Thank You! I am glad you like it.

Thank You for sharing the trick. Do you think it also applies to very small/stubborn quantities of water?

@@ShakeTheFuture yes, as long as there is moisture. It's critical in ceramics, so the pieces don't explode in the kiln.

It definitely IS. I never comment, but I came to say the same, this is premium content !

Thank You very much for the kind words!

I hope not 😀

Thank You very much for taking the time to leave the comment.

I see, Thanks for the info. I heard about zamac, but never tried it...purposely 😂

Yes. Looks like zamak. A very common material in door handles and many other things. It's a really nice material for casting. Melts at lower temperature and thus have a lower shrinkage. And it's easier to find than brass

@@jabonet I'll need to check my collection of door handles and see if I have more. Then I can "purposely" try it out.

@@ShakeTheFuture I use two ways of checking if it is zamak. One is measuring the density of the piece. By weight in dry and underwater. The second way is to scratch the surface of the metal and put a bit of copper sulfate solution. If it turns black it is zinc based and probably zamak. In Spain it is sold as antifungal in any place that deals with plants. Usually blue color.

@@jabonet Yeah, blue... I´ve heard, man can dissolve those blue copper- sulfate-granules, and use the solution to copper-plate steel/iron, with a DC-source, and a sacrificial piece of copper.

Thank You for taking time to leave a comment. It's always nice to know that the people found the video/information useful.

Imagine the advantages that smooth glass heat-bed could add to that... The mating of the plaster-halves would be even more precise.

Thank You!

Thank You very much!

Thanks! Well, you can always carve out the investment. It's very easy to do it after microwaving while the investment is still wet. I did not do it with the butter knife, since I have a silicon carbide ring, but I could have done that instead. One of those wax carving/sculpting tools that looks like a letter "U" attached to a stick works very good.

I think, that it was a proof-of-concept.video, where he knows, that it´d be better off with long sprues, and still doesn´t use any, cause in this case, it still worked out well. Pouring steel, if I got it right... With a 3d-printer and a mirowave-oven, mind you. That´s Startrek-level stuff.

John Heisz just added a 3d printer to his wood shop. Check out what he’s been doing with it. I tried sharing link to his channel but I guess it got deleted.

Melting points Brass 930C Aluminium 660C Stainless steel 1,500C It's a very different ball game.

Thanks! Yeah, stainless steel needs a lot of heat. So far, I have successfully melted a few stainless steel nuts (A2-70). I am talking about quantities enough to cast a ring. Because it requires such high heat, I had to use a few tricks to melt it. Preheating the crucible and using smaller crucibles helped. That's why I'm unsure if I can manage larger quantities, but I'll definitely try and make a video about it. Cheers!

@@dougaltolan3017 Well, it isn´t a different ball game apparently, if one only handles smaller amounts, like, for a big butterknife... Mind you, only with a 3d-printer, plaster, and a microwave oven...!!! Imagine what one could do with TWO microwave ovens...!!!

Cheers!

Even limited undercut if my guess is right.

Thank You! I am glad you find them useful.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Thank You!

great idea

The g-code shown in the video is not the only one I use. I have much shorter-faster moving g-codes that do the shaking. You suggestion using accelerometer testing g-code is great. Cheers!

Thank You Marc!

Thank You very much!

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it out!

Thank You!

Yes, Indeed 😂

That was the first G-code I used. It also traveled a shorter distance at some point during the 2-minute shaking. However, I recently changed the G-code to begin using shorter distances right from the start just like you suggested. Indeed, it's better that way 👍 Cheers!

Thank You! It's good to know.

Cheers!

Thanks for the info. I have never tried or heard about it. I might try it out. Cheers!

Thanks! For Mario's star, I used a professional investment called "Unicast Prestige." The butter knife was cast using just ordinary dental Plaster of Paris. I live in Spain, and I got it from the "Dentalix" store. For this method, you'll want to use plaster that isn't as brittle. For example, for Lost PLA casting, I sometimes use the cheapest construction plaster I can find. For this method, it's better to use something a bit stronger since you'll need to pull the PLA out of the mold. Dental Plaster of Paris works fine. If you are doing something with a lot of detail or hills and valleys, like letters, you might want to use something a bit stronger like Ultracal or Hydrocal. Using mold release can also help. For now, I use Vaseline, but I want to try out mold release sprays.

@@ShakeTheFuture Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank You for the tip! 👍

Thanks! I have not done that. That's something I should probably explore. Cheers!

Yeah, zink is the same metal as tin, I think ... Very good for casting too, with preeeetty low melting-temperature...!!!

Cheers!

Thanks! I'll be making another video with more examples of this method. I'll demonstrate how it's possible to do a bit more complicated casts.

Cheers!

that might be true, sadly...

I agree that sand casting is much quicker and less wasteful, but there are some advantages to other methods that I'll demonstrate in future projects, such as the dice example at the end of the video. That said, I have never done sand casting, so I might not know what I am talking about 😊 Thanks for the comment!

With the pattern softened for removal I don't see this method limited to sand casting draft requirements. On the other hand, if drafting is satisfied a pattern might be reused.

well, since it worked, evidently you don't (i.e. it doesn't matter if there's a bit of moisture left) though yeah you shouldn't tempt fate. I think the easiest solution (depending where you live) is to just get a pyrolysis oven, which will do 400C+ in cleaning mode. or make a crude kiln with refractory cement, a pid controller and some kiln coils if pyro ovens aren't common where you live.

@@satibel working doesn’t necessarily mean the mold is dry. It means that the geometry of the mold was not such that the escaping water was confined enough to make a bubble blow molten metal in your face.

I am sure there is a way it can be used. I also do the same method for making silicone molds. Instead of pouring investment, I pour silicone.

Yes, sometimes I use some Vaseline. I will tray mold-release spray. Cheers!

Thanks. Well, I have not tested all the flexibles, but one I tried years ago did stick to the plaster and it was almost impossible to remove it. That said, it was years ago. I should give it another try. Cheers!

@@ShakeTheFuture you could try spraying mineral oil as a mold release

@@ShakeTheFuture Car spray sheen products are supposed to support release.

Thanks for the tip.

I wanted to say "some types". There's probably food safe brass out there but I don't know what's the actual proportion, so personally I would avoid it for food usage just in case.

Obviously, this is just general information. There are different kinds of investments that can be used. The start was cast using "unicast prestige" investment, and the knife using Plaster of Paris. The "proper" investment was mixed according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Sometimes I add some sand, but I'm not sure if I did this time. I mixed the Plaster of Paris in a 1 to 1.2 ratio; for example, 200g of water to 240g of plaster. That said, not all Plaster of Paris products are the same, so the ratios can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I have not yet cast any copper using this method, but I am about to do so as I write this. I am just making more molds so I can dry them all in the oven together. I would not cast copper in Plaster of Paris, even though I have done it using the Lost PLA method with quick-cooling casts like the egg cup shown at the end of the video. Those work pretty well. I know that in general, it's assumed that you need a kiln to get rid of the water in the mold, but in my experience, that's not always the case. Sure, for professional casts and perfect results, you'll want to do everything by the book. I definitely recommend it. That said, I can get pretty good casts using this method, and *I'll have more videos showing it* My oven can go up to 250°C, and I turn ON the fan. I think the fan really helps... like really helps. As I said in the video, there might be investments that will require kilns for sure, so it's all about trial and error. If one does not feel comfortable trying it out, then don't! I am not responsible for anything that can go wrong. As long as you dry your molds properly and wear PPE, you'll be fine. And if you find that your molds are still wet (after hours of drying) or casts come out bad, then you know that your oven can't do it. End of the game. I always dry my molds in the oven for at least 4 hours (or more depending on the size and temperature), and I make sure that the temperature of the molds is close to 250°C. Let's put it this way: if your oven can reach 250°C and your molds are way off that temperature, you know they are still wet. It's fine if they are hotter (since oven thermostats tend to overshoot), but if the mold has only reached 220°C in an oven that can reach 250°C, then you know it's still wet. It will also depend on the air fryer/oven you're using. My air fryer struggles to bring the molds to 205°C (the maximum temperature it can reach), so I always switch to the oven. I personally get the best results casting copper using Ultracal/Hydrocal products. I have not tried "unicast," but I suppose it should also work. I wouldn't know about casting large items, as my casts are generally pretty small anyway, so nothing has changed compared to Lost PLA casting. I just use the original Prusa PEI sheet build plate that came with the printer. It does not have any texture, which I think helps. I have not had any issues with the build plate. The investment does not affect it as far as I am aware. The mold can be removed easily. Sometimes I just go slow to avoid pulling out the print from the mold. If it's a print that is properly embedded into the investment, I just remove it from the build plate as I would a normal print. *For anyone who finds it useful* : If this video has inspired you to buy a 3D printer, you need a modern 3D printer with a "perfect" first layer, such as the Prusa MK4 or Bamboo printers. That way, you'll get the best results. I would avoid getting older generation printers that do not lay-down a perfect first layer automatically. It will make things more frustrating and complicated

I don't know anything about freeze-drying, so I wouldn't know. Cheers!

Yes, you can sinter using the microwave, but I have not done it myself. There are some people doing it on KZfaq.

It does not remove water completely, and microwaving too much can crack the mold or cause the microwave to overheat. Once there is no food, water, or crucible in the microwave to absorb the energy, the magnetron will start to heat up even more, causing the thermal cut-off switch to activate and cut off the power. Doing this repeatedly risks damaging the magnetron. I am not saying that it cannot work, but it is something I cannot advise doing. Cheers!

@@ShakeTheFuture thank you! Found the answer in video as well! Great job!

Well, it's not better or worse, it's just different, and yes, it is more wasteful indeed. Of course, with sand casting, you don't need to use an oven and the sand can be reused. However, this method is great if you want to do some metal casting as a busy person, assuming the files are provided by the community. It doesn't take a lot of time, I mean YOUR time. Also as I mentioned in the video, with this method you can cast items that would be impossible or difficult to cast using sand casting. Cheers!

@@ShakeTheFuture I'm looking forward to seeing the dice video

Thanks! Yes, indeed I live in Spain, but I am originally from Latvia and my Spanish is not as good as my English. I suppose Kefir from Mercadona or the plastic bags gave it away 😂😂

@@ShakeTheFuture if you need assistance or help with a printer send me a mensage 😉

@@somathebest Thanks!

Oh yeah, I have seen that. Maybe it is. Cheers!

Honestly, I have no idea, but what I do want to try is leaving the wet mold in the car. Since I live in Spain and it's summertime, I might cut down on my electrical bill 💰💰💰

Last time I bought 8mm aluminium rope-crimps from AliExpress (around 1kg). They are a good size for my crucibles, and it worked out to be quite cheap. Next time, I'll get some ingots from AliExpress or somewhere else. Since I live in an apartment, it's not very convenient for me to cut metal to fit into the crucible, so I prefer to buy smaller pieces of metal, like cable-crimps or ingots. For brass, I just buy some pipe fittings from the local hardware store. For copper, I buy some copper pipes and cut them with a pipe cutter. That's my favorite way to cut metal to size. For cast iron, I just buy 0.5-1 kg weight plates. I have a lot of 1 kg weights in stock from my failed bodybuilding days :) I recently bought a 0.5 kg weight plate from a sports shop and was surprised at how cheap it was. It was under 2 euros. It's one of the cheapest metals and it casts beautifully, but it is a pain to cut it into smaller pieces. I usually make a cut with the saw and then go outside and break the plate with a hammer.

The star molds was made using "Unicast prestige" investment. The butter knife mold was only dental Plaster of Paris.

Yes you can 😊

I agree!

Is that's what it is? Aluminium bronze?

@@ShakeTheFuture Looked up the melting temps: brass: 930°C (1710°F); Aluminum Bronze*: 1027-1038°C (1881-1900°F) There are different alloys, but when obtaining "brass" from scrap metal (especially door handles that are more ornamental), you may well encounter Al bronze.