actually burned those out without any reinforcement and didn't have any cracking issues. I'm sure there's a reasons to use investment plaster, but if you're really on a budget, just check that the ingredients list jypsum or plaster of paris, and in our experience it works well and costs a fraction as much. Great information man definitely subbing!
Just great! Grandpa bought 10 yrold daughter a 3d printer for Christmas. I did not know you could do lost wax casting with pla..very cool! I have aluminium cans, now a kiln and crucible needed. Just Great! Thanks.
Personal experience: cast the plaster, wait 2hours, then heating for 300°C for 4h, then 4h more at 700°C. After this set the furnace to 250°C and let it in the oven over night. and cast on the next day. (reduces cracks) The roundness problem is caused by surface tension, place the part as deep as possible and keep venting in mind. (hydrostatic pressure)
If you have an oscillating cutoff tool you can hold it against the can to vibrate the can a bit to get the bubbles out..I find that when casting resin parts that works wonders...
What I learned when I did metal casting with plaster is to mix 40% sand into 60% plaster. It doesn't affect the details of anything I've ever put in there but makes the plaster way more heat tolerant and generally will not crack. Just an idea for you. I did this casting aluminum.
Could you added tiny risers to the ends of each tooth of your gear? Then the round off problem would be raised up and away from the gear tooth itself. Such small tabs would be easy to remove and sand flat, thus producing a completely flawless tooth pattern. Also, you could set your wet mold on a vibrator to help shake out the bubbles. Or perhaps a more exotic solution would be to spin it in a centrifuge prior to it setting up. You could also make your pour spout lower than a vent to get better penetration and to allow air to more easily escape during the pour. Suggestion 1: Build a DIY Electric Furnace w/temperature control. Suggestion 2: Build a DIY Vibrator w/variable speed. Suggestion 3: Build a DIY Centrifuge. Mold swings from upright to horizontal w/spin. The centrifuge could also possibly be used while the metal is still molten? I hope you like my random thoughts.
Neat! FYI, actual at home 3D metal printing is in development right now, using metal powder and laser sintering. Enterprise metal 3D printing has already been underway (Several car companies use 3D metal printed parts for exact/complex parts). Great Vid!
Why are gears so much fun? Why do I feel like a child? I’m right there with you, mate, and it’s not because we’re childish - it’s just because the simplest, most logical and science-based things in life often happen to provide the most beauty. Wonderful stuff, I’ll be coming back for more. 👍🏽
Love the process and as a 3d printer I have all kinds of ideas. However, as a machinist and owner of a open die steel forge facility (industrial not back yard) I must say something I read on my dad's desk years ago.. "A Casting is nothing but a metal of questionable integrity, usually held together by welds and or braze". Those gears not really useful in my opinion but sure is a great idea!. Nice job!
Farmers are some of the most intelligent, creative, and humble people. You have to be when you need your equipment to work, and the closest person who can fix it can't make it out to you for 3 weeks.
@@davedave8263 I agree. I’ve said this in other places. Farmers need to be their own experts on business, machinery, managing employees and something else. I think that means, you know, actual farming.
I grew up on a farm. By the time I was 16 I could fix anything, build you a barn, home, anything from wood. Could fix tractors, cars, dirt bikes, anything that had a motor in it. I was completely self sufficient by 14. Most people have no idea how much goes into running a farm, most people cant even change the oil in their car now and dont want to. Its sad.
@@mikehunt8375 there are times and places where you don’t have to be self sufficient. It’s not a bad thing. We all come from different places in our lives, and we know what we need to know. Some of us prefer knowing, and doing more. But people get by not knowing too. If you just work in an office, and live in an apartment, you really don’t have to know how to fix your car if you don’t need one and take the subway.
I am not much into 3d printing, i am definetely not into casting things and given that i am surrounded with terrain makes me no boater either, but man i must tell you that i LOVE your narration. Attempt 1 - fail Another - also fail yet another - well okay BUT you don't cover your mistakes, you're giving back to community on how NOT to cast things :D I think it's awesome to watch whole creative process, not just the final "oh i am great youtuber, behold my creativity" effect.
I would like you to make a part that just is not available anymore. Ever go to the seller to get a part for the car, piece of equipment, or an appliance and get told the part is not available anymore, they stopped making it? Or a piece of vintage/antique equipment that you want an authentic part for, but all the parts are just as worn out. I would like to see something like that done, and I am sure so would others.
My high school instructor was into lost wax casting and he would make castings like that. Burn them out til the wax got burned out then he wou place the cast into a centrifuge which spins the metal into the mold . The plaster was poured into a can like and then the object would be put into that can. He was great metal shop teacher and talented jeweler and a great guy.
I made a vibrator out of a multitool for getting the air out of plaster (or resin). It also works well for encouraging metal to get into the mould. It's pretty good for shaking rattle-can spray paint too!
possibility: use a alcohol soluble support plastic in your mold instead of PLA. Then you would not need a kiln, or worry about cracking plaster. Not sure if it would work, but might be much cheaper and more reliable.
I bet an electric toothbrush would work good as a vibrator for making sure the plaster filled in all the voids. Just touch the tooth brush to the part and the vibration should reverberated down through the plaster. Love your content, new subscriber.
Man, this is a very interesting process. Wish I had more space at home to try these things personally. Generating useful objects from "raw" materials is just an incredible thing to me, and what you showed is highly versatile and relatively inexpensive.
Hey buddy, I used to be a kilns man, Your opening your kiln too early to remove your mould. Remember the hot air in the kiln and the sudden cold air rush when you open the door won't mix nicely on your items, (you could shatter or crack items this way). Let the kiln go cold before taking the items out, and open the door in increments, very slowly, to let the inside of the kiln adjust to the out side ambient temp.😎👍 Good idea with the can to hold it together too. But still recommend the boring weighting time of cooling down.
Man, this is EPIC... And it's a good, good insight into how to actually do this the right way for a lot of things. And, no, he's not kidding- this is cheap for a large class of things you'd otherwise have to spend THOUSANDS for on equipment...and then learn how to actually USE. I've not built up to Lost PLA casting but I'd heard it being done and I've been curious and wanted to see/learn more. So far, I've been doing similar magic with plastic parts on my cars that failed. Some of them...you're not going to find the parts in question, but the analog or the replacement is working miracles in my case. Looking forward to even more miracles thanks to some of the insights here.
This video finally inspired me to try lost-wax casting. I use a really cheap vacuum chamber and pump to remove bubbles from the plaster. I've tried using a fine slurry, then casting sand, then more slurry and more sand to get a good coating on the print, then using investment casting plaster to fill the rest of the container. I'm casting microwave antenna components rather than gears. A nice Metal-X printer system for pure copper is "only" around $200k, so I think I'll be stuck with casting from printed patterns for a long while!
Thank you for the insights and saving us from making those mistakes. I am in the process of getting a 4 axis CNC machine (Carvera kickstart) and I believe this process would be an excellent compliment to that process to do rough parts and then finish with minimal waste. I also have a Creality 3d printer (CR10 mini). I have been playing with the Fusion360 software, which I will probably purchase a license as it will do the 3d printing and CNC operations. I worked 3d design using ProE for about 10 years; managing the department for the last 7 years, so it will be great to get back to it! I have a lot of friends in the warbird community and will be doing parts that can no longer be found! SS
just a suggestion....investment molds for casting metal are usually a mixture of plaster and silica. The silica insulates the investment so less cracking will occur. You saw so much cracking because you used straight plaster. A good mix is 60% plaster / 40% silica. In the gear video as well...it looked like you used hot water to mix the plaster. You always want to use cold water to mix the plaster so it gets thoroughly supersaturated evenly. Also...if you paint on a face-coat of investment onto the pattern BEFORE you cast the investment around it, you will eliminate any chance of air bubbles and get much better surface detail.
@@sdspivey nah you don't understand, say you have a box with spruces inside for some reasons, you can't do that because the inside plaster would need to levitate for exemple
@@Sinaeb I can't think of any shape that needs a hollow area that isn't also connected to the outside. If there is such a hollow, then no one will ever see it anyway, fill it.
@@Sinaeb Yep, cores always make things complicated. Even with metal additive the issue can often come down to how do you get the powder out of the area in question. You can make up some of that using a direct deposition process, but then support gets tricky and dimensional tolerances are potentially not there. Going to be fascinating to see how this process will evolve as additive/subtractive machines get more common. I have seen people doing 'floating' cores in PLA by putting a pause in their print run, and then carefully inserting some sort of pin (material depends on what you are casting. If you can use something that will braze to the casting alloy and not cause corrosion/CTE issues you can even leave them in) in the print that will hold everything in alignment once the PLA burns out. The remaining hole can either be designed around or drilled out and welded. Getting the support/filling/venting/emptying design of this type of thing right is fiddley, and QA can be a bastard, but it is totally doable.
@@MarkProffitt are there any left? The ones I knew of in Pittsburgh, PA have all gone under. The cost structure and the need to take their classes for equipment I have ran for years was cost prohibitive.
Hey not to be that guy but.... you can print a vent spout on the far end of the mold also it's a 3d printer you can make that funnel as wide as you want. but a really cool process. if you let the molds dry before putting them in the oven and the mold won't melt before the porcelain sets up. Then you get sharp accurate results. Thank you for the video.
I think your plaster keeps cracking because there’s so many bubbles in it that when you dry it out it creates an abundance of air cavities. This is a really neat process that I would like to try one day with some thing once I can get some metal working type of equipment. Fascinating procedure
this is awesome. I'm a 3D artist and was thinking of getting a 3D printer for the sole purpose of printing my art then casting it in metal. This video gave me a lot to think about.
The gears are fantastic technology. One could convert the gear motion to: hand or pedal crank high loads easily, add a fulcrum and create a self catching stopper for repelling or a pocket sized wench (Batman might like), a grandfather clock build, all sorts of options. Tension released generator starters, possibilities almost endless. Cheers !
The at home? the ? mark says it all for the idiots comments (Trolls), I live in a ground floor flat with no garden. But if I Really wanted to I would find somewhere to Smelt, this chaps' got the space to do it, good for him...
Maybe, if you made a two level casting flask; the bottom section would have the desired casting and the upper section has a large as possible sprue funnel that would hold the metal until it melts and flows down into the lower chamber. My thought is, the molting metal will flow and fill better, being hot during the entire "pour". I'm definitely thinking about a kiln now... THANK YOU!!!
The at home? the ? mark says it all, I live in a ground floor flat with no garden. But if I Really wanted to I would find somewhere to Smelt, this chaps' got the space to do it, good for him...
I don't know if you've already purchased a vacuum chamber or adopted another alternative to avoiding air bubbles, but I found that tapping the side of the containers you're using as flasks works sufficiently during the Prestige Oro Investment Powder's setting time (approx 10 minutes). I'm into jewellery casting with 3d printed wax models and it's a very similar concept to what you're achieving and as far as bubbles are concerned this method has served me surprisingly well.
I know it may be annoying to point it out, but it may also be useful. I THINK the reason you cracked the plaster is beause you used Fareheight in placeof Celsius, the 100º is used for the bed (at maximum) and the 240 is used for the hotend. So your 100F was too low, the 240f was still a bed level temperature, the 480f was optimal but by then you already cranked it to 1200F with is just Too much. Next time straightly puting 240C (equivalent to 480F) may work without giving any problems
We used to use a centrifuge to do lost wax casting. After we spun the metal into the mold we would dip the whole thing in a water bucket while it was still hot. This would cause the plaster to explode and dissolve almost instantly.. It was super easy to recover the casting. If you really want to do this right you should get a vacuum/casting machine. with the right one you can vacuum the air bubbles out of the plaster, and also use it for providing a vacuum for pouring the cast metal.
Good day sir, you spent about 1000 bucks for the equipment you "need" , please dont get me wrong, I absolutely understand why, this is your hobby and this is what you like to do. Have a great day, thank you so much for sharing.😎
*never be ashamed to feed that inner child in you!* Great video! well made! and really sparked my motivation for getting back into 3d printing! I love metal!
Thanks for making this video. We are making a 3D print recycler extruder in our school, to reduce costs. This video gave me an idea how could we recycle metal too, and be even more cost efficent. But i would make the mold from clay, because then you can take out your print right away. Sorry for gramatical mistakes, English is a foreign language to me.
I see this as a great method for independant artists to make 3D sculpures of their art, cast in metal. Cast sculptures can fetch a decent price return and 3d modeling software make the possibilities endless.
Really nice. You make it easy to relax while intensely leaning a bunch of stuff at one time, and you have a pleasant “radio voice”. Here’s a crazy idea for metal casting: a window shade cord rollupper made in a Danish Steampunk style. You know, obvious but elegant, brass and wood. The rollupper design includes using wifi Google Home app to perhaps control it on a schedule, via a smart controller. You could include 2 controllers, one for adjusting the angle of the shade slats via twirling the rod that hangs down, and the other to roll the cord (which would raise or lower the blinds). Steampunk Home Automation! -Mark
Oh my god this is perfect! I have only recently gotten into 3d printing, but I have been sitting here trying to find metal filament that can be sintered when I could have just melted some metal and used the plastic for some moulding. This is so cool, I am so excited to see what crazy stuff I can make out of metal with this method.
Mill, sander, furnaces are one time expenses. Sanding belts, plaster, plastic for printing, and metal are the only recurring costs, and low ones at that. Overall an excellent solution for the DIYer
Cool! Love your process. Yes, as you well know, everything shrinks when it cools, PETG and ABS as great examples! Great video! I can't wait until 3d-printing of metal is affordable for the DIY'er!
Adding sand in the plaster should help with shrinkage. Also some wire mesh in your cup probably works as well as reinforcement as a full metal can, and is a more flexible method. Dipping/painting the print in pure thin plaster first and letting that set up is also a good alternative to make sure air bubbles stay away from your surface.
Yeah my high school teacher was into jewelry making and dud list wax casting. He used metal tubes to pour the plaster in . You can add sprues on your piece. We also rotocasted our rings using a centrifugal casting machine . You pour your molten metal in crucible on the machine ,turn it on and it spun the molten metal into the mold. Pretty cool . I remember him casting a bee and you could see hairs on the bee's body. We worked with wax . But pla is cool way to make things.
Brilliant, love to see casting, learnt how to do sand casting at school 40 years ago! I never realised copper needed 2k to go liquid....I use a lot of it in plumbing, goes cherry red in seconds but its a long way from that to a liquid...
Hey, that's really cool! Maybe try a paint agitator to get the bubbles out of your mixes, and build a simple vacuum box; you can make one that should serve (for this kind of thing) with a cheap pump, even a shop vac; it doesn't have to hit anything like "hard vacuum" to vastly improve the quality.
Really great video, was informative, gave all the side details, admitted and showed mistakes so it helps others even more, and wasn't rambling or boring. Thank you!
Reinforce the plaster casting box with copper cage (wire D=0,5-1mm) to prevent it from cracking and falling apart (you can use cheap plastic cups again), add a longer pour with smaller inner diameter and curved sprue (optional). Also you can use hammer drill's hammering mode for degassing plaster casting box.
I’ve seen in other videos you can avoid the bubbles by painting the mould with plaster or a grout like material before dropping it in the plaster. Also PVB filament seems better for burning out and avoiding any ash or residue
Also fun fact to make detailed casts using this you might want to spin the object with the bottom facing out so the centrifugal forces push the metal to every noook and cranny, and that also forces the air out.
Very well done. I have always had the vent hole design. My experience was with casting sand . For a finer casting I used screen sizes fine for the first contact and course for the fill with talcum fir the release agent.
I just realized I am subscribed to this channel. I never get notified of new videos. I bet, because you don't allow ads. TH-cam is part of the BIGGER problem happening in this world. I will check from now on.
I appreciate the rough cost preview. So many diy channels just say "hey look so cheap" and only calculate material cost and ignore all the tooling.
Another great thing is you showing the fails, and the subsequent solutions. It makes the videos more informative, honest and, when repeating your experiments, one isn't discouraged so easily.
Yea, i tend to get stuck at initial failure when learning new processes, including mistakes and pitfalls is gold.
Add on the electricity/fuel costs
We own 2 5x12 CNC routers. It’s true when they say the cost of the machine is just the down payment on the tooling.
At 3:30 a pro tip is to use anything that vibrates or oscillates relatively violently (hair clippers, orbital sander) and touch a part of the body of the device it to your mold to vibrate the whole thing which causes the bubbles to vibrate up and out of the plaster. I do this on teeth/mouth molds since air bubbles are hell when you need the fine detail. Hope it helps!
A vacuum chamber pot setup is about 150 bucks. Now you can get into wood stabilizing and dying. Take the air out of the plaster, epoxy, etc. ✌
I made a vibrating plate for this purpose by taking my palm sander wall mount caddy and screwing it onto a board and then I could leave it on for a while. Picked this up from the folks who pour cement countertops.
De-gas the metal prior, via flux.
Pressure pot would be more appropriate in this situation
or put it on top of an aquerium air pump.
I have a lot of lost wax casting experience
Suggestions:
Print a sprew cone and some vents to allow air to leave more easily.
Use dental investment plaster and keep it hot. Pull the mold out just as the metal is ready to cast. Pouring hot metal into a mold that isn't close to the temperature of the metal doesn't get best results.
Always use a steel containment AND add steel rings to the top edge of the container or build a collar to set the casting can into. Use a length of chain to swing the container around right after your pour. This increases the g-force on the molten metal and forces it into details better than gravity.
PLA has a specific density around 1.25 g/c³ and you can estimate the weight of the metal required by the difference the density of the desired metal. Make the sprew cone about 50% of the total mass so you can melt and pour the least amount of metal and still have a small sprew to remove... so, quicker and more efficient.
Do the majority of your cleanup on the PLA. It's easier to finish than the metal. This reduces the amount of sanding you'll need to do to the cast piece and allows you to get better fit and finish with less work.
Add a flux like boric acid to the melt to help separate slag. This reduces the risk of small oxide inclusions that can ruin an otherwise perfect casting.
Thanks for this wealth of information
Agreed, I'm sitting here trying to figure out how it's gonna pour without a vent xD
Awesome notes, hugely valuable, thanks!
Just a couple of suggestions for future pours.... When designing the mold, have the fill pipe fill the mold from the bottom and always include a vent for air escape at the highest point in the mold
I second this, especially the vent. Id also just pay a machine shop to make a die, if you need more than one or two of these.
When I was at art school in '79 we had an interesting process that the teacher said came from the auto industry: You made your model out of wax , then you mixed up some construction sand and a liquid epoxy, Then painted your model with something called a zircon wash which looked and felt like a very soupy plaster, Then you carefully packed the wet model in the uncured epoxy sand in a cardboard box a bit bigger than the model and let it cure for a couple of hours, Then you put the whole thing in a 300°f oven for 4 hours so the wax melted through the zircon wash into the sand. Meanwhile you were heating your bronze or aluminum. Then you pour the metal into the mold, and the magic part was that the heat from the metal broke down the epoxy while the metal was cooling, so a couple of whacks with a hammer was all it took to remove the sand from the casting. You could make a big wax piece in the morning and have it in metal by dinner. The zircon wash was interesting stuff in that it was porus enough to let the wax out and the gasses out but it could preserve details like fingerprints. Oddly I have never heard of this process anywhere else. We also did lost styrofoam casting, but that is another tale.
They still do that process when the cost of manufacturing and shipping of ordered 3d metal print is prohibitive, mostly in poorer countries though.
Wax parts for the actual casting is still 100% 3d printed though, mostly smaller details.
That's still used in LOTS of industries. Anywhere you need a feature inside a part, you can cast negatives or positives and thermally remove them. Keeps from having to use welsh plugs. The stuff I use for prototypes is made for lighting on fire for quick curing. (Zircon ZA-95)
Cool
In a college sculpture class, we cast in bronze by first sculpting it in wax (a bitch to work with), then dipping it several times (each time letting it dry) in a silica sand and water slurry. Once fully dried, we fired it in a kiln to melt out the wax and harden the cast. Then poured in the hot bronze, busted off the mold with a hammer and it came out great.
That’s called last wax or investment casting, a lot of gun parts and auto parts are still made this way. Very fast, accurate way of making precision parts.
To get rid of the “there might be air in my plaster” issue, brush some directly on the piece and let it air dry before putting it in the cup.
I made a small vibrating table for degassing.
That's kilnly advice. 👍
Or use a vacuum
In the 3d printer you could make the gear teeth longer for casting and then trim them later
I think bigger parts need an extra channel for letting air out of the mold when not using vacuum.
Or he can ad bend teeths litel up so air stuck there and he can trim down
@Reno Simpson i can read my own mind
Its also possible to trim porcelain/rock using 3d printers mechanisms to create stencil blocks. Or use cnc to creatr gears ;p anyway technicallt cnc and 3d printers are the some thi g ;p
@@ahmetmutlu348 3d printers are additive manufacturing while CNC machines (lathes, mills, etc) are typically subtractive manufacturing. They take material away from a larger piece of stock to create parts where 3d printers build the part up layer by layer.
My Uncle was a friend of Leonard Lee. His name was David Pearce. We spend many hours discussing all things old.
Those guys never bought stuff, they “scrounged”, and fabricated the tools, or product’s they needed.
He was a student of the original fabrication techniques, mostly for making original parts for Early firearms,, wood working tools,,etc.
When I needed a repair part for something, I remember him telling me how common small foundries were. Every small town had a few people who were capable , so it’s only post war that we lost the common practice. He said when he started he made many of his moods from plaster of Paris, and for one off parts it worked. Like you showed, if you need one small part who cares of you have to take two or three shots at it to get a part made, and keep an old machine running for another 100 years +.
I’m sure David would really appreciate that 2023 folks are not afraid of fabricating unique parts, without buying a 100k cnc mill
Actually buddy your right it’s BigStack -D 👌🏻.
I love bronze I need to start doing a lot more of it I recon 👊🏻😁. Very informative vid👍🏻
Big stack nice communication, headed to your channel next to check it out .
now this is the cross over i needed to see
oh hell yes, scrolled down as soon as I heard your name, awesome videos man
@@Gu1tarZer0 I think my friend forgot to put my Link in the description because I didn’t see it there but that’s okay, if people don’t know me by now they might find me eventually👌🏻😁
@@bigstackD whoops! Forgot. Added it now. 😜
👏👏👏Really applaud how you show the process...the WHOLE process...including the failed attempts that lead up to a method that works. We never lose... we either win, or we LEARN!
I seriously could watch this guy for hours. Always learn something new, and I love that he shows failures and learnings every time. True authentic content
I'm a material engineer and I really loved your video, that's so cool!!!! Thank you 😃
Ex-Foundryman... ALWAYS add the riser. The air has to come out. You produced the classic case of trapped air with your herringbones. Nice work though!
or invest in a centrifugal casting machine.
@@maxheadroom1506 if someone is casting at home just add the riser, no need to reinvent the wheel and in doing so price it out of reach for many makers.
@@hot_wheelz i've cast precision objects out of gold and we used a cenfrifugal spring loaded casting machine with crucibles and casting rings. If you are doing precision parts it is worth to get the right equipment. you can find these casting machines on ebay from china. some you can get used from jewelers although they use smaller machines. Or you can build one. here is a used one for $50 you can get them usually for $300-600 www.ebay.com/itm/194054623219?hash=item2d2e8e8ff3:g:zFEAAOSw1gNgbPyv
I knew this process would work. I thought about trying it a few times but never have. I know the basics and assumed that melting the plastic out would be similar to lost wax casting. You proved me correct. Maybe one day I will attempt it. Thanks for the video.
“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” - C.S. Lewis
Great quote, but what does it have to do with 3d printing, or metal casting.
@@trevorhunting1211 You didn't watch the video, did you? Fear not to play with things and discover of them.
he was playing with the gears and asked why he was playing with them like a child
Play is a form of discovery!
That stupid, I think like that once, I regretted throwing away my bionicle Legos... Now they worth so much money...
Anyways, sure you can think like that. But why? It's like throwing away your identity what you known.
Nice. Hey, if you use Chitubox as a slicer, It has a construct-support option. If you generate supports, you can use the cavities they create as vents and multiple spouts for the molten bronze to flow down. other slicer programs have this feature as well.
When you showed the burnout cycle, I read the temps as hexadecimal numbers (300F, 700F), I guess I've been doing too much programming lately.
There was no 0x in front!!
@@GodzillaGoesGaga There's no 0x on my calculator either. I have it in "Base N" mode more than "normal".
Also, I don't write it with 0x, I use old-school $. I learned hex on Commodore 16 and hand coded all my assembly with the built-in assembly monitor mode.
@@sdspivey Lighten up, you're being too pedantic! 😉
For those not familiar with hexadecimal, $700F = 28687.
28687℉ = 15919.4℃
Really glad you showed up in the TH-cam recommended.
I appreciate you took us down the whole learning process, not just how-to-vid.
One small note, you started with degrees in Celsius, but then moved to Fahrenheit and I kind of lost track.
Did I? Sorry. I use both systems and interchange sometimes.
Get a small vibratory table and you'll knock out those bubbles. We do it in dentistry. You can also use a vacuum mixer if you really want but the vibrating platform usually does the job alone
For a small part like that a little platform stuck to a blade for an oscillatory tool works well. Alternately, a little platform mounted on some rubber with a wee electric motor and off balance weight attached to the bottom works a treat. The instructor I took Jewelry from uses a platform they fitted to the top of their vibratory tumbler. They also would paint/dip then smooth w/ brush a coat of the plaster to the part first, which makes sure the cast surface is as clean as you can get, then they put in the rest of the investment.
When I was in highschool my jewelry teacher had this handy little vibrating bubble remover, it attached to your finger and had a silicone tip for better contact, worked a treat.when I was older I figured out it's real purpose.
Your video was very informative and well presented. I really applaud you for showing the failures as well because it makes everything so much more relatable and authentic. I've done a whack of DIY projects (no metal casting yet and soon) and while I don't make videos about it the stuff I do my best work on now is that which I screwed up so royally when I was learning it. It's nice to know we're all learning how to be masters of the process and that we're here to teach each other from our own mistakes along the way. Bravo!!! You're awesome!!!
I've seen the folks on Man at Arms dunk the hot plaster into water after casting the part. This seems to break up the plaster really easily.
Just got my first 3D printer. I've been a cad and cam programmer for many years now, and I often wondered how this could be done. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't wait for more of your videos!
Hey awesome video! I appreciate that it's a tutorial from start to finish, including the design and printing. I love that you used a kiln for the burnout, it's a pain in the ass with the regular propane furnace but you can pull it off if you're careful.
I did some of this with a friend this summer with a propane furnace and from our experience you really don't need the investment plaster specifically.
We lost pla cast some parts for a diy electric bike as well as some stock aluminum for milling. After a bit of research everything said to use investment plaster. This is essentially plaster of paris. It was pretty expensive for not a lot of plaster and we're college kids on a budget so we looked at home depot at all the interior plasters down with the drywall. These say they're "jypsum plaster". Plaster of paris is also a "jypsum plaster" with some added stuff here and there, but it's the jypsum part that counts the most for high temperature applications. We tried a few to see what worked; I'd recommend the Diamond verneer plaster. It's $13 for 50lb and it worked superbly. We actually burned those out without any reinforcement and didn't have any cracking issues.
I'm sure there's a reasons to use investment plaster, but if you're really on a budget, just check that the ingredients list jypsum or plaster of paris, and in our experience it works well and costs a fraction as much.
Great information man definitely subbing!
Just great! Grandpa bought 10 yrold daughter a 3d printer for Christmas.
I did not know you could do lost wax casting with pla..very cool! I have aluminium cans, now a kiln and crucible needed.
Just Great! Thanks.
Personal experience: cast the plaster, wait 2hours, then heating for 300°C for 4h, then 4h more at 700°C. After this set the furnace to 250°C and let it in the oven over night. and cast on the next day. (reduces cracks) The roundness problem is caused by surface tension, place the part as deep as possible and keep venting in mind. (hydrostatic pressure)
Good/reliable filling at 200mm
Great video! Thanks for sharing the failures and improvements you made till success.
Samy you are everywhere 😂
Samy is my hero
Paint plaster on your piece before casting
@@DutchStar that's probably a really good idea
If you have an oscillating cutoff tool you can hold it against the can to vibrate the can a bit to get the bubbles out..I find that when casting resin parts that works wonders...
What I learned when I did metal casting with plaster is to mix 40% sand into 60% plaster. It doesn't affect the details of anything I've ever put in there but makes the plaster way more heat tolerant and generally will not crack. Just an idea for you. I did this casting aluminum.
Fusion 360 is still free for personal use, as far as I can tell. You just have to renew it every year.
That is indeed the case
Could you added tiny risers to the ends of each tooth of your gear? Then the round off problem would be raised up and away from the gear tooth itself. Such small tabs would be easy to remove and sand flat, thus producing a completely flawless tooth pattern.
Also, you could set your wet mold on a vibrator to help shake out the bubbles. Or perhaps a more exotic solution would be to spin it in a centrifuge prior to it setting up.
You could also make your pour spout lower than a vent to get better penetration and to allow air to more easily escape during the pour.
Suggestion 1: Build a DIY Electric Furnace w/temperature control.
Suggestion 2: Build a DIY Vibrator w/variable speed.
Suggestion 3: Build a DIY Centrifuge. Mold swings from upright to horizontal w/spin.
The centrifuge could also possibly be used while the metal is still molten?
I hope you like my random thoughts.
Neat! FYI, actual at home 3D metal printing is in development right now, using metal powder and laser sintering. Enterprise metal 3D printing has already been underway (Several car companies use 3D metal printed parts for exact/complex parts). Great Vid!
Why are gears so much fun? Why do I feel like a child? I’m right there with you, mate, and it’s not because we’re childish - it’s just because the simplest, most logical and science-based things in life often happen to provide the most beauty. Wonderful stuff, I’ll be coming back for more. 👍🏽
polymaker has a dedicated filament for this - it burns out completely leaving no residue
Love the process and as a 3d printer I have all kinds of ideas. However, as a machinist and owner of a open die steel forge facility (industrial not back yard) I must say something I read on my dad's desk years ago.. "A Casting is nothing but a metal of questionable integrity, usually held together by welds and or braze".
Those gears not really useful in my opinion but sure is a great idea!.
Nice job!
Massive f*cken respect for you. I'm a qualified mechanical engineer and this blew my mind considering how expensive metal 3D printers are
Thank you for no ads in your videos, greatly appreciated. You remind me of my high school shop teacher.
The bright flashes when you first poured look to me like zinc burning off meaning you might be casting brass.
Great video, a tip.. on the printed gear, you need to add a output chimney, then when you add molten metal fills entire. (sorry for my english)
“I’m just a farmer.” Yup, a really smart farmer.
"I'm just a farmer." is rural speak for, I'm no expert but I can get it done just fine, especially if you lend a hand. =)
Farmers are some of the most intelligent, creative, and humble people. You have to be when you need your equipment to work, and the closest person who can fix it can't make it out to you for 3 weeks.
@@davedave8263 I agree. I’ve said this in other places. Farmers need to be their own experts on business, machinery, managing employees and something else. I think that means, you know, actual farming.
I grew up on a farm. By the time I was 16 I could fix anything, build you a barn, home, anything from wood. Could fix tractors, cars, dirt bikes, anything that had a motor in it. I was completely self sufficient by 14. Most people have no idea how much goes into running a farm, most people cant even change the oil in their car now and dont want to. Its sad.
@@mikehunt8375 there are times and places where you don’t have to be self sufficient. It’s not a bad thing. We all come from different places in our lives, and we know what we need to know. Some of us prefer knowing, and doing more. But people get by not knowing too. If you just work in an office, and live in an apartment, you really don’t have to know how to fix your car if you don’t need one and take the subway.
I am not much into 3d printing, i am definetely not into casting things and given that i am surrounded with terrain makes me no boater either, but man i must tell you that i LOVE your narration.
Attempt 1 - fail
Another - also fail
yet another - well okay BUT
you don't cover your mistakes, you're giving back to community on how NOT to cast things :D I think it's awesome to watch whole creative process, not just the final "oh i am great youtuber, behold my creativity" effect.
I would like you to make a part that just is not available anymore. Ever go to the seller to get a part for the car, piece of equipment, or an appliance and get told the part is not available anymore, they stopped making it?
Or a piece of vintage/antique equipment that you want an authentic part for, but all the parts are just as worn out.
I would like to see something like that done, and I am sure so would others.
My high school instructor was into lost wax casting and he would make castings like that. Burn them out til the wax got burned out then he wou place the cast into a centrifuge which spins the metal into the mold . The plaster was poured into a can like and then the object would be put into that can. He was great metal shop teacher and talented jeweler and a great guy.
You seem to be frequently in front of the pack, as far as educating the freedom minded. Thanks
I made a vibrator out of a multitool for getting the air out of plaster (or resin). It also works well for encouraging metal to get into the mould. It's pretty good for shaking rattle-can spray paint too!
possibility: use a alcohol soluble support plastic in your mold instead of PLA. Then you would not need a kiln, or worry about cracking plaster. Not sure if it would work, but might be much cheaper and more reliable.
How would you heat the metal to pour it?
a charcoal fire with a blower would work, or look up diy casting forge on YT
I bet an electric toothbrush would work good as a vibrator for making sure the plaster filled in all the voids. Just touch the tooth brush to the part and the vibration should reverberated down through the plaster. Love your content, new subscriber.
Man, this is a very interesting process. Wish I had more space at home to try these things personally. Generating useful objects from "raw" materials is just an incredible thing to me, and what you showed is highly versatile and relatively inexpensive.
Hey buddy, I used to be a kilns man, Your opening your kiln too early to remove your mould. Remember the hot air in the kiln and the sudden cold air rush when you open the door won't mix nicely on your items, (you could shatter or crack items this way). Let the kiln go cold before taking the items out, and open the door in increments, very slowly, to let the inside of the kiln adjust to the out side ambient temp.😎👍
Good idea with the can to hold it together too. But still recommend the boring weighting time of cooling down.
Man, this is EPIC... And it's a good, good insight into how to actually do this the right way for a lot of things.
And, no, he's not kidding- this is cheap for a large class of things you'd otherwise have to spend THOUSANDS for on equipment...and then learn how to actually USE. I've not built up to Lost PLA casting but I'd heard it being done and I've been curious and wanted to see/learn more. So far, I've been doing similar magic with plastic parts on my cars that failed. Some of them...you're not going to find the parts in question, but the analog or the replacement is working miracles in my case. Looking forward to even more miracles thanks to some of the insights here.
This video finally inspired me to try lost-wax casting. I use a really cheap vacuum chamber and pump to remove bubbles from the plaster. I've tried using a fine slurry, then casting sand, then more slurry and more sand to get a good coating on the print, then using investment casting plaster to fill the rest of the container. I'm casting microwave antenna components rather than gears. A nice Metal-X printer system for pure copper is "only" around $200k, so I think I'll be stuck with casting from printed patterns for a long while!
Wonder if you could make the gears with "over-length" teeth then turn them down on the lathe co get rid of the bubble/rounding issue
just use vents in the mold and you wont have the bubbles from air getting trapped
Thank you for the insights and saving us from making those mistakes. I am in the process of getting a 4 axis CNC machine (Carvera kickstart) and I believe this process would be an excellent compliment to that process to do rough parts and then finish with minimal waste. I also have a Creality 3d printer (CR10 mini). I have been playing with the Fusion360 software, which I will probably purchase a license as it will do the 3d printing and CNC operations. I worked 3d design using ProE for about 10 years; managing the department for the last 7 years, so it will be great to get back to it! I have a lot of friends in the warbird community and will be doing parts that can no longer be found! SS
Cool new chapter! Have a blast. ✌
"If I was BigstackD i'd have a big block of ice" lol
just a suggestion....investment molds for casting metal are usually a mixture of plaster and silica. The silica insulates the investment so less cracking will occur. You saw so much cracking because you used straight plaster. A good mix is 60% plaster / 40% silica. In the gear video as well...it looked like you used hot water to mix the plaster. You always want to use cold water to mix the plaster so it gets thoroughly supersaturated evenly. Also...if you paint on a face-coat of investment onto the pattern BEFORE you cast the investment around it, you will eliminate any chance of air bubbles and get much better surface detail.
"anything you can 3d print you can cast"' except for those that needs internal structural support
The metal *will* be the internal support.
@@sdspivey nah you don't understand, say you have a box with spruces inside for some reasons, you can't do that because the inside plaster would need to levitate for exemple
@@Sinaeb I can't think of any shape that needs a hollow area that isn't also connected to the outside. If there is such a hollow, then no one will ever see it anyway, fill it.
@@sdspivey There is a lot of things that needs it, for mass and strength optimization, which is why people are trying to 3D print with metal
@@Sinaeb Yep, cores always make things complicated. Even with metal additive the issue can often come down to how do you get the powder out of the area in question. You can make up some of that using a direct deposition process, but then support gets tricky and dimensional tolerances are potentially not there. Going to be fascinating to see how this process will evolve as additive/subtractive machines get more common.
I have seen people doing 'floating' cores in PLA by putting a pause in their print run, and then carefully inserting some sort of pin (material depends on what you are casting. If you can use something that will braze to the casting alloy and not cause corrosion/CTE issues you can even leave them in) in the print that will hold everything in alignment once the PLA burns out. The remaining hole can either be designed around or drilled out and welded. Getting the support/filling/venting/emptying design of this type of thing right is fiddley, and QA can be a bastard, but it is totally doable.
Showing failures makes this video so much more valuable to me.
I wish more DIY videos did that.
👍 you rock 🎸
"Tools cost too much!!! $500 for one small part!?!"
Pro tip... you buy the tool once and can reuse them....
Join a Makerspace.
@@MarkProffitt are there any left? The ones I knew of in Pittsburgh, PA have all gone under. The cost structure and the need to take their classes for equipment I have ran for years was cost prohibitive.
Hey not to be that guy but.... you can print a vent spout on the far end of the mold also it's a 3d printer you can make that funnel as wide as you want.
but a really cool process. if you let the molds dry before putting them in the oven and the mold won't melt before the porcelain sets up. Then you get sharp accurate results. Thank you for the video.
"These are challenging to make,but with this method it should be a piece of cake" oooooh epic rime
I think your plaster keeps cracking because there’s so many bubbles in it that when you dry it out it creates an abundance of air cavities. This is a really neat process that I would like to try one day with some thing once I can get some metal working type of equipment. Fascinating procedure
You can 3D print lower receivers this way too. 😏
@@jeffallen3382 and a brass AR-10 lower.
this is awesome. I'm a 3D artist and was thinking of getting a 3D printer for the sole purpose of printing my art then casting it in metal. This video gave me a lot to think about.
Want me to have a word with that camera guy? I'll set him straight.
The gears are fantastic technology. One could convert the gear motion to: hand or pedal crank high loads easily, add a fulcrum and create a self catching stopper for repelling or a pocket sized wench (Batman might like), a grandfather clock build, all sorts of options. Tension released generator starters, possibilities almost endless. Cheers !
Nice clickbait in the title. I guess "Casting metal at home" is a bit less interesting.
The at home? the ? mark says it all for the idiots comments (Trolls), I live in a ground floor flat with no garden. But if I Really wanted to I would find somewhere to Smelt, this chaps' got the space to do it, good for him...
Am blown away at the demonstrated technology and casting. Always a video blockbuster!
3d print ? I know this with another name, "metal casting".
3d printer still makes it a hell of a lot easier
Maybe, if you made a two level casting flask; the bottom section would have the desired casting and the upper section has a large as possible sprue funnel that would hold the metal until it melts and flows down into the lower chamber. My thought is, the molting metal will flow and fill better, being hot during the entire "pour". I'm definitely thinking about a kiln now... THANK YOU!!!
3D printing metal at home?
Yeah, not even close. Clickbait sh..
The at home? the ? mark says it all, I live in a ground floor flat with no garden. But if I Really wanted to I would find somewhere to Smelt, this chaps' got the space to do it, good for him...
I don't know if you've already purchased a vacuum chamber or adopted another alternative to avoiding air bubbles, but I found that tapping the side of the containers you're using as flasks works sufficiently during the Prestige Oro Investment Powder's setting time (approx 10 minutes).
I'm into jewellery casting with 3d printed wax models and it's a very similar concept to what you're achieving and as far as bubbles are concerned this method has served me surprisingly well.
I know it may be annoying to point it out, but it may also be useful. I THINK the reason you cracked the plaster is beause you used Fareheight in placeof Celsius, the 100º is used for the bed (at maximum) and the 240 is used for the hotend. So your 100F was too low, the 240f was still a bed level temperature, the 480f was optimal but by then you already cranked it to 1200F with is just Too much. Next time straightly puting 240C (equivalent to 480F) may work without giving any problems
We used to use a centrifuge to do lost wax casting. After we spun the metal into the mold we would dip the whole thing in a water bucket while it was still hot. This would cause the plaster to explode and dissolve almost instantly.. It was super easy to recover the casting. If you really want to do this right you should get a vacuum/casting machine. with the right one you can vacuum the air bubbles out of the plaster, and also use it for providing a vacuum for pouring the cast metal.
Good day sir, you spent about 1000 bucks for the equipment you "need" , please dont get me wrong, I absolutely understand why, this is your hobby and this is what you like to do. Have a great day, thank you so much for sharing.😎
Click-baity title aside, lost PLA is a great technique that's been around for a fair bit. Always good to see more people get into it!
*never be ashamed to feed that inner child in you!* Great video! well made! and really sparked my motivation for getting back into 3d printing! I love metal!
Thanks for making this video. We are making a 3D print recycler extruder in our school, to reduce costs. This video gave me an idea how could we recycle metal too, and be even more cost efficent. But i would make the mold from clay, because then you can take out your print right away. Sorry for gramatical mistakes, English is a foreign language to me.
I see this as a great method for independant artists to make 3D sculpures of their art, cast in metal. Cast sculptures can fetch a decent price return and 3d modeling software make the possibilities endless.
Just met your your video and channel, the content is pure gold. Hope your channel gets more recognized, it totally deserve it!
I hadn't thought of lost PLA casting but now that you presented this video it makes great sense. Thanks for this video.
I am planning on making a 20 cc nitro engine using these casting methods, this is yet another great video using a 3D printer for casting.
Really nice. You make it easy to relax while intensely leaning a bunch of stuff at one time, and you have a pleasant “radio voice”. Here’s a crazy idea for metal casting: a window shade cord rollupper made in a Danish Steampunk style. You know, obvious but elegant, brass and wood. The rollupper design includes using wifi Google Home app to perhaps control it on a schedule, via a smart controller. You could include 2 controllers, one for adjusting the angle of the shade slats via twirling the rod that hangs down, and the other to roll the cord (which would raise or lower the blinds). Steampunk Home Automation! -Mark
Seeing failed attempts helps us learn the various factors influencing how this works. Great Job!
Oh my god this is perfect!
I have only recently gotten into 3d printing, but I have been sitting here trying to find metal filament that can be sintered when I could have just melted some metal and used the plastic for some moulding. This is so cool, I am so excited to see what crazy stuff I can make out of metal with this method.
Mill, sander, furnaces are one time expenses. Sanding belts, plaster, plastic for printing, and metal are the only recurring costs, and low ones at that. Overall an excellent solution for the DIYer
Cool! Love your process. Yes, as you well know, everything shrinks when it cools, PETG and ABS as great examples! Great video! I can't wait until 3d-printing of metal is affordable for the DIY'er!
Adding sand in the plaster should help with shrinkage. Also some wire mesh in your cup probably works as well as reinforcement as a full metal can, and is a more flexible method. Dipping/painting the print in pure thin plaster first and letting that set up is also a good alternative to make sure air bubbles stay away from your surface.
OMFG THERE ARE NO ADS this is my new favorite channel.
Yeah my high school teacher was into jewelry making and dud list wax casting. He used metal tubes to pour the plaster in . You can add sprues on your piece. We also rotocasted our rings using a centrifugal casting machine . You pour your molten metal in crucible on the machine ,turn it on and it spun the molten metal into the mold. Pretty cool . I remember him casting a bee and you could see hairs on the bee's body. We worked with wax . But pla is cool way to make things.
Interesting and informative. I appreciate not having any ads. Thanks.
Brilliant, love to see casting, learnt how to do sand casting at school 40 years ago! I never realised copper needed 2k to go liquid....I use a lot of it in plumbing, goes cherry red in seconds but its a long way from that to a liquid...
Hey, that's really cool! Maybe try a paint agitator to get the bubbles out of your mixes, and build a simple vacuum box; you can make one that should serve (for this kind of thing) with a cheap pump, even a shop vac; it doesn't have to hit anything like "hard vacuum" to vastly improve the quality.
Try adding some graphite powder to your plaster. It seems to hold up to the heat and gives you a smooth detailed finish when casting.
Really great video, was informative, gave all the side details, admitted and showed mistakes so it helps others even more, and wasn't rambling or boring. Thank you!
Reinforce the plaster casting box with copper cage (wire D=0,5-1mm) to prevent it from cracking and falling apart (you can use cheap plastic cups again), add a longer pour with smaller inner diameter and curved sprue (optional). Also you can use hammer drill's hammering mode for degassing plaster casting box.
I’ve seen in other videos you can avoid the bubbles by painting the mould with plaster or a grout like material before dropping it in the plaster. Also PVB filament seems better for burning out and avoiding any ash or residue
Also fun fact to make detailed casts using this you might want to spin the object with the bottom facing out so the centrifugal forces push the metal to every noook and cranny, and that also forces the air out.
So nice that you are showing the first failures as well.
Very well done. I have always had the vent hole design. My experience was with casting sand . For a finer casting I used screen sizes fine for the first contact and course for the fill with talcum fir the release agent.
André Citroen invented the gear with that herringbone pattern. Hence the 2 stacked inverted v in the car logo.
I just realized I am subscribed to this channel. I never get notified of new videos. I bet, because you don't allow ads. TH-cam is part of the BIGGER problem happening in this world.
I will check from now on.