[Jewelry making - Article 00301] - Re: [Orchid] Casting equipment

[Charles G Heick]

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    Alma, when I took a casting course at Conner's Jewelry Institute in
    Georgetown, Indiana a couple of years ago, we used a Neycraft
    centrifugal caster.  The unit was secured in place by being mounted
    on a counter top.  We used it for both gold and silver and had no
    problems. 

    The caster was wound by turning ten times and then locked.  I believe
    it was ten times, if I remember correctly.  The gold was then placed
    into the crucible and heated with a torch until it flowed.  Borax was
    added to the molten metal and stirred with a quartz rod.  The flask
    was then removed from the oven and mounted in the caster; working as
    fast and safe as possible.  The torch was again applied to the metal
    to keep it at the flow point.  The torch was then moved a safe
    distance away and the caster released to spin and do it's work. 

    Besides our class projects, we would also practice by make gold rings
    and settings for Charles Conner for use in his stone setting classes.
     These casts were on trees containing approximately six items.  I
    took two of his stone setting classes and had no problems with
    porosity in any of the items we cast. 

    One time we found a small amount of gold, about 2mm in diameter, in
    the metal shell where it flew out from somewhere during the casting. 
    Wherever it came from, the shell that surrounds the centrifuge caught
    and contained the gold. 

    I haven't cast since I took this class, but I do plan on buying a
    Neycraft when I begin casting.  I was trained on the Neycraft and
    feel comfortable using it. 

Charles Heick 

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