[Jewelry making - Article 00586] - [Orchid] Silver porosity

[Slikboy]

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    I'm using fine silver to cast my originals because they seem to make
    better rubber molds than bronze or even sterling silver.  I'm using
    an electric furnace/kiln for the burnout and a Kerr Micro-melt for
    melting the metal. 

    The problem I'm having is that there seems to be porosity in the
    fine silver castings.  They don't appear to be from shrinkage but
    rather they are individual pits in random areas.  If I cast the same
    way, using the same spruing format but cast in bronze the pieces
    come out perfect.  If I try to form the cast silver piece, the
    surface designs deform quickly, leading me to believe that there are
    unseen pits below the surface.  And of course when I rubber mold
    there are rubber "warts" inside the mold. 

    Is the problem gasses trying to escape the mold.  I am re-using the
    silver but it is clean.  I have noticed that once there was a bubble
    that formed atop the sprue pit.  Can I get a de-glassing flux?   Or
    is the problem something else? 

    Anyone faced this problem?  Is there another metal I could use to
    make good clean vulcanized rubber molds?  I don't want to plate my
    originals. 

Thanks for the help
Jim

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