[Jewelry making - Article 00429] - Re: [Orchid] 18k white gold casting problems

[Suzanne Wade]

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    Timo Santala used to say that if nothing has changed in the process,
    check the equipment. Sensors can go bad and calibration can slip,
    resulting in incorrect melt and/or flask temps. Timo told a story
    about being called in to trouble shoot a casting operation
    experiencing the type of troubles you describe. (All of a sudden
    things stopped working; they didn't know why.) He went through the
    process with them, and everything looked fine. Then he looked at the
    melt itself -- which was obviously far hotter than it was supposed to
    be. Turned out the machine's temperature sensors were shot. (I don't
    remember the precise details of the story, but I remember that it
    was the equipment that had failed, not the process.) 

    Have you checked the calibration of the temperature sensors on your
    electro melt? How about on the burnout oven? You could be setting
    these to the correct temperature, but be getting something very
    different. Your equipment's manufacturer should be able to suggest
    ways to check the calibration. 

    Timo often presented at the Santa Fe Symposium, and was kind enough
    to present at a seminar or two I organized for MJSA. He was always
    willing to share the benefits of his experience. The industry lost a
    real expert and a great guy when he was killed in a plane crash last
    year. 

Suzanne
Suzanne Wade
writer/editor
Suzanne AT rswade.net
http://www.rswade.net
Phone: (508) 339-7366
Fax: (928) 563-8255

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