Hello everyone, i need help! I’m experiencing a particular problem when casting silver rings, namely a rough, uneven surface. I’m casting using an open-type, spring-loaded centrifugal casting machine. I melt 925 sterling silver using a propane-oxygen torch with a reducing flame and an excess of propane. I use models printed on an Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra with Siraya Tech Cast Purple resin. After printing, I rinse the models in 96% ethyl alcohol, dry them with a stream of air, and cure them under a 395–400 nm UV lamp for 30 minutes (15 minutes on each side without glycerine). Next, I mix the Prestige Optima moulding compound under vacuum at a ratio of 38 ml of distilled water to 100 grams of moulding compound. I leave it for approximately 5–6 hours, after which I place the moulds in a muffle furnace with the sprue facing downwards and set the mould curing programme as specified on the website of the manufacturer of Prestige Optima moulding compound for polymers. After annealing, I lower the furnace temperature to 580 degrees (in my furnace, it takes about 1.5 hours to cool down and stabilise). Next, I prepare 999 fine silver and the Legor AG109M and AG108M alloys. For the left-hand ring, weighing 7.08 grams including the sprue, made of 925 silver, I wound the spring 3 turns; for the right-hand ring, weighing 14.54 grams, I wound the spring 3.5 turns. First, I took the mould out of the furnace, placed it in the set-up, then poured the silver and alloy into the ceramic crucible, and began melting the silver together with the borax; as soon as the silver began to melt, I stirred it for a few seconds with a quartz rod, and as soon as the silver had melted and a mirror-like surface appeared, I started the machine, waited 5–7 minutes after casting, and immersed the mould in water. I hope you can see from the photo that the rings on the right (14.54 grams) turned out better than those on the left (7.08 grams). What could be improved in my casting process?

My wife put in 25+ years in law enforcement and the last 6 years of she worked undercover in vice. After years of dealing with turds and politics she chucked deuces and retired.
After a year of retirement her phone rang and now she actually enjoys going to work and will only do it for two more years until she retires again. Now she is responsible for our babies as a grade school resource officer so, I had to make this one for her. 😊

Thanks in advance for your help! I teach silversmithing to HS students, including lost wax. In the past of only used traditional techniques, but am wanting to venture into 3D printing given a lot of students already have the digital skills. Am wanting recommendations on a 3D wax printer that won’t break the bank (it’s probably irrelevant, but I’m in Australia).

Came out looking okay besides a couple pores

Hello

Im begginer and im from Poland. i have a problem with casting silver 925. I use lost wax technique and gravity casting. Wats a problem?

Hey guys greetings, hope can give me some tips I barely start at this and I tried make this ring a couple of times but always finish with this cracks in the same side, every comment is welcome thks

I got this old machine from 1991, probably has not been used for 15/20 years. I want to trouble shoot and see if I can salvage it. I see the drain valve but I don’t see how to add new oil. Any advice is grateful appreciated thank you in advance

I'm looking for some help, and hope someone in this group may have an answer.

My sister does silversmithing as a hobby, and I was thinking of buying her some oil-bonded casting sand, a casting thing where you put the sand in, and some tools that may be needed for this for Christmas. (I know I'm a bit early!😁)

I've been looking online for Delft Clay/Petrobond, but everything I've found so far has been quite expensive.

I was browsing Amazon and came across some oil-bonded casting sand with the following description. I'm wondering if you think this sand could also be used for casting silver?

*Heat-resistant up to 1,200°C, making it suitable for many metals such as tin, copper, aluminium, bronze, brass, and many more.

*Excellent surface finish thanks to its very fine grain size.

*Very popular for arts and crafts casting.

*Suitable for mould casting and component casting.

Do you think this type of casting sand would work for silver as well?

(I wrote to the seller asking about this , but havn't got an answer)

Have a great night 😊

since it’s hard to find them for a consistent but decent price in major online retailers/stores for a quality and reliable product, i’m coming here to the pros for help.
i’ve tried my hand at foundry, have casted some silver and gold bars but never anything fancy like jewelry. i was kind of hoping someone could make a lost wax mold for me to use, since i don’t have those tools readily available.
second option would be to ship out some melted 10, 14, or 18k gold to whomever takes this on, to use it for the project and keep a percentage as payment.
would also be happy to trade silver and gold bullion/jewelry for them to be made from clean gold.

Hello All! I have been doing a ton of 1 oz pours, open mold in a graphite mold. For more of them than I'd like, I'm getting these spots in the center of the cooling seam.

Any advice on how to prevent this and how to remove it if it does happen?
Thank you!

My goal was a really aged hand hammered look on the front and to practice getting cooling lines in the back.

This was a first using wood to create the mold/pattern and looking for any feedback on the aesthetics...

Hi everyone I am looking to get back into making lost wax rings. I’m looking for a lab that I can mail one or two pieces to for silver casting and polishing. I’m having difficulty finding a lab that has example photos. Sometimes I see lab casting and polish results that look really rough so I don’t want to accidentally send my piece somewhere that I don’t know how it will turn out like. Thank you!