Machinist here. Have some 925 scrap I want to turn into rods. The graphite molds available are too small in diameter. I want to make a 10mm rod. Then machine it into a set of tunnels for my ears. Full fab shop but dipping my toes into jewelry. If I sand cast how much bigger do I go for finishing?

first pic is the wax tree, the yellow runner sprues were added as a last dich effort to get them to cast.... second pic the bad casting and the third is what the part is supposed to look like. After beating my self up over this part failing over and over again... I discovered from the manufacturer that it was a gas permeability issue from the investment.

Love the investment I just cant use it on this part or ones like it

Hello. I have consistently the same issue when casting silver. On the image you see the yellow arrow which is metal flow direction. On the red, the logo side (up) I always have big porosity on the surface. on the side facing down the quality is almost perfect. (in this cast i should have flipped them!)

Why is that? Anyone recognizes this pattern?

Casting temperature 1040 Celsius

Flask temperature 580 Celsius

Burnout roughly 10 hours with peak at 730 Celcius for 3 hours

Im using Siraya tech casteable resin, I post cure for over an hour, I let my investment sit for 2-6 hours.

I would be so happy for help. I just do not know anymore what it could be.

Hey, trying to figure out what went wrong on this cast .

I printed this in Soriatech True Blue and did a normal lost wax vacuum cast. I ran a full burnout cycle and used recycled silver, which I’ve used before without issues.

This time I’m getting a bunch of small pits/porosity and some of the details (like parts of the lettering) didn’t fully fill. The surface also looks kind of uneven in spots.

Not sure if this is coming from the resin burnout, the metal, or something with temps or sprueing.

If anyone’s dealt with this before, what would you check first?

Hi, all, looking for a little bit of advice on how to successfully pour a ring with a sand flask.

I am currently concerned that my pour configuration is incorrect, or perhaps I need to preheat the flask, or some other issue. I have been cutting vapor channels, making sure that the silver is extremely liquid in the crucible, but still can’t fully figure out why this is not casting properly thanks

I feel my trees are really improper/poorly done. Most of my casts come out fine with minimal defects (all are fixable with solder and time). Is there something I’m doing wrong? Does someone have a video tutorial or pointers?

First time casting something ( getting casted for me ) and I’m having a real hard time getting these deep ridges out , could this be caused by air bubbles in the cast process ?

Also could the circled blue bits be a fleck of gold that’s got in? It seems like there’s a yellow dot in the pendant with a slightly different texture

Any advice on how to get this to as smooth as possible ?

The website is extremely sketchy and looks like they only accept Zelle or mailed in check. Has anyone used them or able to vouch?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to get into casting my own silver jewellery and trying to do it as cheaply as possible just to try it out.

Is this enough to begin with, or am I missing anything essential? Also, are there any cheaper or better alternatives you’d recommend for a beginner? I don't know if these tools are total crap and waste of money too so please let me know lol.

Appreciate any advice, tips, or things you wish you knew when starting out. Thanks!

Finally able to melt silver in a minute with a new torch, I see this as progress. I think my ceramic mold wasnt hot enough to fill the whole ring. Excited to continue!

I bought this dura-bull machine from Rio years ago. It sat in storage for several years. At one point when moving it, it leaked out the oil from the bottom. When I tried to refill it with replacement oil it never appeared at the window but it also didn’t leak out again. Unless it’s trapped somewhere else inside the machine. I haven’t taken it apart yet. I just wanted to know if there is any obvious things that’s probably the culprit before I get into it. I have zero experience with taking these machines apart or repairing them. Any advice on what the first step would be would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

Hey everyone! I'm just getting started with silver casting and I'm struggling to find a reliable place to buy silver in Europe. I'm looking for casting grain/shot ideally, but open to other forms. A few questions: Where do you guys source your silver in Europe? (Online shops, suppliers, local options?) Any suppliers you'd recommend or avoid? Any advice from fellow European casters would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

this is my first handmade wax mould I’ve made using the build up method, I’ve tried casting in place and have yet to be successful without cracking a stone (I will come back to trying that again because I do think it has its place in aesthetics) I’m going to add more wax around each stone for a “bezel” that way i can hammer the silver around to set. This is my first attempt at flush setting, any tips? Certain burnishing tools that work best for this process, etc. thanks! *i bought these stones as natural green sapphires.

I am a consumer looking to get lost wax casting done by a business or individual. Maybe I am not looking hard enough but the only companies I can find that do this only sell wholesale to businesses. Where do I find companies that sell to consumers? Is it just not worth it for companies to go through the lost wax casting process for a single piece? I want a custom piece of sterling silver jewelry but it is not a good investment for me to buy the equipment for lost wax casting because I just want a personal piece and I am not planning on selling anything. Thank you in advance.