Monthly Casting Lab / Class - changes

We hold a monthly casting lab/class, usually on the last weekend of the month or sometimes the first weekend of the following month. It’s a popular event that fills up as soon as it hits the calendar.

If you get a chance to come cast with us, you will likely catch our enthusiasm! Casting is an amazing capability and we’re fortunate to have it at DMS.

There are two events held simultaneously:
(1) A class where participants are introduced to creating a wax master, investing the pattern (i.e., “plaster”) and then casting in metal.
(2) A lab/event where previously trained members (“Walk-in’s”) can come in and invest/cast their items.

There are changes for both of those.

Click a triangle below to see details of whichever situation pertains to you.

Class-participants - Online Self-Study prerequisite

(1) There is a prerequisite self-study course for class participants. This requirement begins at the next casting lab (not this weekend, but the class after that).

(2) You can find that course at our online learning system, or you can go directly to that Lost Wax Casting course.

(3) If you think you’d like to take the studio-based casting class, I’d urge you to take the online class because the calendar will check for the prerequisite.

(4) We have two sets of vacuum /casting machines. The training only covers one set currently but the concepts are identical.

  • The self-study course clears you to participate in the studio class
  • The studio course will clear you to participate as a “walk-in” at future casting lab
Previously trained "walk-ins" - Preparation and Timing

We have a new procedure for “walk-ins”, i.e., people who have been previously trained and are casting something without being part of the official class.

(1) Your work must be completely sprue’d and ready to go before the class begins. You need to come in a couple hours or days before the class and get your parts ready.

(2) Walk-ins should start investing as soon as the class begins (or more accurately, as soon as we can get an idea of what capacity we will have in the kiln). Starting next month we are going to have the walk-ins start investing an hour before the class starts.

The class will have space reserved for two large (J2R) flasks.
The objectives here are twofold: Make sure the class has the highest priority access to the resources (people have been good about this); and try to keep this from being an all-night marathon event which it tends to become.

If you’ve already taken the studio course, the self-study course is a good reference source and skill refresher.

Casting classes are arduous for the instructor(s). They require lengthy several-hour sessions on two consecutive days. And sadly, some of the participants show up ill-prepared so the other participants and the instructor suffer while those people catch up. Our objective is to bring all the participants up to the same level to make those classes more efficient.

Basic information:

  • Jewelry-sized or small objects (we have cast one 1-lb item - it holds our record)
  • New, unused jeweler’s casting grain
  • You provide your own metal unless you are in the class
  • bronZe, silver, gold, platinum (platinum 1 ounce or less)

Does this clear me to cast on my own?

  • Sorry, but no it doesn’t. Casting is a team sport at DMS, requiring multiple participants. This is a function of safety, expertise, resource utilization and the fact that many tasks just flat require multiple hands.
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