Homemade Metal Casting

Casting metal is a practice that has been around for thousands of years. Today, it is used in a number of fields in everything from engineering to jewelry. A number of methods can be used to cast metal. One such process, called investment casting or lost wax casting, can be done in the home. It involves building a wax sculpture of the piece that you wish to make and then pouring investment (a plaster-like material) over it to make a mold, melting out the plastic and then pouring molten metal into the mold.

Follow step by step Instruction

1. Carve a wax sculpture of exactly what you want your final product to look like. Use an X-Acto knife.
2. Attach a wax spur to the bottom of your sculpture by melting the tip of it with a candle. Once the wax is melted out of the investment casting the metal will flow through this spur into your mold.
3. Place a glob of moldable wax onto a rubber base. The rubber base must be about the same size of the can that you plan to use. Attach the wax spur that is on the sculpture to this glob of wax.
4. Remove the bottom of the can with a cut-safe can opener. The can opener removes the bead on the can instead of leaving a sharp edge.
5. Place the can on top of the rubber base with the sculpture inside. Ensure a good seal between the can and the base with masking tape.
6. Mix investment material with water according to the manufacturer's specifications. Pour the investment into the can, completely covering your wax sculpture. Let the investment dry to the manufacturer's specifications.
7. Remove the rubber base from the can and place the can in a furnace that is as close as you can be to the melting temperature of the metal that you plan to cast without exceeding the can's melting temperature. Make sure the end with the spur is facing down. Leave the can in the furnace overnight, allowing the wax to drain from the mold.
8. Melt the metal that you plan to invest in a crucible with an oxyacetylene torch.
9. Keep the oxyacetylene torch on the metal and have someone else remove the can from the furnace. Have this assistant turn the can over so the hole where the spur was is available for you to pour the metal into it.
10. Turn off the torch and pick up the crucible with metal tongs. Pour the metal as fast as you can, without spilling, from the crucible into the hole in the investment.
11. Place the can into a bucket of water using the crucible. The water in the bucket may boil from the heat.
12. Shake the can back and fourth while still under water. This will loosen up the investment and remove it from the metal casting. After a couple of minutes the metal should be cool enough to touch.

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