Відео

There is some work to do, but I don't find it more time consuming or let's put it this way. The fact that I don't need to do a burnout makes a massive difference. I love it.

@@ShakeTheFuture awesome, I am happy for you. I have been following your channel for a good while and you have come a long way.

I have never experienced any issues regarding potential bed damage. If the PEI sheet has a hole in it, getting it wet might not be ideal. Other than that, there are no issues, at least with my printer. The only thing to watch out for is bed adhesion to prevent the plaster from leaking out of the mold. This has happened before, but it usually leaks out slowly, so I can just put a paper towel around the leak to stop it. In other words, I haven't covered my printer with plaster due to a major leak. Just have a piece of cloth on hand in case it happens.

@@ShakeTheFuture Okey thanks for the advice. I tried covering an entire print in plaster before but never managed to burn it out completely, this approach looks way easier!

Well, it's definitely possible. Industrial microwaves have 2 magnetrons. I've never tried them out, but they should melt metals way faster.

I do have 1 spool of wax filament. I never made a video about it, because it's difficult to print and the adhesion in bad. I find that it's much easier (and 3x cheaper) to use PLA. That said, I have not touched the spool in years. Maybe I should give it another shot with Prusa MK4.

Thank you for the correction. I think saying close to pouring temperature was not a good word choice.

@@ShakeTheFuture No foul done, I enjoy the innovative content. You should try casting some stuff with that zinc alloy too and explore its capabilities, I would love to see that.

Thanks! That's some good info. I'll need to buy some zamak ingots and explore it a bit more. Cheers!

Chewers!

Thank You!

I am glad you found it useful. Cheers!

Yes, I actually do use different g-codes. That was one of the early-trial g-codes. Now I run it at shorter distances. Cheers!

Thank You for taking time to leave a comment. It's always nice to know that the people found the video/information useful.

Thank You very much for taking the time to leave the comment.

Cheers!

Obviously, this is just general information. There are different kinds of investments that can be used. The start was cast using "unicast prestige" investment, and the knife using Plaster of Paris. The "proper" investment was mixed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Sometimes I add some sand, but I'm not sure if I did this time. I mixed the Plaster of Paris in a 1 to 1.2 ratio; for example, 200g of water to 240g of plaster. That said, not all Plaster of Paris products are the same, so the ratios can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I have not yet cast any copper using this method, but I am about to do so as I write this. I am just making more molds so I can dry them all in the oven together. I would not cast copper in Plaster of Paris, even though I have done it using the Lost PLA method with quick-cooling casts like the egg cup shown at the end of the video. Those work pretty well. I know that in general, it's assumed that you need a kiln to get rid of the water in the mold, but in my experience, that's not always the case. Sure, for professional casts and perfect results, you'll want to do everything by the book. I definitely recommend it. That said, I can get pretty good casts using this method, and *I'll have more videos showing it* My oven can go up to 250°C, and I turn ON the fan. I think the fan really helps... like really helps. As I said in the video, there might be investments that will require kilns for sure, so it's all about trial and error. If one does not feel comfortable trying it out, then don't! I am not responsible for anything that can go wrong. As long as you dry your molds properly and wear PPE, you'll be fine. And if you find that your molds are still wet (after hours of drying) or casts come out bad, then you know that your oven can't do it. End of the game. I always dry my molds in the oven for at least 4 hours (or more depending on the size and temperature), and I make sure that the temperature of the molds is close to 250°C. Let's put it this way: if your oven can reach 250°C and your molds are way off that temperature, you know they are still wet. It's fine if they are hotter (since oven thermostats tend to overshoot), but if the mold has only reached 220°C in an oven that can reach 250°C, then you know it's still wet. It will also depend on the air fryer/oven you're using. My air fryer struggles to bring the molds to 205°C (the maximum temperature it can reach), so I always switch to the oven. I personally get the best results casting copper using Ultracal/Hydrocal products. I have not tried "unicast," but I suppose it should also work. I wouldn't know about casting large items, as my casts are generally pretty small anyway, so nothing has changed compared to Lost PLA casting. I just use the original Prusa PEI sheet build plate that came with the printer. It does not have any texture, which I think helps. I have not had any issues with the build plate. The investment does not affect it as far as I am aware. The mold can be removed easily. Sometimes I just go slow to avoid pulling out the print from the mold. If it's a print that is properly embedded into the investment, I just remove it from the build plate as I would a normal print. *For anyone who finds it useful* : If this video has inspired you to buy a 3D printer, you need a modern 3D printer with a "perfect" first layer, such as the Prusa MK4 or Bamboo printers. That way, you'll get the best results. I would avoid getting older generation printers that do not lay-down a perfect first layer automatically. It will make things more frustrating and complicated

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out!

great idea

The g-code shown in the video is not the only one I use. I have much shorter-faster moving g-codes that do the shaking. You suggestion using accelerometer testing g-code is great. Cheers!

I am sure there is a way it can be used. I also do the same method for making silicone molds. Instead of pouring investment, I pour silicone.

I agree!

that might be true, sadly...

John Heisz just added a 3d printer to his wood shop. Check out what he’s been doing with it. I tried sharing link to his channel but I guess it got deleted.

Cheers!

Thank You! You already did, just by taking time to comment. Much appreciated.

Imagine the advantages that smooth glass heat-bed could add to that... The mating of the plaster-halves would be even more precise.

Thank You for sharing the trick. Do you think it also applies to very small/stubborn quantities of water?

@@ShakeTheFuture yes, as long as there is moisture. It's critical in ceramics, so the pieces don't explode in the kiln.

Thanks for the tip!

Thanks!

well, since it worked, evidently you don't (i.e. it doesn't matter if there's a bit of moisture left) though yeah you shouldn't tempt fate. I think the easiest solution (depending where you live) is to just get a pyrolysis oven, which will do 400C+ in cleaning mode. or make a crude kiln with refractory cement, a pid controller and some kiln coils if pyro ovens aren't common where you live.

@@satibel working doesn’t necessarily mean the mold is dry. It means that the geometry of the mold was not such that the escaping water was confined enough to make a bubble blow molten metal in your face.

Thanks for the info. Yes, wearing a PPE is a must!

Cheers!

Thank You!

Thanks!

Thank You! It's good to know.

That was the first G-code I used. It also traveled a shorter distance at some point during the 2-minute shaking. However, I recently changed the G-code to begin using shorter distances right from the start just like you suggested. Indeed, it's better that way 👍 Cheers!

Last time I bought 8mm aluminium rope-crimps from AliExpress (around 1kg). They are a good size for my crucibles, and it worked out to be quite cheap. Next time, I'll get some ingots from AliExpress or somewhere else. Since I live in an apartment, it's not very convenient for me to cut metal to fit into the crucible, so I prefer to buy smaller pieces of metal, like cable-crimps or ingots. For brass, I just buy some pipe fittings from the local hardware store. For copper, I buy some copper pipes and cut them with a pipe cutter. That's my favorite way to cut metal to size. For cast iron, I just buy 0.5-1 kg weight plates. I have a lot of 1 kg weights in stock from my failed bodybuilding days :) I recently bought a 0.5 kg weight plate from a sports shop and was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under 2 euros. It's one of the cheapest metals and it casts beautifully, but it is a pain to cut it into smaller pieces. I usually make a cut with the saw and then go outside and break the plate with a hammer.

I agree that sand casting is much quicker and less wasteful, but there are some advantages to other methods that I'll demonstrate in future projects, such as the dice example at the end of the video. That said, I have never done sand casting, so I might not know what I am talking about 😊 Thanks for the comment!

With the pattern softened for removal I don't see this method limited to sand casting draft requirements. On the other hand, if drafting is satisfied a pattern might be reused.

Is that's what it is? Aluminium bronze?

@@ShakeTheFuture Looked up the melting temps: brass: 930°C (1710°F); Aluminum Bronze*: 1027-1038°C (1881-1900°F) There are different alloys, but when obtaining "brass" from scrap metal (especially door handles that are more ornamental), you may well encounter Al bronze.

Thank you!

Cheers!

Even limited undercut if my guess is right.

Honestly, I have no idea, but what I do want to try is leaving the wet mold in the car. Since I live in Spain and it's summertime, I might cut down on my electrical bill 💰💰💰

Well, it's not better or worse, it's just different, and yes, it is more wasteful indeed. Of course, with sand casting, you don't need to use an oven and the sand can be reused. However, this method is great if you want to do some metal casting as a busy person, assuming the files are provided by the community. It doesn't take a lot of time, I mean YOUR time. Also as I mentioned in the video, with this method you can cast items that would be impossible or difficult to cast using sand casting. Cheers!

@@ShakeTheFuture I'm looking forward to seeing the dice video

Thank You Marc!

Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks! I'll be making another video with more examples of this method. I'll demonstrate how it's possible to do a bit more complicated casts.

Thank You for the tip! 👍

Yes, you can sinter using the microwave, but I have not done it myself. There are some people doing it on UA-cam.