14k subtetly bands

14k subtetly bands
Originally uploaded by bcyrjewelry

I love how these turned out. These bands are really some of my favorites, so simple and silky smooth. I was so happy to be able to make them in yellow gold.

Available on
Zibbet
Etsy
Artfire

charm swap progess

charm trees
Originally uploaded by bcyrjewelry

So all of my charms turned out and i was super happy. I think one or two of the diamonds might have turned in to metal - I'll have to see when I get them all completely cleaned up. It still is a lovely effect!

Yesterday was a most productive day and it didn't necessarily feel overwhelming which I am very glad for.



I even managed to get all 4 rings finished + 2 more, and get all the charms separated and cleaned - free of investment and pickled! yippee! So I will be able to get them all in the mail on time. Today I'll work on cleaning up the sprues - I have lots of other things to do as well, so I might not be able to get them patinated and totally finished. we shall see!

Subtlety - New Wedding Bands

Subtlety
Originally uploaded by bcyrjewelry

When I was first learning to cast, I remember my teacher specifically saying not to cast something that can be fabricated more easily. When I was thinking of making these rings, that was all I could think about. Was it worth casting these when they are really just simple bands? The more I thought about them and looked around at other "simple" sterling bands, the more I realized that they are different and they are worth casting. It's subtle, hence the name.

The edges are soft and there is a very slight 'texture' that can only be achieved through the soft wax that I use. They are silky and satiny looking to me. And oddly, were hard to focus on as there seemed to be no hard edge the autofocus could land on! There is something about these that make me really happy. They are almost calming. A customer said it reminded her of a pool of water. They kind of remind me of a gentle breeze... maybe blowing over a pool of water.


You can see the listing on Etsy or Artfire.

Review - AJM Guide to Lost-Wax Casting

I just got this book the other day and am super excited about it. When most of my casting was pretty straightforward - it was easy! I went years and never had a casting not turn out. However, as I've progressed and started experimenting - I try risky things that I haven't done before and often come up a little short. There is a great troubleshooting section which is just what I need! Its not a huge book, only 116 pages, but I can tell it is going to be a fabulous resource. It has a lot of info other books I have don't cover and one aspect I particularly like is that it is a collection of articles from different authors. You can check it out on Amazon, or the next time you place your Rio Grande order, they have it too.

New Setting!!

love knot w/ tube set stone (diamond)
Originally uploaded by bcyrjewelry

I am so incredibly excited about this. You know how sometimes you think about something too much and it turns it in to a huge seemingly insurmountable task. Well, finally, I worked on this design and it was a million times easier than what I had built it up in my head to be. I'm not sure why I thought it would be so difficult. Or maybe all that 'thinking' worked it out in my head so that finally when my hands got to it, they'd been mentally practicing for months? can that happen?!

I really like casting the diamonds in place b/c it gives a really nice and subtle look - but this is definitely a close second! I used a gold tube setting - well, b/c it was what I had, but also I really like the combo of mixed metals.

The excitement of finally creating this setting is that now I can do any kind of stone someone might want! Before, I was limited to diamonds, rubies and sapphires - or synthetic stones. And those don't even turn out every time they are fired (I'm working on that too though).

This ring had actually been a 'mistake' - and had a diamond in it that hadn't turned out. so I unearthed the damaged diamond, drilled a hole the setting would fit in to and soldered it in place. And lucky for me, its just my size! Sometimes I like to keep the prototype of something - it helps me remember what I did, where I've come from and how I can improve.

I hope today is as wonderful and successful of a day (for you too!).

Lost Wax Casting Process

Finally I've gotten all my photos together to do a photographic tutorial of lost wax casting.



All of my waxes are made individually. I really enjoy working with brown wax the most. I've used hard waxes for somethings when needed, but they aren't my favorites. I've also used some red and pink wax that a friend uses in dental wax work. I've made several of my own tools - very easy to do. my favorites are small needles stuck in the end of a pencil eraser.



These are the beginnings of some of my flower rings and starting to sprue them up.



Spruing allows the wax to melt out of the mold and for the metal to get to your piece! not having enough sprues or having them in the proper location can cause your piece to not turn out.



After all sprues have been attached its now time to weigh them. This if very important and is often forgotten. The weight of the wax is used to determine how much metal you will need for the casting. Because each metal has a unique specific gravity - you will need to know what number to multiply your wax weight by. For sterling, you can do it two ways - you can multiply by 10.4 and then add a half ozt (troy ounce) or you can simply multiply by 15. I usually do both to be on the safe side and figure something in the middle. For very small or very large, using teh 10.4 and half ozt is usually best.



After the waxes are weighed, its time to attach them to the sprue base or button.



Then the flask is lowered over the waxes. It is important that there is at least 1/4" of space between the edge of the flask and the waxes. Now believe me, I've pushed it and nothing bad has happened, but that doesn't mean that it won't. You can have a blow out where the hot molten metal breaks through because there was not enough investment. Same with the top of the flask, if the wax is too close to the top, the metal can break right through. And for vacuum casting, this could be very bad as the metal would most likely damage your casting table.



now you are ready to invest!

You need to know the size of your flask and how much investment you will need. For this sweet little flask, I only need a 1/2lb and 3.5oz of water. Measure the water out first and pour it in the rubber mixing bowl.



Now weigh out the investment. Investment contains silica - so you should wear a dust mask if you don't have exhaust. I got this cute blue scale for very cheap - and its blue! no need to spend big bucks on an expensive scale - it just needs to work.



Set the timer for 8 minutes. This is the longest that your investment should be disturbed. Once it starts setting up, you don't want to be messing with it. I start the timer and then pour the investment in to the water. Mix for 3 minutes - right when it turns to 5 min, its time to vacuum.



Vacuum the investment for 2 min - this is the first step in vacuuming.



Bubbles are good - this is the vacuum getting all the air out of the investment



Now, pour the investment in to the flask. Its a good idea to have tape around the top of your flask to keep the investment from bubbling over and making a huge mess. When pouring, pour down the edge of the flask, not directly on the waxes as it could cause the wax to move slightly and perhaps against another wax or too close to the edge.



Now for the vacuuming of the flask! If you are vacuuming more than one flask of the same size, make sure to mark them. I use a piece of chalk to write a number corresponding to the wax weights - the chalk doesn't burn off in the kiln so its easy to distinguish when getting them quickly.



This removes air that might have been trapped around the waxes and still in the investment from pouring - vacuum for approx 1.5 minutes - don't go over your 8 minutes.

It bubbles up and over like an ancient tar pit! The rings were pretty small in this flask, so I didn't fill it up all the way to reduce the bubbling over.

If there was a little bit of investment left over, after the time is up, pour the little bit on top. With vacuum casting, you need to leave at least 1/8 of an inch at the top to aid in the suction during the casting. if doing centrifugal casting, it can go over the top of the flask.

now it needs to sit for about 10 - 15 undisturbed until it sets up, then it needs to sit for about 1.5 - 2 hours before you can start the burnout process in the kiln.



Once the flask is ready - it goes in the kiln and starts the burnout process. Burnout times are anywhere from 5 - 12 hours. The 5 hour burnout is perfect for just doing a couple of small flasks. Since I'm just a small time operation and didn't have the extra $900 to spend on an automated system, I have to manually adjust the temperatures to make sure the burnout process moves along smoothly. Hour 1: 300 degrees, Hour 2: 700 degrees, Hour 3 and 4: 1350 degrees, Hour 5: 1000 degrees - and hold.



Once the kiln has been holding at 1000 degrees for an hour, its time to start heating up the crucible and the metal. Make sure the crucible is red hot before adding the metal.



Once the metal has melted, give it a pinch of flux, a stir with a carbon stirring rod (and make sure to heat it up first or the metal will stick to it)



Note the hands free set up I made with some nice fire bricks!



Now with my hands free, I can get the flask out of the kiln. Make sure to check to see that the pathways are clear - if burning out natural material, some ashes might be stuck. You can check it before you start melting the metal if you think there might be an issue you'd need to clear up, otherwise, a quick check on the way to the casting table is just fine. Also note the giant fireproof glove. I wish they made them in smaller sizes!



Place the flask upside down on the casting table (same as investing table, just make sure the toggle switch is flipped to "Cast") with the holes facing up. Turn on the vacuum pump.



Position the crucible over the flask - make to always keep the torch on the metal. Removing the torch can cause oxygen to get in and that is bad.



As you are pouring, keep the torch on the metal and pour quickly. Pouring too slowly or moving the torch can cause the metal to freeze up and your casting won't work



Once the metal is poured, turn off the torch and the vacuum pump. Release the vacuum by flipping the toggle off of cast and move the flask away to let it cool. Wait until the metal is no longer red hot. I check it under a dark area of the table before quenching.



Now that the metal has cooled a bit and is no longer red (generally 2 - 5 minutes) it is time to quench. Make sure the flask is completely under the water. You want it to all be bubbling completely underneath the surface of the water. If you have used cast in place stones or some alloys you don't want to quench when the metal is hot. You need to let some completely cool up to an hour so as to not crack the stones or cause the metal to be shocked. Regular sterling is fine to quench after a few minutes.



These castings have been scrubbed clean of most of the investment, but there are still bits around the sprues and in the creases of the flower



Soaking them in vinegar is a great inexpensive way to remove the investment and to clean the metal! I often leave them in there over night or longer depending on small detail areas. And its nice to have the metal clean already! It does take longer than an ultrasonic cleaner, but if you don't have the money or the space, vinegar works just fine.



And now its time to clean them up! removing the sprues, grinding, filing, sanding, adding texture to camouflage where the sprue had been, adding a patina, and the final polish all await your piece!