Zamak12 available at rotometals.com Want me to personally teach you how to use your 3d printer to make whatever you want in metal? Click here: paulsmakeracademy.mykajabi.com/joinus
The ducting you showed was single wall HVAC pipe. That garbage offgasses when heated, and if you're not in a well ventilated area, you can develop heavy metal poisoning. You should have a disclaimer in there. Great video though, gonna try this.
I honestly can't think of many things that don't release gasses or harmful fumes when heated, especially with a torch. Most people won't drink out of a plastic bottle if it sat in the sun for 5 minutes. At this point it is common knowledge.
@@stevenbradley6572 Zinc has a special place in toxin heaven... It is not comparable to the "toxins" you get from a plastic bottle. Plus: This also happens to people who know the danger. So no, THIS is NOT common knowledge. (I have the feeling you live in a world, where everything is toxic)
Its galvanized yes, but zamak also contains mostly zinc lol, do it outside, get a fan, and if you aren't sure, wear a respirator with good filters. TLDR: Don't breathe any of the fumes in this process, didnt think that needed saying, but there.
This is a genius idea. I don't want to break the bank on equipment, but investment casting seems to be the way to go for me. If this method works, then you just saved me a lot of money. Now all I have to do is find a way to obtain a burnout oven for cheap :P
The ducts might be and are probably galvanized. Be mindful that heat will cause the zinc coating to vaporize. When zinc vaporizes, it can create zinc oxide fumes. Great tips love your content
You're focused on the micron-thin layer of zinc on the ducts, which never gets especially hot in the first place, rather than the hundreds of grams of molten ZAMAK, which is 96% zinc.
The only problem with Zamak, aside of relatively low melting point, that its kind of brittle material. In comparison, nylon is much stronger and actually sometimes even PLA is a better choice over Zamak.
Claim - this stuff works, well wow it really does. I’m new here and this is a breath of fresh air! Good clear advice or info delivered at a fast pace and good shots of casts that are just fab. Like it a lot, thanks Paul.
Polycast is great, the tip about prepainting with plaster is genius, especially for people without a vacuum chamber, so yah I concur, good advice here. I would suggest making sure you only use that vent tube outside only cuz it will poison you otherwise, and if you want higher resolution resin printing with burnout resin works the same as pla printing with burnout PLA but at a much higher rez. Couldn't have given better advice myself.
I used to do lost wax casting for Jewelry at a college and I wanted to get back into it for a long time. Thank you so much for this video. I just found your channel. Really looking forward to using Zamack Ingots and experimenting with all that, can’t wait to start making stuff!
When I was like 14 I met a retired dentist in my neighborhood who had a whole jewelry casting workshop in his backyard. He taught me how to do lost wax casting and nickel and gold plating. One of the best memories of my childhood, I stopped playing videogames and football for a few months I went to his house almost every afternoon
For jewelers who want to cast small parts with fine details, a resin printer may be a better option. There is a resin equivalent of polycast that has (casting) properties very similar to wax, and a lot of jewelers have started to use this.
Polycast is definitely a solid step up from PLA, been using it for a couple of years now. It works great for small scale casting but gets a little squirrely when casting larger prints in ceramic shell. Good video, dig your channel.
@@privateprivate3767 @paulsGarage The amount of infill for me depends on the size of the print. smaller prints are closer to 20% larger print (over 12" high) ill drop to 10%. The other variable is whether the print /object is a solid vs a thin walled hollow. Less for a sold, more for hollow. Ideally the less material you need to burn out the better.
This one video got a thumbs up and a subscribe from me. Thank you for this. I own a small business specializing in restoration of vintage automotive related hobbies such as racing karts, motorcycles and specialty cars and trucks. I am a professional fabricator and often times I have to methodically recreate broken or worn out parts that can not be purchased at any price. I have been seriously considering purchasing a decent 3d printer just for this purpose of assisting in sand casting and slurry casting of one off parts. Everything you said is music to the ears. Thank you again.
That sounds awesome! That's why I got into metal casting, i wanted to make car parts. I got a bit distracted with 3d printing and fell way down the metal casting rabbit hole while my car project just sits there haha! This video isn't the ideal way to do it, actually. For plaster investment casting, I would use jewelry wax for sprues, and a vacuum casting machine. Any big car parts should probably be sand cast, but things like metal radio knobs, door handles, hood ornaments could be resin printed for better quality. I've always wanted to make a custom set of cylinder heads or intake manifolds or something, but that's a "one day when I get to it" kind of project, you know? 3d printers and 3d modeling is a great way to get patterns for casting. I would add 3d scanning to that, too. It's not the scale you're talking about, but I scanned a power wheels toy mustang and printed a full new body for it to look like greased lightning (video sometime in the future), so you're in good company here! I will say though with sand casting, it's vital you get the gating right to avoid porosity and sand and junk in your metal castings. Good luck and let me know what you're making!
@@PaulsGarage I currently have a small part for a vintage racing kart that I'm trying to recreate. It is a small carburetor intake reed valve body that was originally probably die cast aluminum. The part has a rather complex shape as it holds either 4 of 6 metal or fiberglass reeds and stands about 2 inches tall by about 2 inches round at the base. Material wise there is maybe 4-5 oz of aluminum. Originally this part cost $6-$10 in 1966 when it was developed. If you can even find one today that is good usable part, expect to pay north of $100. I know of at least 20 other restorer's actively looking for multiple parts for current projects. Even if I made them in batches of 20 or more at a time, I bet they would sell out quick. I would like to utilize the 3d print to cast method for short runs of parts like this before I dump thousands into a cnc made billet steel die and a pressure casting rig for a $40 part.
I still like the idea of making a silicon mold using the pla print, casting in wax or simular other materials then casting a master mold by heating and melting the wax
My preferred method. It also gives you the option to tidy up and smooth those print lines on the wax model before the final cast. If I'm making multiples then I'll silicon mould from the improved wax model. Personally, this is the necessarily long route through the woods I have to take because I'm not a sculptor and rely on the printer to do the hard work. Not sure I'll rush to use Zanak... I think the fumes issue outweighs the convenience for me.
Fantastic video :o So many little gems of knowledge in here I'm not doing metal casting, and don't expect to be any time soon.... mayyybe some day - But that bit about painting some plaster onto the original print before making a mold of it, that's absolute genius. I've seen numerous casting videos before, and that's something /none/ of them have ever done - they've all either just accepted the bubbled pitting, or done crazy vacuum setups (and still accepted lesser pitting anyways)
Since PVB is dissolved by alcohol, and since plaster does not dissolve alcohol, could we consider clearing the PVB from the plaster in an ethanol bath?
Glad i got your video..its something new in this way you shared. And im actually planning on casting something in a lost pla method. I will use pla as its what i have. 😅
you can add silica sand or the red material like on the tennis court in the plaster for better resilience to heat and it doesn't crack as much when you do the burnout. 50/50 proportion sand and plaster
Please make a complete beginning guide to casting after you do it in ideal conditions. I'm looking to build a casting area in the shop... No idea the full scope of things.
Good idea! That's quite an undertaking, id have to separate it up into sand casting, investment casting, etc... Most people don't do all of it. I've never done ceramic shell casting or vacuum casting for example. But it's a good idea to get it all in one place. That would be a super long video though haha
@@PaulsGarage that's super fair. I am currently figuring out the melting of metal. I have no idea what a crucible is or where to get/make it. Kiln vs. forge vs. oven etc. I will research it once I have a solid project to execute, but this is so niche... The basics are often over looked and everyone kinda starts at step two, and assumes we know step 0 and 1. Like can I build a ceramic kiln that can melt steel... It seems like it should be possible... But does anyone actually do it? Why not?
So about that lathe bed... I have the pattern, I made those big flasks and then (dramatic pause) I realized I didn't have enough casting sand lol. I ordered more and the box just came in yesterday 👍
I recently thought of molds made with PVA, as it is water soluble, but with PVB it makes more sense mainly because it is easier to print, PVA ends up getting moisture very easily, which makes printing difficult, maybe HIPS would be an option , since it is soluble in delimonene. For those who still prefer PLA, Esun has PLA High flow, perhaps because of its ease of melting, it helps in the lost casting process.
Thank you for showing,I do have a quest, could you Try Esun Emate low Temp PCL filament for casting, as you can melt it at 65C but would love to know if it would be any good. as it prints pefectly with no layer lines.
@@PaulsGarage I love Esun Products, and to say Mainly I use the PLA + for tools I hope to have a go at casting using Esun Emate low temp as much cheaper than Polycast
Not dead yet! I must not have been the only one to comment on your slapdash (haven’t seen that word in a while, I bet) methods. Anyway, fun stuff, ya crazy guy.
Probably yes. Lots of those kinds of parts are cast, though they tend to be die cast for production purposes. You would probably want aluminum though to save weight and that doesn't flow as nicely into details, but you can get around that in a couple ways
This is great 😃I've looked for easily castable (low temperature) alloys before, but didn't find much worth having. Zamak looks like it's pretty much perfect for most applications, unless weight is really an issue. Zamak 5 is known in the EU as Z410 and has mechanical properties close to 6061 aluminium. By weight it's cheaper but by volume it's around the same price as aluminium (at least from the suppliers that I have access to). Thanks for the great video 😊
I've been looking into ways of 3D printing a steering knuckle for my kid's Go Kart. It's got suspension, big wheels and a top speed of just 40kph, so I think it won't hurt giving Zamak a try for that purpose.
I'm sure it would. The highest metal you could melt with a at home smelter is aluminum, gold, silver, copper, brass, maybe cast iron if it's a good one.
great question. Yes PVB is alcohol solluable, but that could screw with the plaster, too. This plaster isn't ideal, but even something like prestige optima (the plaster I use now) shouldn't be dunked in liquid. The burnout process i just as much melting out the plastic as it is "firing" the plaster mold (think firing pottery- drying it out but also sintering particles together). This changes if you try using something like "suspend-a-slurry" ceramic shell. I dont' know if that can handle alcohol, but it can definitely be dunked in water before firing. I know some sculptors who boil those molds to get the wax out (so they can re-use it) but even then, they have to fire the ceramic shell anyway before casting. If you want to cast metal from a 3D print and you don't want to fire the mold, I would suggest sand casting instead. You can't make that triceratops head, but you can do a LOT with sand casting.
Really cool! I'm starting to lean toward plating pla though. Recent videos show that if you paint it with a conductive graphite paint, it can be plated with nickel, and then other metals like gold on top of the nickel.
That plating stuff is really awesome. It looks great in my opinion, but the end result is different. I'd rather have a piece that's solid metal, with all the weight, but not everybody is like me.
I've just gotten into Lost PLA, I started using Ovature Black PLA and using an air compressor to blow it the mold after burn out and Its been working really well. I'm going to look into poly cast filament though. word to the wise though, those galvanized stove pipe will burn up and oxidize way too fast, you are better off getting a cut off of square tubing or steel pipe. stainless steel if possible.
Air compressor is the only way I've heard of people successfully cleaning a PLA burnout, but I'm worried some molds might not get clean enough with that. No idea though, never tried. And good call about the thicker steel. These pipes don't look too good after use but the temps weren't as high as if I was doing bronze. Eventually I want to do vacuum casting so beefier flasks are totally a must
I've reused the metal a whole bunch of times, no issues. Za12 should only be zinc and aluminum, and i barely heat it up to liquid. Zinc has the reputation for boiling off because brass (copper alloyed with zinc) melts at a temperature *above* zincs boiling point. Keep it barely liquid and it shouldn't boil off at all, certainly not enough to screw up the alloy. Especailly with Za12, because zinc and aluminum aren't very sensitive as an alloy. you can basically have no aluminum or lots of aluminum and everything in the middle is ok, as long as you keep any and all lead as far away as possible.
I'm immediately curious if you can blue (nope) or anodize (yup, but don't yet know how practice it is to do at home) zamak, or how well it takes a powder coat or what paints will bond the best for a part ment to be handled... I'll dig around, just sharing the thoughts your video prompted 😊
Can you give a quick and dirty guestimate of what it would cost, equipment wise to do this on the cheaper end, but not so cheap I'd end up buying better equipment soon after? No need to take the time break it down, just in the ballpark is fine. Assuming all I already have is a printer. TIA, Great info!
Hard to put an exact number on it but at minimum you need something to burn out the mold and something to melt the metal. One foundry furnace set up from an Amazon seller like vevor might work as long as you keep temperatures low, but a devil forge would be a step up. You could use the furnace for both like I did here. Plaster, filament, and the steel vents/soup cans etc... Are expendable, though, so prices go up the more you do it. Ideally you would have a small electric furnace to melt the metal and a small burnout oven, but prices go up considerably
I've used MoldLay before with great results. It's the same price as polycast, but it's a wax filament that's easy to print with and melts out of the mold super easily.
It flows better and melts colder than all aluminum alloys, but the closest comparison is probably a great sand casting alloy like A356. This still needs about 400 degrees less heat, and still flows better than a356, while being stronger too. It's not light like aluminum though, it's really heavy.
If you want another tip, they make burnout resins too for lost RESIN casting from a 3d printer. They cost like 50 bucks a kilo, but they are WORTH IT. The quality is 100 times better than any fdm printer you own.. my fiance and i are doing our wedding rings using it to make a really pretty set of custom rings.
It is always nice to see people discovering decade-old technology when looking to improve their new found technologies. Zamak is cheap-ish (not much cheaper than the alternatives anymore), easy to handle, relatively strong. Of course it also has its downsides - it is extremely susceptible to contaminations. Ever touched lead with the tongs you use to pick the Zamak? You just contaminated your zamak and it might rot away with just a few years. And while it is strong it loses strength with time and lacks some of the nice-to-have properties other materials have. Aluminium i significantly lighter and corrosion-resistant, iron (yes way harder to melt) is stronger and cheaper, copper has higher electric and thermal conductivity while also being more pliable etc. But for pure decorative parts casting Zamak is great.
Is the math correct? I usually find good-great PLA from $16-22USD for 1Kg spools, where this PolyCast (from your link in the description) is $50USD for 750g spools ($66.66USD / Kg). Regardless, that looks like pretty good filament to use. The triceratops bust looks fantastic.
Yes definitely. People use this to make bronze stuff too, that can handle far higher temperatures. Maybe special plaster could handle iron too? But definitely not plaster of Paris
I use this lightweight PLA for printing RC airplane stuff. Well, it basically prints out styrofoam, and I wonder if it would work for burning out molds.
Not sure. That stuff expands a lot right? I would be worried about it expanding too much and cracking the mold. Do you print the 3D lab print stuff? I have a few of those models, they are really cool
duct tape commercial grade makes a permanent seal. no breakdown or oxydiizing. everywhere that carries a large selection only has cheep stuff or has one small size of one fair/good type at a very high price
Not sure I'd go with metal for that. The reason stone is used is because the hardness of silica is way above most other things including metal. I don't think I'd want to risk metal bits in food. Some metal can be toxic. Rocks bits (sand), other than being sharp, are chemically inert.
I don't know if you're in that world at all, but I wonder how this could be used for the 3D2A world. Zamak used to be used in a lot of mass produced Saturday night specials back into he day. With PLA+ already being plenty strong, zamak could be that next step, especially for some frames that need the barrel pinned directly to it.
Instead of filling the pipe with plaster, just coat the print with sufficient thickness of plaster to make the mould surface and then set it in dry sand inside your pipe container before burning it out.
The burnout and casting process is exactly the same. Whatever you can print with polycast filament (or castable resin), you can cast in metal. Layer lines come through though, so beware of that. Polycast smooths with alcohol (IPA) which helps. I have some more recent videos with lost resin casting, all using plaster, but FDM prints might be better with ceramic shell casting, since that works better for larger prints. Not saying you can't use plaster, but the plaster can get expensive in large quantities
Thanks for the video! I never comment on videos but you seem like a decent guy so I wanted to say please, please don't melt zinc alloys in steel/iron alloy containers. Molten zinc acts like a solvent on iron alloys and will dissolve them. You'll lift your soup can from your foundry and have 4lbs of 1,000*F liquid dump out of the bottom. Also, since the steel is dissolved into the alloy, you can have weird pockets of rust develop over time which isn't really a problem for decorative things like you made in the video but if you were to make something structural or for outdoor use it would lead to pockets, bubbles, and weaknesses that you won't know are there until it breaks apart. I truly didn't mean to rant, zamak alloys are a life saver for detail work. There are several engine parts that can be great sources of cheap zamak also, carbs and throttle bodies in particular. Thanks again and good luck!
Not quite, I used a glue stick as a quick and easy way to make a sprue. The rest, like the vents, look like wax straws but are just straight pieces of the same polycast burnout filament. It worked pretty well but I think wax is probably easier to work with
The plaster needs to be in a block like that for strength. Ceramic shell uses just a coating but it's a lot stronger and reinforced with sand. Similar idea though
It's probably possible. I think as long as you keep temperatures down it would be fine. I've never seen zamak used as injection molds but plastic temperature is probably plenty low enough not to mess with the metal
@@PaulsGarage yeah cool, I've been looking for quick iteration solutions, mainly for hdpe so fairly low temp, around 200c. Seems depending on the composition, Zamak is around 380c so it seems like it might work. The other question is how long the molds will last. I've not found any documentation on trying this anywhere so far. It seems like a fairly obvious alternative solution to cnc molds, so there's a decent probability it's a no go. But as thet say, if you never try..
Foil tape is a little more annoying to use than duct tape. Understatement of the year? It's an early year so maybe. Great videos too, glad the algorithm lead me here.
They also sell wax filament. Every try that? (I've been wondering if it's worth buying or not, but by your description of the PLA ash that's left behind, it might be.)
I've heard this metal machines well but only with sharp tools. In my experience it scrapes easily, drills a bit harder than aluminum, and will gum up sand paper and grinding disks very quickly. I recommend flap disks instead
If you only had one furnace, could you burn out the plastic then fill the mold with shot (small pieces of the casting metal) and let it melt inside the mold, or would that not work?
There's a reason we use wax in "lost wax method". Printing in wax is a pain but back in college we'd dissolve grocery bags in the wax to harden its solid form to prep bronze molds. Point being, try polyethylene filament (grocery bags) and that may be the next best material to wax. Should be inexpensive.
Finally, a Lost Wax casting process using 3D printed patterns that will make parts that work for real-world machines. Hi Point makes their firearms out Zmac ZA-12
For resins I'm not sure, but this filament is probably more expensive because it's a niche product, so volumes are lower, there are no fillers that would benefit the printing process because those might leave ash, and there is higher quality control. At least that's what the marketing says. Who knows if its true lol it does work though
Love your videos but I’m apparently extremely lazy. I bought some pvb minutes after watching this video. I placed my print directly into my molding sand and burned it out. Then poured a perfect casting with silver. You should try it.
Helo Paul, some thing still i dont undestand... did you put the printed piece under water before you fill out the mold with metal casting? i know the PVA material cab be diluted on water but in your video i didnt saw that part, or maybe you replaced the PVA with the metal directly? whatever, thanks for your video!
Maybe soldered? I haven't tried any of this but standard tin based solder melts at a lower tempetature than zamak. Brazing operations or silver solder etc... are often hotter than zamak melting point, so be careful
I don't think ordinary solder would wet the Zamak. Even solder designed for aluminium may not, because of the zinc content. Beware of using flux or soldering fluid unless it's specifically tailored to Zamak, because it may cause ongoing corrosive attack. Zinc is a very vulnerable constituent, which is why unprotected brass turns to pink sponge and falls apart after prolonged exposure to salt water.
Zamak12 available at rotometals.com
Want me to personally teach you how to use your 3d printer to make whatever you want in metal? Click here: paulsmakeracademy.mykajabi.com/joinus
The ducting you showed was single wall HVAC pipe. That garbage offgasses when heated, and if you're not in a well ventilated area, you can develop heavy metal poisoning. You should have a disclaimer in there. Great video though, gonna try this.
Yeah it’s like the idiots recommending torching galvanized steel for “the pretty colors” it makes 🤦♂️
I honestly can't think of many things that don't release gasses or harmful fumes when heated, especially with a torch. Most people won't drink out of a plastic bottle if it sat in the sun for 5 minutes. At this point it is common knowledge.
@@stevenbradley6572 Zinc has a special place in toxin heaven... It is not comparable to the "toxins" you get from a plastic bottle. Plus: This also happens to people who know the danger. So no, THIS is NOT common knowledge.
(I have the feeling you live in a world, where everything is toxic)
T-shirt checks out.
Its galvanized yes, but zamak also contains mostly zinc lol, do it outside, get a fan, and if you aren't sure, wear a respirator with good filters.
TLDR: Don't breathe any of the fumes in this process, didnt think that needed saying, but there.
This feels like therapy or something... A Paul video with no spilling, stuff works, result looks great, Paul is happy... very nice
I definitely tried to screw that skull up but sometimes things just work lol
Pro tip…no vacuum chamber? a counter top foodsaver or equivalent with the hose attatchment for sealer jars👍
This is a genius idea. I don't want to break the bank on equipment, but investment casting seems to be the way to go for me. If this method works, then you just saved me a lot of money. Now all I have to do is find a way to obtain a burnout oven for cheap :P
The ducts might be and are probably galvanized. Be mindful that heat will cause the zinc coating to vaporize. When zinc vaporizes, it can create zinc oxide fumes.
Great tips love your content
Yes they are galvanized. Fortunately everything is already well ventilated for the plastic that's burning out and the propane 👍
@@PaulsGarage Bad answer, heavy metal poisoning wont make you sick or dizzy it will permanently ruin your life
@@PaulsGarage Good video nonetheless
That’s all I could think about when I saw that part. Zinc oxide is potent fatal. I did like the video otherwise 😊
You're focused on the micron-thin layer of zinc on the ducts, which never gets especially hot in the first place, rather than the hundreds of grams of molten ZAMAK, which is 96% zinc.
Can't wait to see the "right way" to do it, bc I have a vacuum chamber, and perforated flasks. Great stuff, always enjoy your videos! Keep it up!
I'm a couple pieces of equipment away from that but it's coming eventually👍
so... building a lathe out of Za-12?
I am indeed yes
I thought the question was a joke, but … cool! (A Gingery type thing or something more modern?)
@@DEtchells modified gingery lathe
The only problem with Zamak, aside of relatively low melting point, that its kind of brittle material. In comparison, nylon is much stronger and actually sometimes even PLA is a better choice over Zamak.
Many parts will work well done in Za12.
Claim - this stuff works, well wow it really does. I’m new here and this is a breath of fresh air! Good clear advice or info delivered at a fast pace and good shots of casts that are just fab. Like it a lot, thanks Paul.
Thanks!
Polycast is great, the tip about prepainting with plaster is genius, especially for people without a vacuum chamber, so yah I concur, good advice here. I would suggest making sure you only use that vent tube outside only cuz it will poison you otherwise, and if you want higher resolution resin printing with burnout resin works the same as pla printing with burnout PLA but at a much higher rez. Couldn't have given better advice myself.
UA-cam did that crap of just not showing me your videos on my subscriptions as if I had unsubscribed... Anyway, glad to have your videos back.
Yeah they do that lol it happens to us all
I used to do lost wax casting for Jewelry at a college and I wanted to get back into it for a long time.
Thank you so much for this video.
I just found your channel.
Really looking forward to using Zamack Ingots and experimenting with all that, can’t wait to start making stuff!
That's great! You can join the discord and share it with us if you want. Another good channel to look at is @vogman
When I was like 14 I met a retired dentist in my neighborhood who had a whole jewelry casting workshop in his backyard. He taught me how to do lost wax casting and nickel and gold plating.
One of the best memories of my childhood, I stopped playing videogames and football for a few months I went to his house almost every afternoon
That sounds like an amazing opportunity. I wish more people would get that opportunity!
For jewelers who want to cast small parts with fine details, a resin printer may be a better option. There is a resin equivalent of polycast that has (casting) properties very similar to wax, and a lot of jewelers have started to use this.
Polycast is definitely a solid step up from PLA, been using it for a couple of years now. It works great for small scale casting but gets a little squirrely when casting larger prints in ceramic shell. Good video, dig your channel.
Good to know about the larger prints, thanks!
what infill do you print Polycast for burn out? 80% 20%?
I usually go as low as possible, 10-20% for most prints and I made no adjustments for polycast
@@PaulsGarage thanx, you are really cool, I didn't even know this stuff existed
@@privateprivate3767 @paulsGarage The amount of infill for me depends on the size of the print. smaller prints are closer to 20% larger print (over 12" high) ill drop to 10%. The other variable is whether the print /object is a solid vs a thin walled hollow. Less for a sold, more for hollow. Ideally the less material you need to burn out the better.
This one video got a thumbs up and a subscribe from me. Thank you for this. I own a small business specializing in restoration of vintage automotive related hobbies such as racing karts, motorcycles and specialty cars and trucks. I am a professional fabricator and often times I have to methodically recreate broken or worn out parts that can not be purchased at any price. I have been seriously considering purchasing a decent 3d printer just for this purpose of assisting in sand casting and slurry casting of one off parts. Everything you said is music to the ears. Thank you again.
That sounds awesome! That's why I got into metal casting, i wanted to make car parts. I got a bit distracted with 3d printing and fell way down the metal casting rabbit hole while my car project just sits there haha! This video isn't the ideal way to do it, actually. For plaster investment casting, I would use jewelry wax for sprues, and a vacuum casting machine. Any big car parts should probably be sand cast, but things like metal radio knobs, door handles, hood ornaments could be resin printed for better quality. I've always wanted to make a custom set of cylinder heads or intake manifolds or something, but that's a "one day when I get to it" kind of project, you know? 3d printers and 3d modeling is a great way to get patterns for casting. I would add 3d scanning to that, too. It's not the scale you're talking about, but I scanned a power wheels toy mustang and printed a full new body for it to look like greased lightning (video sometime in the future), so you're in good company here!
I will say though with sand casting, it's vital you get the gating right to avoid porosity and sand and junk in your metal castings. Good luck and let me know what you're making!
@@PaulsGarage I currently have a small part for a vintage racing kart that I'm trying to recreate. It is a small carburetor intake reed valve body that was originally probably die cast aluminum. The part has a rather complex shape as it holds either 4 of 6 metal or fiberglass reeds and stands about 2 inches tall by about 2 inches round at the base. Material wise there is maybe 4-5 oz of aluminum. Originally this part cost $6-$10 in 1966 when it was developed. If you can even find one today that is good usable part, expect to pay north of $100. I know of at least 20 other restorer's actively looking for multiple parts for current projects. Even if I made them in batches of 20 or more at a time, I bet they would sell out quick. I would like to utilize the 3d print to cast method for short runs of parts like this before I dump thousands into a cnc made billet steel die and a pressure casting rig for a $40 part.
I still like the idea of making a silicon mold using the pla print, casting in wax or simular other materials then casting a master mold by heating and melting the wax
My preferred method. It also gives you the option to tidy up and smooth those print lines on the wax model before the final cast. If I'm making multiples then I'll silicon mould from the improved wax model. Personally, this is the necessarily long route through the woods I have to take because I'm not a sculptor and rely on the printer to do the hard work. Not sure I'll rush to use Zanak... I think the fumes issue outweighs the convenience for me.
Use PVA, it's water soluble filament. Skip a step.
Fantastic video :o
So many little gems of knowledge in here
I'm not doing metal casting, and don't expect to be any time soon.... mayyybe some day -
But that bit about painting some plaster onto the original print before making a mold of it, that's absolute genius. I've seen numerous casting videos before, and that's something /none/ of them have ever done - they've all either just accepted the bubbled pitting, or done crazy vacuum setups (and still accepted lesser pitting anyways)
LOL, your comment on John Snow was fantastic!
Great advice that I will remember as I start putting together my foundry setup. =]
Since PVB is dissolved by alcohol, and since plaster does not dissolve alcohol, could we consider clearing the PVB from the plaster in an ethanol bath?
Aside to the great content, I find you are also very funny, the narration is a joy when someone´s so funny !!!
Honestly glad I found this channel.its a no bullshit channel so far.pretty neat
What an info dump! I got tips for printing, glueing, smoothing, casting, and marital advice!
Just remember I'm not legally liable if you end up divorced 🤣 my advice *might not* be great
Apparently the algorithm has blessed me today by recommending this video. Very cool and interested to try your tips. Thanks!
The algorithm has been very kind to me lately
I love this channel. It reminds me of the RedGreen show, but I learn some real, actual, good tips. Thanks!
One day I hope to live up to the example set by red green 🤣
Glad i got your video..its something new in this way you shared. And im actually planning on casting something in a lost pla method. I will use pla as its what i have. 😅
you can add silica sand or the red material like on the tennis court in the plaster for better resilience to heat and it doesn't crack as much when you do the burnout. 50/50 proportion sand and plaster
Dang! I know what I'm dong now! Awesome stuff, thanks for sharing. Your videos are great and your a great entertainer!
Thanks! i'm glad i could help
Please make a complete beginning guide to casting after you do it in ideal conditions. I'm looking to build a casting area in the shop... No idea the full scope of things.
Good idea! That's quite an undertaking, id have to separate it up into sand casting, investment casting, etc... Most people don't do all of it. I've never done ceramic shell casting or vacuum casting for example. But it's a good idea to get it all in one place. That would be a super long video though haha
@@PaulsGarage that's super fair. I am currently figuring out the melting of metal. I have no idea what a crucible is or where to get/make it. Kiln vs. forge vs. oven etc.
I will research it once I have a solid project to execute, but this is so niche... The basics are often over looked and everyone kinda starts at step two, and assumes we know step 0 and 1.
Like can I build a ceramic kiln that can melt steel... It seems like it should be possible... But does anyone actually do it? Why not?
As you sort of mentioned if you do lost PLA you absolutely have to use natural PLA with no colorants.
Good point, I think as little junk in there to leave ash the better
Great info. You had me on the edge of my seat waiting for a big bed pour…
So about that lathe bed... I have the pattern, I made those big flasks and then (dramatic pause) I realized I didn't have enough casting sand lol. I ordered more and the box just came in yesterday 👍
Ive done this before with polysmooth! Works so well.
How is polysmooth to print with?
@@NM-wd7kx If its dry, it prints a lot like PLA but doesnt bridge as well. If its wet? Youre in for a bad time.
I recently thought of molds made with PVA, as it is water soluble, but with PVB it makes more sense mainly because it is easier to print, PVA ends up getting moisture very easily, which makes printing difficult, maybe HIPS would be an option , since it is soluble in delimonene.
For those who still prefer PLA, Esun has PLA High flow, perhaps because of its ease of melting, it helps in the lost casting process.
Can you do a video on melting zamek or zinc in a lead hotpot useing plaster for a mold
Thank you for showing,I do have a quest, could you Try Esun Emate low Temp PCL filament for casting, as you can melt it at 65C but would love to know if it would be any good. as it prints pefectly with no layer lines.
Great suggestion! I've never heard of that filament. Ive used esun black pla and its great for the price.
@@PaulsGarage I love Esun Products, and to say Mainly I use the PLA + for tools
I hope to have a go at casting using Esun Emate low temp as much cheaper than Polycast
Not dead yet! I must not have been the only one to comment on your slapdash (haven’t seen that word in a while, I bet) methods. Anyway, fun stuff, ya crazy guy.
could one say cast a frame for a quadcopter that could be finished in a cnc or a jig/drill press?
Probably yes. Lots of those kinds of parts are cast, though they tend to be die cast for production purposes. You would probably want aluminum though to save weight and that doesn't flow as nicely into details, but you can get around that in a couple ways
What's the precision on PLA?
US cent coins since 1982 are 2.5% Copper and balance Zinc. Add in about 10-12% Aluminum and you're in range.
Don't break any laws.
Another idea for burnout containers is sections of Exhaust Pipe, especially stainless exhaust pipe.
Would a water soluble PVA also work for this technique?
Water and molten metal are a bad combination if there's any moisture left it can splash
Very few coffee brans still use steel for there containers. Chuck Full O'Nuts is one brand.
Really glad I watched this before I went out to buy the aluminum I was going to get to throw at someone. Now I'll be sure to get Zamak instead 😂
Nothing worse than inadequate throwing metals 🤣
@@PaulsGarage If I'm going to do a job, I should do it right!
Would bronze and silver work with this same method?
Yes! I've heard silver has some issues with detail but this is indeed how jewelers do it
This is great 😃I've looked for easily castable (low temperature) alloys before, but didn't find much worth having. Zamak looks like it's pretty much perfect for most applications, unless weight is really an issue. Zamak 5 is known in the EU as Z410 and has mechanical properties close to 6061 aluminium. By weight it's cheaper but by volume it's around the same price as aluminium (at least from the suppliers that I have access to). Thanks for the great video 😊
I've been looking into ways of 3D printing a steering knuckle for my kid's Go Kart. It's got suspension, big wheels and a top speed of just 40kph, so I think it won't hurt giving Zamak a try for that purpose.
can you melt that metal on the hob or in an electric tandoor oven?
No, it needs a bit higher temperature. Closer to 500c/900f to cast it
All I can say as thank you! Off to design custom truck emblems!
Go for it!
Would this process work with silver or metals that have to get to a higher temperature?
I'm sure it would. The highest metal you could melt with a at home smelter is aluminum, gold, silver, copper, brass, maybe cast iron if it's a good one.
Isnt PVB alcohol solluable? Why not use alcohol instead of burning the part out?
great question. Yes PVB is alcohol solluable, but that could screw with the plaster, too. This plaster isn't ideal, but even something like prestige optima (the plaster I use now) shouldn't be dunked in liquid. The burnout process i just as much melting out the plastic as it is "firing" the plaster mold (think firing pottery- drying it out but also sintering particles together). This changes if you try using something like "suspend-a-slurry" ceramic shell. I dont' know if that can handle alcohol, but it can definitely be dunked in water before firing. I know some sculptors who boil those molds to get the wax out (so they can re-use it) but even then, they have to fire the ceramic shell anyway before casting. If you want to cast metal from a 3D print and you don't want to fire the mold, I would suggest sand casting instead. You can't make that triceratops head, but you can do a LOT with sand casting.
Really cool! I'm starting to lean toward plating pla though. Recent videos show that if you paint it with a conductive graphite paint, it can be plated with nickel, and then other metals like gold on top of the nickel.
That plating stuff is really awesome. It looks great in my opinion, but the end result is different. I'd rather have a piece that's solid metal, with all the weight, but not everybody is like me.
I recently saw a video of testing different methods of getting a chrome finish on a part and the winner was this chrome nail polish stuff
still: 1st plate with copper, then with nickel. Nickel-plating directly isn´t easy...
I've just gotten into Lost PLA, I started using Ovature Black PLA and using an air compressor to blow it the mold after burn out and Its been working really well. I'm going to look into poly cast filament though.
word to the wise though, those galvanized stove pipe will burn up and oxidize way too fast, you are better off getting a cut off of square tubing or steel pipe. stainless steel if possible.
Air compressor is the only way I've heard of people successfully cleaning a PLA burnout, but I'm worried some molds might not get clean enough with that. No idea though, never tried.
And good call about the thicker steel. These pipes don't look too good after use but the temps weren't as high as if I was doing bronze. Eventually I want to do vacuum casting so beefier flasks are totally a must
When you melt down the Zamak ZA 12 does it burn off any elements or can you still reuse with ease?
I've reused the metal a whole bunch of times, no issues. Za12 should only be zinc and aluminum, and i barely heat it up to liquid. Zinc has the reputation for boiling off because brass (copper alloyed with zinc) melts at a temperature *above* zincs boiling point. Keep it barely liquid and it shouldn't boil off at all, certainly not enough to screw up the alloy. Especailly with Za12, because zinc and aluminum aren't very sensitive as an alloy. you can basically have no aluminum or lots of aluminum and everything in the middle is ok, as long as you keep any and all lead as far away as possible.
Can this be done with iron?
Looking forward to the future “ideal” way. Thanks!
I'll give you a sneak peak, every part except the burnout material and metal alloy is different 😉
You can also smooth the polycast with a Polysher or just plain Isopropyl alcohol
Zamak is called Mazak in the UK.
Love Zamak. Looking forward to the next vid!
I'm immediately curious if you can blue (nope) or anodize (yup, but don't yet know how practice it is to do at home) zamak, or how well it takes a powder coat or what paints will bond the best for a part ment to be handled... I'll dig around, just sharing the thoughts your video prompted 😊
Can you give a quick and dirty guestimate of what it would cost, equipment wise to do this on the cheaper end, but not so cheap I'd end up buying better equipment soon after? No need to take the time break it down, just in the ballpark is fine. Assuming all I already have is a printer. TIA, Great info!
Hard to put an exact number on it but at minimum you need something to burn out the mold and something to melt the metal. One foundry furnace set up from an Amazon seller like vevor might work as long as you keep temperatures low, but a devil forge would be a step up. You could use the furnace for both like I did here. Plaster, filament, and the steel vents/soup cans etc... Are expendable, though, so prices go up the more you do it. Ideally you would have a small electric furnace to melt the metal and a small burnout oven, but prices go up considerably
Thanks for the whole walkthrough bro, now I know. Legit
I've used MoldLay before with great results. It's the same price as polycast, but it's a wax filament that's easy to print with and melts out of the mold super easily.
Also question about the zinc alloy. what aluminum are you comparing to bc there are alot of different alloys
It flows better and melts colder than all aluminum alloys, but the closest comparison is probably a great sand casting alloy like A356. This still needs about 400 degrees less heat, and still flows better than a356, while being stronger too. It's not light like aluminum though, it's really heavy.
If you want another tip, they make burnout resins too for lost RESIN casting from a 3d printer. They cost like 50 bucks a kilo, but they are WORTH IT. The quality is 100 times better than any fdm printer you own.. my fiance and i are doing our wedding rings using it to make a really pretty set of custom rings.
It is always nice to see people discovering decade-old technology when looking to improve their new found technologies.
Zamak is cheap-ish (not much cheaper than the alternatives anymore), easy to handle, relatively strong.
Of course it also has its downsides - it is extremely susceptible to contaminations. Ever touched lead with the tongs you use to pick the Zamak? You just contaminated your zamak and it might rot away with just a few years. And while it is strong it loses strength with time and lacks some of the nice-to-have properties other materials have. Aluminium i significantly lighter and corrosion-resistant, iron (yes way harder to melt) is stronger and cheaper, copper has higher electric and thermal conductivity while also being more pliable etc.
But for pure decorative parts casting Zamak is great.
Thanks for the heads up on the Zinc alloy, i was going to play with Aluminum Bronze but damn does it have a high melting point
Aluminum bronze is pretty awesome for sure, but this is super easy
Is the math correct? I usually find good-great PLA from $16-22USD for 1Kg spools, where this PolyCast (from your link in the description) is $50USD for 750g spools ($66.66USD / Kg). Regardless, that looks like pretty good filament to use. The triceratops bust looks fantastic.
Great video! but wouldn't a different alloy be better for making functional parts that need to survive higher temperatures?
Yes definitely. People use this to make bronze stuff too, that can handle far higher temperatures. Maybe special plaster could handle iron too? But definitely not plaster of Paris
Man this is a great video filled with non-stop useful information thank you for your service 🙏
Thanks! Glad to ramble non stop, extra glad it's useful!
I use this lightweight PLA for printing RC airplane stuff. Well, it basically prints out styrofoam, and I wonder if it would work for burning out molds.
Not sure. That stuff expands a lot right? I would be worried about it expanding too much and cracking the mold. Do you print the 3D lab print stuff? I have a few of those models, they are really cool
My buddy uses a wax based resin in his resin printer. Casts beautifully
a resin printer is definitely on my list. The resolution is amazing
How would this material work for making a hood ornament for a car?
Many car ornaments are made from zinc already, or they were before plastic took over
duct tape commercial grade makes a permanent seal. no breakdown or oxydiizing.
everywhere that carries a large selection only has cheep stuff or has one small size
of one fair/good type at a very high price
zamak is also a little more brittle than aluminum iirc
Is there shrinkage when casting with zamac?
What type of metal casting alloy is the best for mortar pestle, which must be adequately hard and heavy?
Not sure I'd go with metal for that. The reason stone is used is because the hardness of silica is way above most other things including metal. I don't think I'd want to risk metal bits in food. Some metal can be toxic. Rocks bits (sand), other than being sharp, are chemically inert.
I don't know if you're in that world at all, but I wonder how this could be used for the 3D2A world. Zamak used to be used in a lot of mass produced Saturday night specials back into he day. With PLA+ already being plenty strong, zamak could be that next step, especially for some frames that need the barrel pinned directly to it.
No idea what 3D2A even is but if PLA can do it, zamak probably can too
@@PaulsGarage printing firearms and firearms accessories
Ah ok that's pretty cool. I'm more of an archery guy personally 🏹
some HiPoints are made from Zamac except the barrel.@@iphoneawesome123
I hope it could work. There is models id wanna do and aluminum and zamak would be my go to metals
Instead of filling the pipe with plaster, just coat the print with sufficient thickness of plaster to make the mould surface and then set it in dry sand inside your pipe container before burning it out.
How does this process compare to resin prints and lost wax casting? Could you make rings, etc from this technique?
The burnout and casting process is exactly the same. Whatever you can print with polycast filament (or castable resin), you can cast in metal. Layer lines come through though, so beware of that. Polycast smooths with alcohol (IPA) which helps. I have some more recent videos with lost resin casting, all using plaster, but FDM prints might be better with ceramic shell casting, since that works better for larger prints. Not saying you can't use plaster, but the plaster can get expensive in large quantities
Thanks for this really useful info on the Polycast filament and the Zamak alloys. Just the stuff I need for some steam engine castings👍
Sounds good! Zamak is a bearing alloy too I think, it should work better than aluminum
Hey Paul,, 7 min's in and I hit the subscribe button,, I like your style and your explinations..
Thanks!
Thanks for the video! I never comment on videos but you seem like a decent guy so I wanted to say please, please don't melt zinc alloys in steel/iron alloy containers. Molten zinc acts like a solvent on iron alloys and will dissolve them. You'll lift your soup can from your foundry and have 4lbs of 1,000*F liquid dump out of the bottom. Also, since the steel is dissolved into the alloy, you can have weird pockets of rust develop over time which isn't really a problem for decorative things like you made in the video but if you were to make something structural or for outdoor use it would lead to pockets, bubbles, and weaknesses that you won't know are there until it breaks apart.
I truly didn't mean to rant, zamak alloys are a life saver for detail work. There are several engine parts that can be great sources of cheap zamak also, carbs and throttle bodies in particular. Thanks again and good luck!
Brilliant thanks 👍. Cheers J
My pleasure!
Did you try to use actual wax for sprues and gates?
Not quite, I used a glue stick as a quick and easy way to make a sprue. The rest, like the vents, look like wax straws but are just straight pieces of the same polycast burnout filament. It worked pretty well but I think wax is probably easier to work with
You just saved my poor mexican ass, where I just can't get good ceramic plaster and resin prints lol. love u man
Glad I could help!
Could you just spray on a few coats of plaster and then burn out?
The plaster needs to be in a block like that for strength. Ceramic shell uses just a coating but it's a lot stronger and reinforced with sand. Similar idea though
Any thoughts on PVA filament?
I'm thinking PVA for the print and high temp silicone for the mould
Never tried PVA. That's the water soluble one right? What you suggest would probably work but I've never tried it.
Just adding some fine sand to the plaster will keep it from cracking and causing the flashing you had.
Ok so a question, could Zamak and this process be used to create either compression or injection molds?
It's probably possible. I think as long as you keep temperatures down it would be fine. I've never seen zamak used as injection molds but plastic temperature is probably plenty low enough not to mess with the metal
@@PaulsGarage yeah cool, I've been looking for quick iteration solutions, mainly for hdpe so fairly low temp, around 200c. Seems depending on the composition, Zamak is around 380c so it seems like it might work. The other question is how long the molds will last.
I've not found any documentation on trying this anywhere so far. It seems like a fairly obvious alternative solution to cnc molds, so there's a decent probability it's a no go. But as thet say, if you never try..
Foil tape is a little more annoying to use than duct tape. Understatement of the year? It's an early year so maybe. Great videos too, glad the algorithm lead me here.
Say, is there any kind of plaster that doesn't break/splinter when heated, and is somewhat dureable, so you can make reuseable molds?
Brilliant!!
They also sell wax filament. Every try that? (I've been wondering if it's worth buying or not, but by your description of the PLA ash that's left behind, it might be.)
No information found regarding cutting,machining and drilling. Any idea?
I've heard this metal machines well but only with sharp tools. In my experience it scrapes easily, drills a bit harder than aluminum, and will gum up sand paper and grinding disks very quickly. I recommend flap disks instead
Ever hear that baking soda melts plaster of paris, because of the sulfur reaction that happens with the baking soda? Would that work here?
If you only had one furnace, could you burn out the plastic then fill the mold with shot (small pieces of the casting metal) and let it melt inside the mold, or would that not work?
That might work, not sure though.
There's a reason we use wax in "lost wax method". Printing in wax is a pain but back in college we'd dissolve grocery bags in the wax to harden its solid form to prep bronze molds. Point being, try polyethylene filament (grocery bags) and that may be the next best material to wax. Should be inexpensive.
Could you elaborate on this? Link to filament?
Finally, a Lost Wax casting process using 3D printed patterns that will make parts that work for real-world machines. Hi Point makes their firearms out Zmac ZA-12
I love the couch comment! I’ve told people for years that a comfortable couch and working 24s was the secret to a long happy marriage.
Are burnout resins expensive because they are more expensive to produce, or is it just not as in demand?
For resins I'm not sure, but this filament is probably more expensive because it's a niche product, so volumes are lower, there are no fillers that would benefit the printing process because those might leave ash, and there is higher quality control. At least that's what the marketing says. Who knows if its true lol it does work though
Love your videos but I’m apparently extremely lazy. I bought some pvb minutes after watching this video. I placed my print directly into my molding sand and burned it out. Then poured a perfect casting with silver. You should try it.
Helo Paul, some thing still i dont undestand... did you put the printed piece under water before you fill out the mold with metal casting? i know the PVA material cab be diluted on water but in your video i didnt saw that part, or maybe you replaced the PVA with the metal directly? whatever, thanks for your video!
I too have that 15 year old t-shirt. What a show.
It was really good. It's the only time I saw something on Broadway.
Can zamak parts be brazed/soldered together? Have you ever tried that? Any recommendations? Thanks.
Maybe soldered? I haven't tried any of this but standard tin based solder melts at a lower tempetature than zamak. Brazing operations or silver solder etc... are often hotter than zamak melting point, so be careful
I don't think ordinary solder would wet the Zamak. Even solder designed for aluminium may not, because of the zinc content. Beware of using flux or soldering fluid unless it's specifically tailored to Zamak, because it may cause ongoing corrosive attack. Zinc is a very vulnerable constituent, which is why unprotected brass turns to pink sponge and falls apart after prolonged exposure to salt water.