production how raw materials becomes art

Miles of Alaska
Casting- how raw material becomes art

Casting how to Miles of Alaska art raw materials silver copper brass one of a kind jewelry unique for sale and for crafter's

Everything on this page has to do with casting and creating art. If you want to go to another page on my site click on the directory for art for sale- raw materials my book - pictures form the wilderness lifestyle etc.

Click on thumbnails below to see full size pictures. Thumbnails used because they load faster and not all the pictures may interest you.

Click for full size image for 'wax into the rubber mould'

Click for full size image for 'removing the plaster base'

I have several reasons for creating this page. One reason is that many people buy raw materials from me and I am not certain they know what they are doing! Ha! It is easy enough to make a cheap necklace by gluing a finding on something after purchase a prepolished item. I do not want to get blamed if the project fails and the reason is the buyer has no knowledge or equipment. So this page shows some of what you are getting into if you want to do work like I do. Another reason for the page is to validate my work. I want people to know I am not making up a story when I say I make this by hand and I want people to know I can not explain 'how I do this' in 3 easy steps. To many- this is all Greek - especially without pictures. This also helps those who want a special order made to know what that means and all the steps I take to get your project done. Some projects have to be put in with a 'batch' to tumble for example so this way you know what that means. It might help appreciate the piece knowing the steps it went through.

Jewelry must not only be beautiful it must also be functional and not break. To make a necklace I have to create a way for the necklace to hang. I mix metals with 'things for the land like teeth claws and crystals. Each of these times is unique- made by nature so has the problem of 'how to fasten something to it to hang it by!' I can and used to more- drill holes in the material to run a bail - or ring through it so that a chain can go through. This is ok but sometimes cracks or weakens the material and it is common and not special and doesn't allow a lot of creativity. 'Castining' is a nice way to make caps and it can be a little standardized . Each cap is custom cast and fit but it starts out as a 'wax' and can be individually adjusted for each item. I'll walk you through the stages.

In order to make a mound I must first have an original capable of having liquid rubber poured around it. An animal product usually doe snot work as the rubber reacts and make unwanted bubbles. To start forma claw I have to make a cheap temporary mould that is only good for maybe 2 waxes before falling apart. But for the wax I can shape it a little - cast if and come up with a metal 'original' I can make a rubber mould from. Below first is a picture of a pile of claws and teeth I can make a temporary mould from . In the next picture I have made a cheap first mould and in the 3rd picture is a final brass claw I can make a rubber mould from. The brass claw is lion whre the first mould is another claw a lynx but the principle is shown. It must be remembered I learned this on my own and I have no idea how anyone else does it (Ha!) and there are a few secrets. What type of exact materials to make the moulds from is one of those trade secrets-- for I've adapted what commonly gets sold.

Click for full size image for 'originals'

This is a eagle claw in wax comming out if it's rubber mould. I can make as many of these as I want -- or at least 100 before having to make another rubber mould

The rubber mould going in a frame to be 'wax injected'

The wax injector. It keeps the wax at the right temperature and manually injects it under pressure into the mould

I save up a lot of wax items till I am ready to do a cast of 'many' fo rit has to ber worthwhile heating up the kiln and dong a 'bastch' and I need wax pattersn to review to see what will look nice with a particular item

After making a wax pattern I have to make a special plaster mould of the wax. This is special plaster that can take the heat of the molten metals. Though the plaster never quite reaches the melting point of metal it has to withstand 1,500 degrees F. The plaster mould process is shown below. There is not enough space to show and explain every single step - but basically the

The wax pieces have to get put on a 'tree' so many can be cast at once. Whatever is made in wax will burn out of the plaster and be replaced with metal .

A metal can - open at both ends is put over the wax tree and fits in the rubber base. The wet plaster is mixed and poured into the can - covering the tree and hardening around the wax patterns.

Above- after the plaster is set up it goes in a kiln for 'burn out' that melts the wax out of the mould

The next 'stage' is the burn out and metal melting- shown above

The metal is melted in the crucible that is set in the casting machine. This machine slings the moten metal into the mould An interesting contraption hard to explain if you never saw one work

The metal has been poured into the mould and the mould is dunked in water after the right amount of setting time and the plaster dissolves - falls away - exposing the metal replica of the wax- provided all went well. Many factors interfere with a successful cast. There can be air bubbles in the plaster- the wrong mix the wrong temperatures the wrong data on the metal used and on and on. But if it works - above is what you get

seeing finished product for first time- 3 moulds went in the kiln the first 2 out and the 3rd is still red hot cooling

After the metal pour and removal from the plaster the metal has to be cleaned and cut from the tree

These pieces have been cut from the tree- washed brushed and are ready for 'pickle' a chemical that helps clean fire scale and plaster off.

Above-- After cleaning brushing and pickling the metal --it starts to look like something. It can now be examined for defects and imperfect ones tossed back for melt down while the rest continue on to become art pieces

After coming out of the pickle you can see some batches do better and some metals come out cleaner - copper is the worse silver is pretty easy.

This shows the fine detail that can be had in casting. Sometimes even a finger print or a hair gets cast.

Above Now the pieces need to be sorted and prepared for 'tumbling' a machine that shakes them around with grit and this is 3-5 grades of grit- each stage requires sifting the grit for pieces and starting the next stage. At least 2 casting batches can be tumbled at a time- about 30 pieces

This is what the first stage of grit looks like with the pieces in the bowl ready to vibrate!

If an item needs a bail it has to be soldered on. This 'can' be done soon after the cast but the area to solder has to be leaned so I wait till now and I wait to see that 'for sure' this is a keeper. After soldering sometimes the item has to go beck through the tumbler again

Above -- Items wait for caps and have to be organized and matched correclty to the cast piece