Print-Wave Metal Casting: A Different Approach to Metal melting
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- Опубліковано 24 чер 2024
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skl.sh/shakethefuture06241
In this video, I demonstrate a new kind of metal casting method.
It's similar to sand casting, but it's not.
We use investment to make moulds from 3D printed objects, but there is no need to do a burnout.
So it can be done without using a kiln.
Mario's Star www.printables.com/model/6732...
Butter Knife www.printables.com/model/9212... - Навчання та стиль
no clickbait ,super informative and inspiring content -that is what UA-cam used to be. Thank you!
Thank You! I am glad you like it.
This is the most underrated channel on you tube. This guy is awesome. Thanks for sharing the knowledge.
It definitely IS. I never comment, but I came to say the same, this is premium content !
Thank You very much for the kind words!
Here is a trick for knowing when the plaster is dry. After drying it, let it go to room temperature, then place your hand on the surface. If it feels cool, it's still moist. If it feels warm, its dry. (If it is dry it will feel warm even at room temperature). We use this trick all the time making ceramics.
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.
Great video again! I hope I am not dead before I can reach this point of my Bucket List...
I hope not 😀
This is incredible! The mold process, the melting process, the information...
What a great channel, thank you!
Thank You very much for taking the time to leave the comment.
The "Brass" is most likely ZAMAC of some sort. It flowed very nicely which is charactaristic of ZAMAC.
I see, Thanks for the info. I heard about zamac, but never tried it...purposely 😂
Yes. Looks like zamak. A very common material in door handles and many other things. It's a really nice material for casting. Melts at lower temperature and thus have a lower shrinkage. And it's easier to find than brass
@@jabonet I'll need to check my collection of door handles and see if I have more. Then I can "purposely" try it out.
@@ShakeTheFuture I use two ways of checking if it is zamak. One is measuring the density of the piece. By weight in dry and underwater. The second way is to scratch the surface of the metal and put a bit of copper sulfate solution. If it turns black it is zinc based and probably zamak. In Spain it is sold as antifungal in any place that deals with plants. Usually blue color.
@@jabonet Yeah, blue... I´ve heard, man can dissolve those blue copper- sulfate-granules, and use the solution to copper-plate steel/iron, with a DC-source, and a sacrificial piece of copper.
What a truly inspirational video. Like all great ideas, they are so obvious once you are shown it. I have just started putting together the necessary items to build my own metal melting workshop. I have spent hundreds of hours watching videos and reading articles and no one comes close to how you do it.
Thank You for taking time to leave a comment. It's always nice to know that the people found the video/information useful.
Wow. Most underrated maker channel on UA-cam!
Thank You!
I"m just sitting here in my underpants saying "holy shit" repeatedly. Incredible. One of the most integral processes to modern humans industrialization has just been meaningfully iterated. so smart to recognize the application of the microwave.
Imagine the advantages that smooth glass heat-bed could add to that... The mating of the plaster-halves would be even more precise.
That butter knife came out great.
Maybe making a batch of tall "funnels" out of investment to make the pouring sprue longer, then stick them onto the moulds with bit of investment as glue?
That silver metal the door handles were made from is probably Zamak, a pretty common zinc-based die-casting metal.
Thanks! Well, you can always carve out the investment. It's very easy to do it after microwaving while the investment is still wet. I did not do it with the butter knife, since I have a silicon carbide ring, but I could have done that instead. One of those wax carving/sculpting tools that looks like a letter "U" attached to a stick works very good.
I think, that it was a proof-of-concept.video, where he knows, that it´d be better off with long sprues, and still doesn´t use any, cause in this case, it still worked out well. Pouring steel, if I got it right... With a 3d-printer and a mirowave-oven, mind you. That´s Startrek-level stuff.
Severely underrated channel and methods 👍🏻 great work.
Thank You very much!
Thank you for this video. Seriously. I've been considering how best to make a mold for some things I want to make, using many materials, but often using 3d printing to help create the mold itself, but I haven't been able to figure out which way to go about it for reliable and reusable results. This seems like the best method so far.
THE most significant use for 3D printers i have seen since 3D printers became an affordable thing.
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.
30 seconds in, based on what you said, I would have normally stopped watching the video figuring it was just hype. But since I've seen your other videos, instead, I continued watching, knowing that you do stuff I didn't think was possible. Not to mention things I don't think I would be willing to do. Like putting wet plaster right onto the build plate! WTF???? LOL
Your videos are making me want to do things I am very nervous about doing. Though I'm still incredibly concerned about the danger aspects, and I don't have a microwave, so who knows.
I would love a video on a deep dive on stainless steel casting. I heard you say that it can be done, but you aren't sure if you could melt enough for the butter knife. A whole video figuring that out would be of great interest to me.
Thanks again for another great video!
Melting points
Brass 930C
Aluminium 660C
Stainless steel 1,500C
It's a very different ball game.
Thanks! Yeah, stainless steel needs a lot of heat. So far, I have successfully melted a few stainless steel nuts (A2-70). I am talking about quantities enough to cast a ring. Because it requires such high heat, I had to use a few tricks to melt it. Preheating the crucible and using smaller crucibles helped. That's why I'm unsure if I can manage larger quantities, but I'll definitely try and make a video about it. Cheers!
@@dougaltolan3017 Well, it isn´t a different ball game apparently, if one only handles smaller amounts, like, for a big butterknife... Mind you, only with a 3d-printer, plaster, and a microwave oven...!!! Imagine what one could do with TWO microwave ovens...!!!
I have been using this method for a few weeks know and it works wonders. You can add gating and a top feeder to the pattern to fill the mold from the bottom - minimize turbulence and porosity. Safety tip - don't leave the plaster for too long before casting - it will pick up moisture fast (anhydrous gypsum is used as a dessicant).
I think an accelerometer testing g-code would be great for popping bubbles of various sizes, as it passes through a huge range of frequencies.
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!
Neat technique! I saw you patiently sanding with a Dremel. Bosch makes a cute 12V cordless die grinder that’s great for shaping and polishing metal parts. So satisfying.
Thanks for the suggestion.
This is a great idea. You can even do it with non drafted things. Im def going to try this! Tyvm sir!
Cheers!
Even limited undercut if my guess is right.
This is amazing! Why didn't anyone popularize it earlier!
The first *500* people to use my link in the description will
receive a one month free trial of Skillshare!
skl.sh/shakethefuture06241
Even though this method does not replace *Lost PLA casting* , it's amazing and has its own strengths and weaknesses. I can cast items that I could not before due to the size limitations of the kiln. Sure, there will be people who say that it's much easier to do sand casting. It might be. If you are into sand casting, all power to you. This is just another way. Some people might prefer to use plaster/investment molds over sand casting. It's great for people who just want to try out metal casting. This method has taken over a significant portion of my metal casting projects.
It's great, and the future videos I'll be sharing will demonstrate that you can cast objects way more complicated than a butter knife. We are only getting started
Add salt to your plaster to speed up the curing time. You can get it to set within minutes, depending on the amount of salt. (A great tip that I got from a dental prosthetic maker)
Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out!
Zinc, or some zinc alloy, from my experience in the foundry industry. When I worked for National Zinc Processors, we would see all sorts of spouts and handles come in for recycling. Awesome work as always and looking forward to your channel growth.
Awesome work like usual. Your videos are always an immediate click. Thanks from Brazil, man
Thank You! I am glad you find them useful.
This is a super cool technique. Great video.
my guess for your non-brass is ZAMAK/Zamac. easy to cast, low melting point around 400°C, good surface finish, strong enough for most uses
Thank You! It's good to know.
Fantastic idea!!
Excellent work. 👍
Excellent as usual!
Thank You!
Great video. Thanks for making it.
Thank You Marc!
This is very nice, well done.
Thank You very much!
Innovative as always.
Thank You!
The second doorknob was probably Zamak: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak
This is sweet thanks a lot! Shaking the investment on the printer for shorter distances and at higher frequency, rough guess like 60 hz, (think input shaper calibration) might get more bubbles out
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!
If you're going to use that knife, you'll want to test it for lead content. The white metal is a zinc alloy, like zamak.
Thank You for the tip! 👍
Brilliant!
Cheers!
btw if you need higher temperatures, get a broken toaster oven for free, a kiln coil and pid controller for 10-15 bucks each, and a bag of refractory concrete for 5-10 bucks.
you can add insulation around to make it more efficient (and reach higher temps) too.
Very clever!
Thank you!
Ohhhhhhh. The microwave is on its side. Shew that took me way too long to realize.
Yes, Indeed 😂
Brilliant 👏 🎉❤
I really like this method. I look forward to trying it out. I'm glad to see you have sponsors. Where do you buy your plaster? What type of plaster can be used and which to avoid? Thanks in advance.
Thanks! For Mario's star, I used a professional investment called "Unicast Prestige." The butter knife was cast using just ordinary dental Plaster of Paris. I live in Spain, and I got it from the "Dentalix" store. For this method, you'll want to use plaster that isn't as brittle. For example, for Lost PLA casting, I sometimes use the cheapest construction plaster I can find. For this method, it's better to use something a bit stronger since you'll need to pull the PLA out of the mold. Dental Plaster of Paris works fine. If you are doing something with a lot of detail or hills and valleys, like letters, you might want to use something a bit stronger like Ultracal or Hydrocal. Using mold release can also help. For now, I use Vaseline, but I want to try out mold release sprays.
@@ShakeTheFuture Thank you!
Your content is always fantastic, thank you !
Have you tried to anneal you printed object with your microwave ?
It should be really fast and efficient.
Thanks! I have not done that. That's something I should probably explore. Cheers!
Especially for copper based alloys, have you tried spraying the inside of the mold with a very fine graphite powder mixed with alcohol (dries, burns out quickly)?
Thanks for the info. I have never tried or heard about it. I might try it out. Cheers!
I wish i could super like this video
I would run the printer bed at higher frequency shorter motion to get a better and faster bubble removal.
Another innovative casting technique, _thanks!_ 11:00 maybe tin?
Yeah, zink is the same metal as tin, I think ... Very good for casting too, with preeeetty low melting-temperature...!!!
Nice!
Cheers!
Genius!
Cheers!
I totally didn't know you could just melt any pla in a microwave like that. Very cool. Any caveats I should know about?
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.
Now I am wondering if this could be used for some kind of injection molding of plastics.
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.
The gun parts printing crowd is going to flip out when they see this.
that might be true, sadly...
This is a good idea however you DO need w kiln to dry it. Some of the water is locked in the plaster and will not be driven off until you can get it above 600F and keep it there. Most ovens do not get hot enough. Sometimes you will get lucky and it will work without a kiln, but eventually you’ll have one blow up in your face. Do not even attempt this without an apron and a face shield.
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.
mold release before pouring plaster.
Yes, sometimes I use some Vaseline. I will tray mold-release spray. Cheers!
Would it be possible to freeze dry the mold to get rid of the moisture? I wonder if that would be more efficient.
I don't know anything about freeze-drying, so I wouldn't know. Cheers!
Interesting idea but it will only work for a pattern that can be withdrawn with the necessary draft so I see no advantage over sand casting which is much quicker and an indefinite number of castings can be made from one pattern.
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.
Can you use metal powder so you do not have to pour hot metal. Like sintering.
Yes, you can sinter using the microwave, but I have not done it myself. There are some people doing it on UA-cam.
I don't know if brass can be food unsafe. Some times may contain arsenic and lead... Be careful.
Thanks for the tip.
I wanted to say "some types". There's probably food safe brass out there but I don't know what's the actual proportion, so personally I would avoid it for food usage just in case.
The other metal is most likely zamak (mostly zinc and aluminium)
How about the weakness of the moulds with the gypsum in it it tends to turn yellow and break easily if you fire it in a kiln. And if you don't fire it in a kiln the water moisture is still in the mould enough to cause defects on the castings when metals as hot as bronze containing copper are poured in? What are your ratios of the investment? Am I right in saying that this is better for smaller objects? And what type of build plate surface do you use so the plaster does not mess up the bed surface for the next print?
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
Any chance pulling a vacuum on plaster may improve drying without heat.
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 💰💰💰
I like it. Note that if you print your mould with soft TPU, that you could skip the microwave step. Print some placement guides and you could even re-use the TPU.
Thanks. Well, I have not tested all the flexibles, but one I tried years ago did stick to the plaster and it was almost impossible to remove it. That said, it was years ago. I should give it another try. Cheers!
@@ShakeTheFuture you could try spraying mineral oil as a mold release
@@ShakeTheFuture Car spray sheen products are supposed to support release.
but why not dry plaster in microwave? It worked for me quite well but I've never done metal casting
It does not remove water completely, and microwaving too much can crack the mold or cause the microwave to overheat. Once there is no food, water, or crucible in the microwave to absorb the energy, the magnetron will start to heat up even more, causing the thermal cut-off switch to activate and cut off the power. Doing this repeatedly risks damaging the magnetron. I am not saying that it cannot work, but it is something I cannot advise doing. Cheers!
@@ShakeTheFuture thank you! Found the answer in video as well! Great job!
I like your projects a lot, did you tried with alluminium from car rims? I'm not sure about what language to use because i've saw that you're in spain, y want to have a long conversation with you because i honestly thout that i have ideas that can be usefull for you and you should have tricks for me, anyway Like from Galicia!
Thanks! Yes, indeed I live in Spain, but I am originally from Latvia and my Spanish is not as good as my English. I suppose Kefir from Mercadona or the plastic bags gave it away 😂😂
@@ShakeTheFuture if you need assistance or help with a printer send me a mensage 😉
@@somathebest Thanks!
Where do you source metal? A friend gave you the door handles, but what about the rest?
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.
Is this plaster of Paris you are using?
The star molds was made using "Unicast prestige" investment. The butter knife mold was only dental Plaster of Paris.
I love seeing new and innovative ideas, but isn't this much more expensive and wasteful than typical sand casting?
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
11:00 Zamak? ua-cam.com/video/MoxK2hWN4LIt/v-deo.html=372 Apparently it's used a lot in household fixtures.
Oh yeah, I have seen that. Maybe it is. Cheers!
Wait!! can you melt metal with microwave ?
Yes you can 😊
Should cast yourself a real set of crucible tongs
I agree!
"Brass"
.. finds aluminium bronze
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.