[Jewelry making - Article 00083] - Re: [Orchid] What casters prefer?

[Jim Reitze]

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    I've been following this thread a bit, and I'd like to chime in.  I
    am not a caster, but a jeweler who sends my casting work out to a
    subcontractor.  My results are like this: When I have one of a kind
    pieces, I send in wax models.  The better the wax, the better the
    casting.  Overall, though, I have less work to do on the final
    product with these pieces.  Less flash from the molds, etc. For
    pieces that are intended for production, I sometimes fabricate the
    original.  Otherwise, I carve a wax and have that cast.  To this
    original model, I add detail, get as perfect a finish as possible and
    do any other tweaking.  In both cases, I then have them make a mold.
    My problem with this system from a quality standpoint seems to be
    the quality of the waxes injected from those molds.  There is almost
    always a moderate to serious mold line, and occasionally there has
    been distortion that I assume might be excess pressure on the mold
    while injecting.  Maybe I need a new casting company? Overall, the
    best results would probably be from molds made of GOOD metal models,
    at least if the mold lines would disappear.

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