Hi Kirra, great to see a real troubleshooting video, most are so perfected. The vacuum assist looks great something I’d be meaning to try. A technique I’ve used a few times is to dip my pattern into hot molten wax and then shake it off straight away. This seem to give a thin smooth surface to what was originally gripping the clay and not releasing well. Having a waxy surface to the pattern helps cut down on the amount of parting powder needed. Occasionally I feel I’ve used too much parting powder that gets embedded into the surface of the impression. very deceiving as the impression looks neat. however it’s structure is very weak as it is mostly made up of powder instead of clay. Love your relaxed natural style … Nick
Here's some ideas Kirra-lea. Sifting the sand, and changing the pattern slightly. Let me explain. When I cast things with fine detail, I always sift the sand. Begin with pattern on the bench, details down. Then put the male on and pack the sand in. Now lightly starch, make sure nothing is left in the details. For the details you must use some sand with a very fine sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, first fill it with this very sifted sand a few mm's. then you can sift with a rougher sift till it overflows. First pack it hard with the palms of your hand while standing. Then beat it with the hammer. If the surface of the sand looks smooth like glass the casting will be cleaner. Also the pattern is very square, if the grooves or channels have a little slope/angle it easier to lift the pattern out without disturbing the details. Have fun
Hi. I love watching your videos. If I might offer a couple of suggestions... when making a master pattern for casting, you normally incorporate a certain amount of 'draught' in the walls of the pattern. It might only be one or two degrees, but this allows for the pattern to separate from the sand cleanly. It also gives the edges in the formed sand some strength. From my (limited) experience and from what I have seen elsewhere, molten metal does not like right angles. The sand pattern at these sharp edges are quite weak and can 'break' from the pressure of the metal and could be causing the detail issue. Thank you for your videos. Keep them coming!🙂
So I’ve been working on a line with round/flat discs in sand which is a design choice for me. I use red clay, and Craig’s vaccum… I dont hammer at all I hand press it all, I heat the flask, I tape the join of the two sides … I don’t think your detail is too small. Just some ideas.
I've cast aluminium into plaster before, heating up the mold before pouring helped get the finer details filled in. Once that molten metal touches a cold surface it can harden quite quickly. Another way to come at it maybe is to heat up the molten metal for even longer!
I think that the clay is a bit too crusty. I've heard it where people use unused clay for just the faces and then the well-used clay for the bulk/mass of it. I would try re-conditioning your clay as well.
Hi Kirra, great to see a real troubleshooting video, most are so perfected. The vacuum assist looks great something I’d be meaning to try. A technique I’ve used a few times is to dip my pattern into hot molten wax and then shake it off straight away. This seem to give a thin smooth surface to what was originally gripping the clay and not releasing well. Having a waxy surface to the pattern helps cut down on the amount of parting powder needed. Occasionally I feel I’ve used too much parting powder that gets embedded into the surface of the impression. very deceiving as the impression looks neat. however it’s structure is very weak as it is mostly made up of powder instead of clay. Love your relaxed natural style … Nick
Here's some ideas Kirra-lea. Sifting the sand, and changing the pattern slightly. Let me explain. When I cast things with fine detail, I always sift the sand. Begin with pattern on the bench, details down. Then put the male on and pack the sand in. Now lightly starch, make sure nothing is left in the details. For the details you must use some sand with a very fine sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, first fill it with this very sifted sand a few mm's. then you can sift with a rougher sift till it overflows. First pack it hard with the palms of your hand while standing. Then beat it with the hammer. If the surface of the sand looks smooth like glass the casting will be cleaner. Also the pattern is very square, if the grooves or channels have a little slope/angle it easier to lift the pattern out without disturbing the details. Have fun
Great sand casting tutorial, i am still a beginner but this video it is very interesting, thank you for sharing your knowledge 😊
Hi. I love watching your videos. If I might offer a couple of suggestions... when making a master pattern for casting, you normally incorporate a certain amount of 'draught' in the walls of the pattern. It might only be one or two degrees, but this allows for the pattern to separate from the sand cleanly. It also gives the edges in the formed sand some strength.
From my (limited) experience and from what I have seen elsewhere, molten metal does not like right angles. The sand pattern at these sharp edges are quite weak and can 'break' from the pressure of the metal and could be causing the detail issue.
Thank you for your videos. Keep them coming!🙂
So I’ve been working on a line with round/flat discs in sand which is a design choice for me. I use red clay, and Craig’s vaccum… I dont hammer at all I hand press it all, I heat the flask, I tape the join of the two sides … I don’t think your detail is too small. Just some ideas.
Another really helpful video, your research really helps my process - thank you ❤
Fascinating video! Could it be the corn flour getting stuck in the recesses?
Nice work! It turned out good in the end
I've cast aluminium into plaster before, heating up the mold before pouring helped get the finer details filled in. Once that molten metal touches a cold surface it can harden quite quickly. Another way to come at it maybe is to heat up the molten metal for even longer!
I think that the clay is a bit too crusty. I've heard it where people use unused clay for just the faces and then the well-used clay for the bulk/mass of it. I would try re-conditioning your clay as well.
Change the print angle the sides of the maze
How do I calculate how much metal I need for my sand casting ?
thankyou.
The answer is in the comments. Finer detail comes with finer sand granules! Nice job.