[Jewelry making - Article 00031] - [Orchid] Centrifugal vs vacuum casting

[Russell]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    Here's another question about lost wax casting (which I'm just
    getting into): is centrifugal casting a superior and/or more
    economical method than vacuum casting for small one-of-kind pieces
    (or prototypes)? 

    I read that you might as well do vacuum casting because in any case
    you need to buy an investing table and bell jar (at a minimum) for
    debubblizing; so you may as well use it for casting as well and save
    the cost of a centrifugal caster. However, Kerr centrifugal casters
    are readily available on eBay, often for less than $100. Many
    dentists seem to get along fine debubblizing with an inexpensive
    vibrator. Or you can buy a neat little rubber investment mixing
    device with a cover that has a mixing paddle operated by a hand crank
    and an inlet in the top for a line to a vacuum pump (which could be
    very small given the size of the container). These devices go new for
    a little over $100 and small vacuum pumps are readily available from
    eBay. The application would be making a sterling silver prototype
    (or one-off piece) instead of production casting. 

    Any comments on this alternative to conventional vacuum casting
    (which utilizes a $250 table and bell jar)? 

Russell Trenholme
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________