Mold making for casting jewelry - Interest check

Jewelry/Small Metals
#1

Hey, I’m working on setting up a mold making class for injecting waxes for casting small metal objects. But before I choose the exact type of mold material based on cure time, I want to make sure there is enough interest from only members of DMS since basically all cold mold cure times range from 16-24 hours. I’ve never tried the 60-90 minute products so I have no idea if they’ll be any good

Could I get a head count of people interested just for something to work off of? I don’t have an estimated date for the class yet. I may end up only teaching a demo for this, though I hope to make it a full class.

I’ll upload some example photos when I get home for anyone that doesn’t know what this is for.

2 Likes
#2

I would be interested

#3

I’m interested as well.

#4

I think I’m interested. What types of metal do we have the ability to cast at DMS? (No sense in me making molds if I can’t cast the parts I need).

#5

Bronze, silver, and gold are the only metals that we will be able to cast in JMS. Anything else will contaminate the equipment, or kill you with the fumes, so these are the only ones that will be allowed.

#6

Would this potential course have prerequisites?

#7

very very interested.

#8

yes, I would be interested.

#9

I’d probably take it

#10

Just to make sure, this means that brass is out of the question?

#11

It would HELP if you take (jewlery) Soldering 101 first, but not absolutely necessary.

If I do a full class where everyone makes a mold of a piece they bring, worst comes to worst I can solder a spru on their piece beforehand.

#12

Correct, we will not allow casting of brass. You’re more than welcome to bring a small brass item you would like to make a mold of however.

1 Like
#13

OK, bronze would work for what I might need. I’d be interested in the class.

#14

As I Understand It – ya wanna cast – bronze. Ya want sheet metal? Brass. I Do Not Know the reasons, but all the cast stuff seems to be bronze. Brass is more flexible, but may have too much copper to cast well. That’s just a guess, but I know copper is very goofy when it gets up to melting temperatures.

#15

Oh, and I’d be interested. Timing would be everything for me, but I suspect that’s true for most of us.

#16

Yes, always interested in casting metal. It’s my thing.

Brass? Here’s one of the main reasons. Brass is typically defined as copper and zinc. Copper melts at a temperature higher than the boiling point of zinc and gaseous zinc is poisonous. This is why welders don’t (usually) weld galvanized steel without special safety precautions.

Other metals we can cast at DMS? Pewter. Zinc below boiling point is ok. We have done aluminum in the back lot with a propane furnace. All using someone’s own personal equipment. Copper might be okay, but I understand copper has some problems of it’s own.

#17

Liz Becker helped me cast some brass. She casts it in her home studio all the time.

#18

Brass is primarily Copper and Zinc. Zinc can be nasty as a vapor.
Bronze is primarily Copper and Tin, so Zinc isn’t an issue.

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1 Like
#19

count me in on the class

#20

I’d like to get in on this too.