Lost PLA casting. Alexander the Great
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ต.ค. 2019
- Today I'm gonna try PLA casting and make a bronze statue of Alexander the Great. First step will be to print 3D statue of Alexander of Macedon. Second step is to make a plaster mould and final step is bronze casting. I decided to use only plaster without sand because I've found that in the nearest shops all plaster is not pure, so no need to mix it with sand. The trick is to dry the mould slowly to prevent cracks. Next thing is to avoid bubbles in the plaster.
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![[Tutorial] 3d print Lost PLA with plaster mold melting aluminum can making sculpture](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DT81mi5ojyE/mqdefault.jpg)
And now he is Alexander the Metal Grate xD
Yeah ;) Well people were making him Metal for thousands of years. I'm just doing my part.
not sure if you guys cares but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can stream pretty much all the latest series on Instaflixxer. Been watching with my brother lately xD
@Vivaan Ignacio definitely, I've been using instaflixxer for months myself :D
You should mix the plaster with sand in a 1:1 ratio in order to strengthen the mold. Doing this also means you don't have to worry about a specific burnout schedule and can just crank the heat up as fast as possible in a gas foundry (which you can't do with commercial investment plaster). The cracking and metal flow into those cracks was caused by straight PoP's relatively bad resistance to heat which is compensated for by adding the sand (play sand works fine, you don't need anything special).
For the pitted appearance, that can be eliminated by vacuuming out the bubbles once while the liquid plaster is still in the mixing container, and once more after it's poured into the mold (a soup can works well for this).
Finally, if you really want to get solid details when casting, you should consider building a cheap vacuum table. This can be done very cheaply and will really take your castings to the next level.
Hope this helps!
hello
Thank you. Will try that if I return to casting
but then the sand will create tiny craters on the final product. Maybe coat a few layers with pure plaster first and then use reinforced plaster?
@@agentfifteenThat’s what I was thinking. Paint on the first couple of layers before dunking, then vacuum just to be sure.
I think that you are right
Wish this channel still uploaded. One of the most underrated yt channels imo.
Thank you so much ;) I stopped uploading a while ago just because I don't have a place where to do all that stuff. Maybe will start again one day.
More content needed!
Fantastic job. I am greatly inspired by your project. There are very few who are able to cast bronze at home. You have yourself a new subscriber!
Thanks buddy ;) Not just some bronze. Check my other videos. I cast iron as well.
@@DuralMetalurg Hello, i would like to know what is that thing that is blowing air to your furnace? is it hair dryer? i am looking for something good that will blow air to the furnace, thank you very much
Good result for a first cast
Thanks. Firs Lost PLA casting. Many lost foam and green sand casting before :)
That’s an excellent first attempt, I only tried this myself for the first time a week ago, I got cracks with the plaster I mixed as well. It can take a week for it to achieve full hardness. Also, if you brush on the first layer of plaster with a small paint brush you won’t get air bubbles in contact with it. Love your results!
Thank you. I new about that technology but decided to try the simplest way first ;)
You should use fast curing investment plaster it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to harden.
Fantastic. Great result for the first time casting.....much better then my first try........I love your video.....keep the good work up....
Thank you. Well, when there is some experience with different casting methods than result is not bad ;)
Hello, i would like to know what is that thing that is blowing air to your furnace? is it hair dryer? i am looking for something good that will blow air to the furnace, thank you very much
Awesome
Thank you
Молодцы, работали с душой. Погрешности бывают даже у мастеров.
Спасибо
first shot: yessss!
Thanks
That turned out really well for using only plaster!! I wonder if you could mitigate some cracks in the plaster by doing 10 thin coats at first. On each coat you could coat it in sand/thin steel wire to strengthen it before the final dip in full plaster
Yes. It should work
Oh, here I was hoping that you did in fact make a grate in the form of Alexander the Great :-)
Thanks. I did my best :)
Great video. I'm from Brazil and I don't speak English well but your video is very easy to understand. Thank you.
Thank you. Well, Google can translate everything what is written nowadays and hopefully speech in the future ;) I try to show everything I do instead of talking about that. P.S. I speak English though my mother tongue is Ukrainian :)
@@DuralMetalurg Pease, more videos.
@@romaju Thank you ;) Great that you like it. I'll continue my hobby in the future. I have really cool ideas that I want to try. So far I have 56 videos on my channel. I'm sure you can find more interesting stuff for yourself.
A credible first effort, well done. I do a lot of lost PLA and can advise that you really need to use a proper investment plaster and vacuum the mould when filled to lift bubbles out. Proper investment plaster also needs a strict temperature controlled burnout to stop cracking and is over at least 6 hours ramped slowly.
My castings are small so I use vacuum assist on the mould during filling and the mould is preheated to at least 300 deg C.
I noticed bubbling on your pour and indicates not all the PLA was burnt out.
Good look with your foundry work. I really like you are trying to make alloys 'old school' :-)
Thank you. When I return to casting I will definitely try your advice!
My Good Sir! I loved your video. However, i am trying to make some action figures my self out of aluminum. After reading several of your comments. I have not found the answer the one quesiton i had. How long did you cook the molds to solidify them as well as burn out the pla? How hot was your furnace to cook the mold to burn out the PLA? How hot was your oven to cook the mold?
Hi. Thank you. I can give you a time frame but your time will depend on equipment you use: oven and furnace. With more oven I had troubles. It's pretty modern, electric but there is no fan to exhaust steam and all kind of vapors. That's why all water vapour stayed inside the oven. I recommend to start with very small heat like 40 C and after that increase on 10-20 degrees in the beginning every hour. When it reach 100C or about that you can start to increase every hour on 30 or more degrease. I think that drying can take up to 24 hours. I didn't do everything perfect and my mold wasn't completely dry. The highest temperature that most furnaces can reach is about 220 C. To burn PLA in the furnace I think about 400-500 C should be enough. You'll see when the mold is ready. I did that about 2 years ago and don't remember exact numbers. PLA will burn out very quickly as soon as burning point is reached
Very good job! Especially for first attempt. I will try casting myself in the beginning of next year. Your video contributed to my knowledge. Have you tried putting steel wire in the plaster to reinforce it? Maybe it would prevent the cracks
Thanks. I feel like there can be expansion of steel wire and it can damage plaster. I've seen that on my furnace lid. I did reinforce it with steel and heat resistant insulation was damaged. Though it might be because of something else. I think the main problem with this casting was time and temperature. I was in a rush. Next time when I return to casting similar to your plan but later in the end of last year I'll do that much slower. In addition, I'd like to get some different equipment for drying.
Good end result
My question;
Are you sure the plaster you used is normal plaster?
Can I use Extra Ceramic Plaster in my work?
Thank you and congratulations for your magnificent work
Thank you very much for your words :) I almost 100% sure that it's not pure plaster. In the small local shops I could find only this plaster which is used during building, renovations and so on. I'd prefer to use a classic one. I'm not sure about the one you have mentioned. Normal plaster can hold not more than 700 degrees and bronze is about 1100 but you need to use it only for a short period of time so it should be fine ;)
we trying to, first we do use plaster and sand 1:1 to mix for stronger construction, and use vibration tool to remove air burbles
Nice! And how did it work for you. Could you get rid of that air in the mixture?
Hello, i would like to know what is that thing that is blowing air to your furnace in that other video? is it hair dryer? i am looking for something good that will blow air to the furnace, thank you very much
Hi. That was an old vacuum cleaner. It creates a really strong air flow
Great job even if it's an old video.
Thank you ;)
How badly toxic/stinky was it melting out the pla from the plaster?
Well, in the electric oven I just dry the plaster so there was no smell. After that in the melting furnace I burnt out the plaster and finished drying the plaster mold. It's not bad. PLA will burn and because you do that outside you won`t feel any strong smell.
Great video
What kind of plastic did you use?
Thank you. That was PLA as far as I remember
the plaster you used is plaster of paris? please reply.
Yes, you're right
It s a good video ..i got a question ..could tell me how long time takes the pla to melted?
Well, PLA starts to melt when 160-170C is reached though you need to increase temperature slowly or mold will be damaged. That's why it takes so long not because of pla but because of plaster. To dry the mold can take up to 24 hours!
@@DuralMetalurg thanks million 👍
@@alessandrogiansanti5408 Thanks for watching
Would it be possible to mix, pour and cure the plaster all within a vacuum chamber then let the air in when it has fully cured?
I'm pretty sure that this is possible. The easiest way how I saw people do that is make a mold and after that pump the air our
Great work !! Do you take commission work ??
Thanks David. Got an e-mail from you. I'll send you a reply in a couple minutes.
Where'd you go man?
i got this same problem but in ceramic shell
Yeah. Well there are ways to prevent that. It was a first attempt of that kind of casting
Not bad at all.
Thank you
Yo I want one made of me how much?
Have you ever seen Heinrichs Made on TH-cam? He does similar stuff.
No actually I haven't. Thanks for the information
Looks like you skipped the vacuum step. I wonder if you vacummed the air out if it would not have been so pitted.
There are many successful bronze casting and I've never seen using vacuum. I understand that it should help but even without it you can get rid or just don't create bubbles. Well, actually I don't feel bad about ancient look I've got :)
Pouring high and vibrating out all the bubbles are just as viable methods without a vacuum.
Growing up in the concrete industry, I think you need to cut your water back on the plaster, make it the consistency of Mud and get a concrete vibrator to settle it into all the details.
Thank you for your tips!
Is this plaster is normal plaster of Paris?
Yes. You got it right! ;)
@@DuralMetalurg does plaster mould breaks while heating?? And can we use cement instead of plaster?
@@aZiiekah No if you dry it slowly. Otherwise, I've heard a mould can even blown up. I've used one simple mould made of cement. It cracked. From the other side it may be hard to brake it after casting.
Why did you add the extra sources?
Hi Adrienne. Could you specify what you mean?
@@DuralMetalurg I meant sprues. My phone corrected my English.
@@adriennefraschetta5391
I belive the sprues are there to allow any trapped air to escape when the metal is poured.
You can vibrate the air out after the plaster is poured into the box, just turn on the drill and hold it against table the box, ah you started doing it!
:) Yes, though it didn't work very well for me.
@@DuralMetalurg I think it's a great first attempt, it looked like an aged statue.
@@DuralMetalurg you try a vacuum pump?
@@jascaf1503 No. I did not
Why not add sprues using 3d printing software before 3d printing it..
Just because it's faster and easier ;)
Why did you stop making videos
Long story short... I moved to the other country and now don't have a property, enough time and Canadian weather conditions are harsh :) Because that's a hobby and channel of course doesn't create any profit I'll be able to restart it only when conditions will allow me. Probably 1.5-2 years. Than I may try to do that in more professional way.
6:04 this plaster plaster of paris or gypsum
I thought it's the same
We can't read the yellow text
What is plaster?
Like seriously is it drywall plaster?
Why doesn't anybody ever say what type, and what brand they are using?
This one is just plaster which you can buy in any building store. It's also called plaster of Paris or gypsum. That's the link on wikipedia: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster
@@DuralMetalurg thank you so much!
You're the first to actually give me a response on these types of videos! Thank you!
@@Blue138UEF You're welcome. I believe that video creators can`t answer most questions because it's a hobby and one person just physically can't do that. Big channels for whom it can be a job get tens of thousands comments every day and in this situation can't physically answer on most of them ;)
Dude, just let the cardboard burn-that’s what I’d do for dramatic effect. 🤣 Dig this and will be ripping off your technique. ✊🏻🖤
Sorry but exactly why is it you don't just buy a casting flask? I mean you only have to buy one the one time
I've made 2 flasks for greensand casting. I don't know which flask is used for lost pla casting. On all youtube channels I saw for such type of casting people used home made stuff for one time use. Who sell flasks for lost pla casting? Have you bought one before?
great, now conquer the ancient world
Actually I did. Many times in Total War game ;)
Я думал, что "lost PLA" это когда именно заливают прям в напечатанную модель и она выжигается самим металлом, из которого будет отлита.
Нет. Такая техника работает только с полистиролом и пенопластом. Пластик всегда нужно выплавлять. Это исторически называлось "литье по выжигаемым моделям". Пластик чисто выжечь при литье не выйдет
the grate :3
Oh yes. Those people who can`t speak foreign language properly and make some mistakes in spelling are always piss me off ;)
Гипс и бронза? Да вы должно быть шутите... Он уже при 600гр кристализационную воду отдает... В него разве что олово можно лить, ну может еще алюминий, если очень надо. Уж лучше песок с жидким стеклом! А так да - весьма недурно вышло для такой технологии :)
Так льют же в гипс! Не я то технологию придумал. К меня проблема была при сушке. В духовке нет вытяжки и вода могла только на стенки испарятся. И гипс у нас плохой как продавцы сказали. Он с известью смешан.
@@DuralMetalurg В чистый, на сколько мне известно, только легкоплавкие металлы льют. Тем более с известью (CaCO3 при нагревании разлагается) :) Ювелиры используют специальные смеси - с песком, с асбестом и т.д.
Не в испарении дело! Духовкой всю воду не выгнать, в этом проблема.
That was suppose to be sprues
I came to have a go for not being able to spell great but I'm too leat
Thanks. I have an excuse that's foreign language. 3d language for me. I hope you speak at least 2 more foreign languages and don't make any errors :)
@@DuralMetalurg You're welcome.
Watch in 2x playback and skip a lot!
Good for you. Everyone can find a solution which works for yourself ;)
I think two things happened to your plaster. One is that some sand got in before you covered the hole. Also I think the plaster casting cracked at some critical places. It looks like it was cracked after melting out the PLA, but it might have cracked again when you poured hot bronze into a cold casting.
Next time, instead of dipping the statue into the plaster and leaving it, you might try painting it on and dusting the wet plaster with fine aquarium sugar sand. Sugar sand has granules the size of sugar crystals - very fine. Let that dry, dip it into the plaster and dust with sand again. Let that dry and repeat. At that point you don't need the sugar sand and can use any sand. Then you could dip it into plaster and leave it once you have the fine detail fully covered. Or you could dip it a total of 10 times and then melt out the PLA. Also you might put in a large sprue so that the mold fills gently from the bottom instead of pouring directly down into the mold. This shouldn't make a difference in a plaster cast, but it might since the plaster was cold.
Thank you. May be you're right ;) That was the first attempt using this technology. I'll return to casting in the future and will try different solutions including yours!
Have you noticed it said Alexander the grate
Yeah, yeah..... It's horrible ;)
Plaster of paris makes a shit investment. Don't be so cheap man, buy the real stuff.
странно что у вас названия на русском, а пишут в основном буржуи. мож регион в настройках гугла не тот? по отливке, видимо форму не просушили вся в кавернах) удачи
Вітаю. Назва на 3х мовах: англійській, українській та російській. Перша англійська звичайно тому що вона міжнародна. Відкривається та що стоїть в ваших налаштуваннях ютьюба. Регіон стоїть той що й треба Україна. Регіон ні на що майже не впливає. Впливають тегові слова, та назва відео. Якщо ви використовуюте слово "буржуї" маючі на увазі іноземців, то так більшість переглядів з закордону. Ви теж з-за кордону подивились, так що можете сміло записувати себе в "буржуї" :) Може і не досушив форму, не буду сперичатись
You should talk in your videos. Tell the audience what you are doing.
Not much is going on except what you see in a video ;) For minor things that you don't see there are subtitles. Adding scenario and voice requires much more time and resources. May be for business project it makes sense but for hobby definitely not.
I think it's a low end and bad quality work.
is it necessary to burn out the PLA or can i print the printed part with 30% infill and not burn out ?
No, unfortunately you still need to burn it out. Obviously 1000 C is a huge temperature but PLA is not a foam. It won't just disappear.