This first phase was fun and I have learned a lot:
1. The wax model needs to be as perfect as possible. I will rework details and also “polish” it to make surfaces as smooth as possible. I got a “Polysher” made by PolyMaker that uses alcohol fog to smooth the surfaces of the model. When I consider making rings I guess my standard 3D printer will not be good enough to print fine details. I might have to invest in a resin printer. But for the flute I should be fine.
2. I have to think more about the structure of the wax tree. The objective should be to have as little support structures touching the piece but still make sure the liquid metal gets everywhere. On the other hand I also need to reduce the “waste” especially when using the expensive silver later on.
3. I will put more time into creating the investment. I got a cheap electric mixer and a basic vacuum pot. This will help in getting the investment fluid very smooth. I will still try to live without vacuum when pouring the metal into the mold. The vacuum pot will not work for that step and an appropriate machine is pretty expensive. Another change will be how I burnout the mold. I will use the slower burnout cycles as recommended by the supplier (see image below).
4. I have to be more patient 😉 I will use the slow burnout cycle when burning the mold. It will take more than 6 hours but might be worth it to make sure the mold does not have any cracks because of fast heat-up.
I guess that’s it for now. Overall I am very happy with the first try but stay tuned for Phase 1 – Second Iteration!
