I know I’m a little bit too late to comment but, I love your videos. Their soooo full of information that’s just not available anywhere and you explain things in detail and in simple,easy,understandable English. Thank you from GB 🇬🇧
SOOOO much information. Thank you so much for this. Coincidentally, I’m preparing to do my second and third cast. I definitely used way too much investment last time, and I don’t have a vacuum chamber capable of of vacuuming AS I pour the metal into it.
No problem we are glad you liked the video. I think we will be doing a follow up video, as part of some downloadable course content, as to how we specifically do our mixing etc. If you're not great with the math we would suggested looking at our cheat sheet in the merch bar as all the investment mixing for common flask sizes is written out there. I would definitely recommend an assistance method even if its a centerfuge vs a vacuum as gravity pouring doesn't always work out. Good luck!
I really enjoy your videos -- Still have several to catch up on.. I was curious about Bandust like someone else in the comments. You mentioned it hardens the investment more; do you mean the vacuum may have a more difficult time pulling through it and capturing fine details? I just bought a used Rio Grande VIC 12 in Vancouver.. Turns out to be the older version so I'm stuck using solid flasks for now. Would you recommend lathe-turning a couple of shallow channels on the inside of my flasks to help keep the investment from shifting under vacuum? I'm worried that using wax webbing will leave an even looser contact with the flask even if I sandpaper the cylinder.. One more question - I've heard in the past that near the end of the burnout process, the flask is turned cavity-side up & put back in the furnace so any gases, etc left in there can escape.. but I don't know exactly when this should be done/for how long. Thanks a lot for your time !!
Bandust investment, similarly to boric acid, we've found barely reacts when quenched. It shouldn't have any issue pulling or getting detail. We've never had investment shift with solid flasks. We never had issue casting wax or resin with the flask down as long as you are leaving a gap.
Just like with investment you should pick your resin based off of what you’re making. We always have three in rotation. All around decent resin though is ApplyLabWork. If you’re really into stones I’d look at PowerResin Zero. For chunky models something wax like. Hit up the DMs if you have any questions
Out of the R&R lineup only Solitaire is designed for casting stone in place. I don't have much experience with this method though, so I'd still reach out to the company and see what input they have.
Thank you for this video. Does it make sense to buy Prestidge optima if I'm going to try Lost PLA casting? Or should I just get the regular cheaper Investment cuz PLA is not as good as the nice resin printers? My printer is an old one I built and cant do anything else. Thanks again
I'm still learning myself on the casting side, but on the printing side I can suggest checking out Polymaker's Polycast material, which is a variation of PVB (a material that can be smoothed with alcohol. which this stuff can be as well!). The ability to presmooth with alcohol before coating in investment is helpful if you've got a cheaper machine that runs on rollers and extrusions, and you've got something that runs on ground rod or rails it'll be even better. My question for all this would be I'd like to do some aluminum casting. any thoughts on this Clear Mind Jewelry?
We did try lost PLA back in the day, swapping the PLA into the exact process that we use for resin, Prestige or R&R Plasticast would be our suggestion as you will still have some expansion from the PLA before it burns out. Depending on the size of the object you are doing you might even do Prestige with Boric Acid mixed in.
If burning out resin use plasticast, or prestige optima. Aluminum is such a low temp you won't have specific requirements for your investment based on the metal choice.
It works just as well. It tends to stick more to the castings but as we have a pressure washing unit that was never an issue. We stopped using it as it’s an extra $20 or so up here in Canada and we mix inside the power washing unit. (paying an extra 80-100 dollars every trip just wasn’t worth it when we have tooling to keep down airborne particles)ruclips.net/video/PBh3r6VI0T4/видео.htmlsi=_wiRwq8b53PWdX5K
We haven't tried that specific combination but we have tried Power Resins Opaque. In our experience Prestige Optima and Plasticast have very similar results. You should have a great experience other than with large models. (We did a plaque almost the size of our flask in height and some of the letters had infill.)
This could be several issues. 1.- You don't have a proper investment (meaning you are using pure plaster). 2.- You are making you mix too liquid (not respecting proper consistency). 3.- Your flask is smooth, brand new and polished on the inside (try sanding it just a little bit with mid roughness sandpaper). 4.- Your firing rate is far exceeding the firing temperature of 720°C to 750°C weakening the bond of the invesment itself turning it to a form of chalk. This and excess water ratio are the most dangerous mistakes for it could break the mold under centrifuge or vacuum casting splattering hot metal through the room or into your vacuum machine. Hope this helps.
Never had much luck with plasticast with resins it was too difficult to get all the variables perfect but i use prestige optima investment and get incredible results with resins highly recommend
thank you!!!!!!!!!! x10.000 !! - what resin are you using with the prestige optima? Also tap water or deionized . Thanks buddy! Been fighting bad results with plasticast and resin as well. Details shatter and investment cracks... I use the easycast HD resin. Next will try that Siraya tech one.
We’re not really a fan as it hardens the investment more then the regular investment. It also costs more. If you wear your PPE and have ventilation it’s not really worth it in our opinion.
We can definitely reach out to Power Resins to see if we can get a bottle. If the other 4 we have tried are anything like burn it is probably a quality resin. clearmindcasting.com/pages/resin-ranked-list
Not sure if we got this one on insta for you man. So just in case... stone in place is mainly a time and tool saver. You don't need an on site stone setter if you can drop the stones in pre-cast. You can also cut down on the amount of tools you need. Also depending on the design you may need to solder on fewer components later if you cast the stone in place. There are a ton of reasons that will change from studio to studio.
@@ClearMindJewellery thanks! That make a lot of sense. I'm still building up the shop so learning different workflows is very enlightening to me. Thanks for the well thought out response!
How big of a casting can you do with actual casting investment? All of the informations on castings bigger than things like rings have been with either ceramic or sand.
It depends on how big your flask is I suppose. We just finished a custom order making a replacement arm for a small statue. The arm was approximately 1lbs. We’ve also done sword pommels and guards.
@@ClearMindJewellery What do mean by flask? I have the capability to poor 4kg of bronze. Will there be a problem with the mold degrading due to the heat? I don’t plan on making any castings with more than 1kg of metal using the last wax method. I am probably not going to do much jewelry work. My main reason for considering lost wax is the fact that my casting will be much more precise than sand.
You use steel flasks to hold the investment in place. Perforated flasks are built specifically to help with the vacuuming process when casting. Not sure what you mean about the mold degrading due to heat. The metal temperature shouldn't have negative effects on the investment if you are doing a proper burnout. If you are trying to cast with the investment cold then you will have a lot of issues.
still watching- you said- who chooses stay with wax- "left behind" - well so far for me it was a waist of time and money experience , the resin as you said in your other video , just or dont print or dont cast good, small , big etc... :( so i will do wax.. yeah , some models will be amazing just to print, but the resins so hard to work with !!!
I would be interested to know what resin you’re talking about. Not all resins are created equally or are good for all purposes. Despite the difficult learning curve we still believe 3D printing is the future of jewelry making. Wax carving is still a great skill but it takes to long in a lot if circumstances. 3d modeling and printing will be a huge asset to jewellers going forward.
@@ClearMindJewellery oh , i agree about 3d printing for Models. i did many models like that! and i LOVE the results. But to Cast them... i tried b9 creations resin- from rio grande, and i have anycubic photon s printer- it was total waste of time, money , energy. i believe b9 make their own printers- so maybe its a good print with their own printers- but i had only failers, and did many adjustments of all the necessary parameters... so i'm planing to buy wax injector.... so much work ! :( :) if you are familiar with this resin, i would like to hear advices , and settings for the printer, but i kinda giving up on that technic for production at the moment ( not for master models though- that Is the future )
@@alexandrasun9821 I was under the assumption that B9Creations only make resins suitable for DLP printers and Anycubic has only ever made MSLA printers…your exposure times must be very long. I would look into resins more suitable for MSLA printers before giving up on 3D printing.
@@ClearMindJewellery hm... rio grande technical adviser said it will work with anycubic, and yes the exposure times where very high , x4. and it made the screen to heat, so i did a long time off, and it still didnt help- only few supports will print for the most.. :(((( I just looked into castable resin for anyubic ( which is lcd ) , but there is almost no instructions for burning schedule, and so far ppl wrote that it didnt worked out for them, also no instructions for settings, from the company etc.... Lmk if you know of other brands that will suit anycubic photon, and deliver results- better than wax- in burning and casting. couse i dont want more headache , if the resin dosent cast smoothly etc... (crying emoji , lol) (any experience with siraya tech? not sure what type of printer its for) I feel like this technic for casting is still under construction- it is spreading fast, in the jewelry department - but i feel like its not quiet there? (i'm talking only about castable resin). maybe i' m wrong. anyway i'm only 6 month into that, but 7 or more years a jeweler Hey , and thanks so much for your channel! :))
You explained so much in this video, very informative THANKS!!!
I know I’m a little bit too late to comment but, I love your videos. Their soooo full of information that’s just not available anywhere and you explain things in detail and in simple,easy,understandable English. Thank you from GB 🇬🇧
Thank you so much!
Super useful information right here. Gonna re-watch and take notes
SOOOO much information. Thank you so much for this. Coincidentally, I’m preparing to do my second and third cast. I definitely used way too much investment last time, and I don’t have a vacuum chamber capable of of vacuuming AS I pour the metal into it.
No problem we are glad you liked the video.
I think we will be doing a follow up video, as part of some downloadable course content, as to how we specifically do our mixing etc. If you're not great with the math we would suggested looking at our cheat sheet in the merch bar as all the investment mixing for common flask sizes is written out there.
I would definitely recommend an assistance method even if its a centerfuge vs a vacuum as gravity pouring doesn't always work out.
Good luck!
So informative! Thabk you!
I’ll have to try the other investment for my 3D printed castings. I’ve been using ultra vest and I’ve been struggling.
Ultra Vest is good for waxes but in our experience does not work for prints.
I really enjoy your videos -- Still have several to catch up on.. I was curious about Bandust like someone else in the comments. You mentioned it hardens the investment more; do you mean the vacuum may have a more difficult time pulling through it and capturing fine details? I just bought a used Rio Grande VIC 12 in Vancouver.. Turns out to be the older version so I'm stuck using solid flasks for now. Would you recommend lathe-turning a couple of shallow channels on the inside of my flasks to help keep the investment from shifting under vacuum? I'm worried that using wax webbing will leave an even looser contact with the flask even if I sandpaper the cylinder.. One more question - I've heard in the past that near the end of the burnout process, the flask is turned cavity-side up & put back in the furnace so any gases, etc left in there can escape.. but I don't know exactly when this should be done/for how long. Thanks a lot for your time !!
Bandust investment, similarly to boric acid, we've found barely reacts when quenched. It shouldn't have any issue pulling or getting detail.
We've never had investment shift with solid flasks.
We never had issue casting wax or resin with the flask down as long as you are leaving a gap.
@@ClearMindJewellery Thank you very much!
What is the best castable resin for jewelry (silver/gold) in your opinion?
Just like with investment you should pick your resin based off of what you’re making.
We always have three in rotation.
All around decent resin though is ApplyLabWork.
If you’re really into stones I’d look at PowerResin Zero. For chunky models something wax like.
Hit up the DMs if you have any questions
@@ClearMindJewellery thank! i definitely will.
Great video, super helpful! Which one would you recommend for cast-in-place? Thank you!
Out of the R&R lineup only Solitaire is designed for casting stone in place. I don't have much experience with this method though, so I'd still reach out to the company and see what input they have.
@@ClearMindJewellery Appreciate the fast response. Will look into it!
Thank you for this video. Does it make sense to buy Prestidge optima if I'm going to try Lost PLA casting? Or should I just get the regular cheaper Investment cuz PLA is not as good as the nice resin printers? My printer is an old one I built and cant do anything else. Thanks again
I'm still learning myself on the casting side, but on the printing side I can suggest checking out Polymaker's Polycast material, which is a variation of PVB (a material that can be smoothed with alcohol. which this stuff can be as well!). The ability to presmooth with alcohol before coating in investment is helpful if you've got a cheaper machine that runs on rollers and extrusions, and you've got something that runs on ground rod or rails it'll be even better.
My question for all this would be I'd like to do some aluminum casting. any thoughts on this Clear Mind Jewelry?
We did try lost PLA back in the day, swapping the PLA into the exact process that we use for resin, Prestige or R&R Plasticast would be our suggestion as you will still have some expansion from the PLA before it burns out. Depending on the size of the object you are doing you might even do Prestige with Boric Acid mixed in.
If burning out resin use plasticast, or prestige optima. Aluminum is such a low temp you won't have specific requirements for your investment based on the metal choice.
@@ClearMindJewellery Awesome thanks so much
Is the Plasticast BANDUST investment the same quality as the regular plasticast investment?
It works just as well. It tends to stick more to the castings but as we have a pressure washing unit that was never an issue. We stopped using it as it’s an extra $20 or so up here in Canada and we mix inside the power washing unit. (paying an extra 80-100 dollars every trip just wasn’t worth it when we have tooling to keep down airborne particles)ruclips.net/video/PBh3r6VI0T4/видео.htmlsi=_wiRwq8b53PWdX5K
Thanks!@@ClearMindJewellery
Great video!!!
thank you my brother........ i wanna do power resins opaque with prestige optima. Have you tried that combination?
We haven't tried that specific combination but we have tried Power Resins Opaque. In our experience Prestige Optima and Plasticast have very similar results. You should have a great experience other than with large models. (We did a plaque almost the size of our flask in height and some of the letters had infill.)
My investment mold keeps separating from my flask after the burnout do you know what may be the problem?
This could be several issues. 1.- You don't have a proper investment (meaning you are using pure plaster). 2.- You are making you mix too liquid (not respecting proper consistency). 3.- Your flask is smooth, brand new and polished on the inside (try sanding it just a little bit with mid roughness sandpaper). 4.- Your firing rate is far exceeding the firing temperature of 720°C to 750°C weakening the bond of the invesment itself turning it to a form of chalk. This and excess water ratio are the most dangerous mistakes for it could break the mold under centrifuge or vacuum casting splattering hot metal through the room or into your vacuum machine. Hope this helps.
Never had much luck with plasticast with resins it was too difficult to get all the variables perfect but i use prestige optima investment and get incredible results with resins highly recommend
thank you!!!!!!!!!! x10.000 !! - what resin are you using with the prestige optima? Also tap water or deionized . Thanks buddy! Been fighting bad results with plasticast and resin as well. Details shatter and investment cracks... I use the easycast HD resin. Next will try that Siraya tech one.
Also do you use the investment manufacturers burnout procedure or the resin manufacturers?
Have you tried FOV brand?
What is your opinion of Bandust ?
We’re not really a fan as it hardens the investment more then the regular investment. It also costs more. If you wear your PPE and have ventilation it’s not really worth it in our opinion.
@@ClearMindJewellery Thanks for your answer. I understand the cost difference but what is the problem with hardening the investment more ?
I am Using Protocast Can you give me some information
Information about what? Many different investment brands include recommended mixing ratios, burnout cycles, and use cases in their literature.
Can you review powerresin burn please
We can definitely reach out to Power Resins to see if we can get a bottle.
If the other 4 we have tried are anything like burn it is probably a quality resin.
clearmindcasting.com/pages/resin-ranked-list
Why do people cast with stones in? I get it would save time but otherwise is there any advantage?
Not sure if we got this one on insta for you man. So just in case... stone in place is mainly a time and tool saver. You don't need an on site stone setter if you can drop the stones in pre-cast. You can also cut down on the amount of tools you need. Also depending on the design you may need to solder on fewer components later if you cast the stone in place.
There are a ton of reasons that will change from studio to studio.
@@ClearMindJewellery thanks! That make a lot of sense.
I'm still building up the shop so learning different workflows is very enlightening to me.
Thanks for the well thought out response!
How big of a casting can you do with actual casting investment? All of the informations on castings bigger than things like rings have been with either ceramic or sand.
It depends on how big your flask is I suppose. We just finished a custom order making a replacement arm for a small statue. The arm was approximately 1lbs.
We’ve also done sword pommels and guards.
@@ClearMindJewellery What do mean by flask? I have the capability to poor 4kg of bronze. Will there be a problem with the mold degrading due to the heat? I don’t plan on making any castings with more than 1kg of metal using the last wax method. I am probably not going to do much jewelry work. My main reason for considering lost wax is the fact that my casting will be much more precise than sand.
You use steel flasks to hold the investment in place. Perforated flasks are built specifically to help with the vacuuming process when casting.
Not sure what you mean about the mold degrading due to heat. The metal temperature shouldn't have negative effects on the investment if you are doing a proper burnout. If you are trying to cast with the investment cold then you will have a lot of issues.
@@ClearMindJewellery What temperature should I heat my mold to before pouring? I have been doing it at around 700f.
If following a jewellery process with proper gypsum investment you should be looking at a burnout schedule. ruclips.net/video/FdckYTV2rJg/видео.html
still watching- you said- who chooses stay with wax- "left behind" - well so far for me it was a waist of time and money experience , the resin as you said in your other video , just or dont print or dont cast good, small , big etc... :( so i will do wax.. yeah , some models will be amazing just to print, but the resins so hard to work with !!!
I would be interested to know what resin you’re talking about. Not all resins are created equally or are good for all purposes.
Despite the difficult learning curve we still believe 3D printing is the future of jewelry making.
Wax carving is still a great skill but it takes to long in a lot if circumstances. 3d modeling and printing will be a huge asset to jewellers going forward.
@@ClearMindJewellery oh , i agree about 3d printing for Models. i did many models like that! and i LOVE the results. But to Cast them... i tried b9 creations resin- from rio grande, and i have anycubic photon s printer- it was total waste of time, money , energy. i believe b9 make their own printers- so maybe its a good print with their own printers- but i had only failers, and did many adjustments of all the necessary parameters... so i'm planing to buy wax injector.... so much work ! :( :) if you are familiar with this resin, i would like to hear advices , and settings for the printer, but i kinda giving up on that technic for production at the moment ( not for master models though- that Is the future )
@@alexandrasun9821 I was under the assumption that B9Creations only make resins suitable for DLP printers and Anycubic has only ever made MSLA printers…your exposure times must be very long.
I would look into resins more suitable for MSLA printers before giving up on 3D printing.
@@ClearMindJewellery hm... rio grande technical adviser said it will work with anycubic, and yes the exposure times where very high , x4. and it made the screen to heat, so i did a long time off, and it still didnt help- only few supports will print for the most.. :((((
I just looked into castable resin for anyubic ( which is lcd ) , but there is almost no instructions for burning schedule, and so far ppl wrote that it didnt worked out for them, also no instructions for settings, from the company etc....
Lmk if you know of other brands that will suit anycubic photon, and deliver results- better than wax- in burning and casting. couse i dont want more headache , if the resin dosent cast smoothly etc... (crying emoji , lol)
(any experience with siraya tech? not sure what type of printer its for)
I feel like this technic for casting is still under construction- it is spreading fast, in the jewelry department - but i feel like its not quiet there? (i'm talking only about castable resin). maybe i' m wrong. anyway i'm only 6 month into that, but 7 or more years a jeweler
Hey , and thanks so much for your channel! :))