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I thought I would have another go at some casting. A simple plate that anyone who knows about this kind of thing could easily complete in a few days. I understand that the procedure for casting items goes back thousands of years and it seemed to take us about that long to get even marginally acceptable results. Paying someone else to do it is not only ten times cheaper but would have produced something far better. All the gear and no idea. Sand casting just never came close. Mixing sand and plaster of Paris showed promise, but even ignoring the odd mould exploding, created never ending pitting and cast defects.
So on to using molochite. It all looks so straightforward, but just getting a wax copy to start with can take days. There are so many types of wax to waste time on. You can use a machine to make a master then use some resin to make an inverse copy. Then you pour some hot wax into this resin mould. Frustratingly, it will then either curl up or hundreds of bubbles will form. So, you put in a kiln and then sweep all the bubbles out whilst still inside. Then take out and put some weight on top allowing it to cool. There will always be one letter that is just not right. Carving wax, green lost wax, paraffin candle wax, bees wax on it goes until I hit on microcrystalline wax which is the least difficult one to use for this application.
What I did learn from all the failed use of various types of moulds including the very expensive delft clay, is that the gate system is bountiful. A cone and a gate system with a counter intuitive thinness makes for a nice metal run and reduces the probability of surface defects. Watching others add a simple hook to the end to hang the item to dry between coats is yet one more example of how an obvious problem can be addressed. These moulds with or without wax in are fragile until the metal is poured in and has cooled. I would stand them up but even after a few were knocked over the solution didn’t register. The actual part where you pour the metal is quite straightforward. Having some nice lifting and pouring tools is great. Paying for all the things needed is the easy part. Exactly the same at the dentists, handing the money over, an amount some people find quite high is the simple bit. I would pay double if you could skip the part where you have to sit in the chair. Whack a spoon full of borax and a load of slag coagulant once molten and get someone to help lift the crucible out of the furnace into your holder.
The actual part where you pour the metal is quite straightforward. Having some nice lifting and pouring tools is great. Paying for all the things needed is the easy part. Exactly the same at the dentists, handing the money over, an amount some people find quite high is the simple bit. I would pay double if you could skip the part where you have to sit in the chair. Whack a spoon full of borax and a load of slag coagulant once molten and get someone to help lift the crucible out of the furnace into your holder.
I was asked why I didn’t machine the thing out of a flat brass block. That was a possibility and although it would have taken a long time, maybe a week or two it was far better to spend the best part of a year doing it this way as I just wanted to ‘master’ casting. Why gold plate it when you can just use a spray can? Well, why not do it the way we want to, you do. When telling people about using a furnace outside some asked if can you do it indoors. You could but not if you like to keep somewhere to live. It is all about making incremental improvements (changes) and keeping at it. So too with this book. Seven editions now taking it from really awful to marginally ok.
Dig some clay from the ground. Place in a bucket and add water. Use a handheld cement mixer. Pour off the liquid through a sieve into a small tub. Tip the contents slowly into a larger container, turning tub gradually as you go leaving traces of unwanted material on the sides. Leave to settle then repour the whole lot one tub at a time for second pass. Each refilter will purify further. Place a cloth in a flowerpot and fill with this clay slip. In a few days depending on the temperature, you will have usable clay. A thin film will sit between the clear water and clay which can be syphoned off. The amount is often insubstantial but when concentrated becomes very good quality compatible glaze. Brush on when your artwork is quite dry and only one firing is needed.