[Jewelry making - Article 00062] - Re: [Orchid] Sand Casting Advice

[John Donivan]

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    Although I have known some sand casters, I'm out of touch, and I
    don't do it myself - it's pretty easy to do, though. I understand
    that you have a family history and all - I appreciate that. But if
    you're going to do finer work - silver and gold as you say - you
    can't beat centrifugal casting, or many prefer vacuum. Why? Sand
    casting is a gravity pour - centrifugal and vacuum put a lot of
    force - a LOT of force - behind the metal. Both methods just pack the
    metal into every little detail - you can, in fact, cast such things
    as leaves, butterfly wings and the like, with the proper preparation.
    Sand casting is fine for large, massive objects with few or no
    undercuts, and have at it. Trying to build a sand mold for a ring,
    with a core and gates and all would take an hour, with a 50% chance
    of success - lost wax you pour cream into a flask and the mold is
    done, with a 98% chance of success, if you do it right. I'm not
    saying don't do it by any means - just laying out some of the
    limitations. Lindsay Publications (I assume they're still around)
    has a great reprint of the US Navy Foundry Manual - it has everything
    you want to know, and more...
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