Virginia, You don’t have to spend $3000 for a basic casting
outfit. Rio Grande sells a complete set, oven, vac caster flasks,
investment , etc including a couple of instruction books for
$1555. I’ve been doing small shop custom work for the past
fifteen years using steam casting and probably don’t have more
than $800 in equipment, the most expensive being the oven. Read
the books and the frustration level is greatly reduced. I don’t
know if it’s still available, but there is a booklet called “lost
wax steam casting” which was put out by California Crafts Supply
of Anaheim CA which tells you how to do steam casting with
equipment costing maybe $50. I know it works because that’s the
way I got started. Jerry in Kodiak