Thanks for sharing and being honest about the outcome. Bummer about the breakage but hey we learn and try again. I'm new to melting and casting love these videos it's been great encouragement for me.

A high-silicon alloy like 356 or A356 will shrink about half the amount of that extruded aluminum alloy (likely 6061 or 6063), which has one of the worst (highest) contraction rates of any common metal (1/4” per foot). Try to get something that was cast- car parts, rims (if you can cut/break them up) etc are usually 356 and great for casting (the silicon increases fluidity and helps get more detail too). The solidification shrinkage happens fast, but the plain thermal shrinkage is slower. The graphite is an excellent conductor of heat (as your clamps found out) and the relatively large block acts as a decent thermal mass and heat sink . You may experiment with demolding/shakeout while it’s still hot, ideally just after it’s solidified enough to handle but before it’s had a chance to cool/contract/stress your graphite. You can experiment off camera with your broken mold to get a feel of how quickly you can take them out. I think you would be surprised how quickly they freeze and if you can devise a method of pulling them out gracefully (I cringed a little when I saw you lift the crucible from its lip), you may have great success in making many of these sets without damage to your molds. Good luck.

I have watched a few of your videos. Good work. Very interesting.

It’s a shame when things break, but see it as learning. You have a good attitude. Good work

that's a cool mold. i would suggest using a die cast aluminum. it will shrink less. I think you are right about the shrinkage.

Zammak-12 will be a better choice for fine detail. It's a Zinc alloy that melts easily, flows well, and doesn't shrink quite as much. Alternatively, you can either add silicon to your aluminum or buy an alloy with it already mixed. The silicon helps with the grain, crystal formation and can cut the contraction by half. Zammak is cheaper.

Si se trabaja con moldes de hule vulcanizado,este tiene una propiedad interesante. Si se ahoga el molde d hule en petroleo durante 24 horas,este se incha y aumenta a 500 veces de tanaño:mas tarde con un poco de parafina,se obtiene una copia igual pero mucho mas grande...a este proceso le llamé "jonapru",es libre y cualquiera lo puede probar

Hello, I like your work. where can i get this chess pattern, link please Thank you.

Where did you get the mold? That is awesome

Too bad it broke. But the full set did cast pretty well 👍

Nice job casting that set. I wonder if a metal that doesn't shrink as much as aluminum (like tin or zinc) would do better in the mold? It also looks like having some dividers between the pieces when they are poured would keep them from being joined at the bottom. It looked like that made it difficult to pull the pieces out of the mold. The great thing about carbon molds is that they are able to handle high temperatures. It would be really cool to see them cast in copper or bronze. One last thought, you could try gluing the knight mold back together and casting the other half of the set. The mold is already damaged so what do you have to lose? Cheers from Alaska!

really cool ,but what was the mold made from??????

Try 10 degrees draft angle in that under the chin area of the horse. 5 degrees draft should be enough for the rest of the mold.

To bad the mold broke, that would have been a nice set. Did you dip the mold in water? There looked to be a lot of water inside that mold when you poured it apart, I would advise against ever putting a graphite mold in water. I dropped one of mine in the bucket on accident and to this day It has not had a good piece come out of it, and what the rapid cooling could also do the graphite. I always just put mine to the side and come back to it the next day, those molds aren't cheap. Good luck

Bro where can I get this mould

The mold was most likely designed for plumber and not aluminum. They have different melting temperatures and expansion coefficients.

I was gonna buy this mold set and give it a try till I seen the price tag. I think I'll stick to petrobond sand casting.

Keep going🤙🏻..

It might help trying not to join them up. I suspected the knight needs to come out straight. Anyway I wasn’t there and you know best.

i am surprised that this chess mold doesn't have a vent like some of the other mold techniques.

Never give up

What is the name of the mold into which metals are poured, and how can I make it into any shape I want?

I'm lookin to buy an expensive coin mold but I'm a little afraid now, sucks your mold broke on you

the mold BROKE, was this his first time using it ?

Maybe aluminum isnt the best metal for casting in graphite

Does anyone know this is a 700$ mold

Use a sand mold. Form it yourself

Teenager's post really. You missed the most interesting i.e. how the mold had been made! Melting aluminum is so banal, so BOOOOORING! doesn't need a PhD to build a furnace at all (I made my own)! You can even buy it in Russia for a fit of rubble...