I want to learn more about sterling silver casting

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mbellek

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Jul 18, 2007
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177
Location
Circleville, OH, USA.
Does anyone here do this? I would guess any metal casting would be about the same... I know a lot of you cast your own blanks, so are we talking about the same machinery?

Is there a website where I could learn more? I don't know the first thing about it, so don't be afraid to be too basic...

I'm wondering:

Vacuum or Centrifugal?

How much of a basic up-front investment is needed?

Is this something that can be self-taught (with assistance from reading materials, videos and other resources like this)?

Common dangers involved?

Just don't know where to begin!! :)

Thanks

Melanie
 
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While it may not be exactly what you are looking for, there is something called Precious Metal Clay (PMC) which consists of sterling silver and a binder. When you heat it, the binder sublimates and you end up with silver left behind.

jrc used this technique to make some small silver pen parts

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28823&SearchTerms=pmc

I know that my local community college offers several adult education classes in PMC. You might want to check your local CC.

If the pieces you wish to make are not too big and structurally complex this might be a solution for you. I believe that the PMC structure shrinks when heated thus while you can have a fancy surface pattern like prc used, a complicated structure with moving parts might be hard to pull off.
 
I once looked into making things from cast silver. After studying the subject for a while I decided it wasn't worth the effort. Casting silver requires specialized equipment, especially a centrifuge. Unlike many metals, silver does not flow and fill the cavities readily and has to be forced, with the centrifuge, into those spaces. It is labor intensive. That is why many jewelers will not offer silver work. The labor drives the price up and makes the finished piece almost as expensive as an identical one in gold and people aren't willing to pay the price. I have watched silver makers trying to get good castings for things like goblets and bells. Generally, there are multiple failures before one good piece. You can buy precious metals in various forms, like rods. That might be your best bet. Get a silver rod and treat it like any other material to make a pen.
 
I agree with starting with PMC is a good idea. Its not cheap, but fairly easy to use and offers many possibilities. The picture (not mine) is perfume vial made from PMC on a CSUSA kit - same brass tube as pens so you can see the possibilities. There are courses but a few books will get you started.

Silver casting only requires that you be able to make a mold in wax of what you are trying to make. Yes you can get all the equipment necessary to cast the silver yourself, but I have seen some pretty amazing work that was done in wax and sent to a professional caster. You may have to do some finishing, but it is very possible if you have the desire. Even if you don't get the complete set-up, I would recommend a class so you will know how to prepare the wax for casting.

I think it is worth the effort if you really want to take your pens to a new level. It's not the only way, but certainly a very good one IMO.


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I think I might look into finding someone who already has the equipment and working that way.

A friend of mine who knows a bit about it (but not a whole lot) says it takes thousands of dollars in equipment, and, like you said, in failed attempts, to get a finished product.

I just don't know if I'm ready for that level of commitment right now in my "handwork-making career" (not "career" in the sense of "what I do for a living", ahhh you get the idea!)
 
The PMC silver clay might not be the best thing for the nib because of the shrinkage. I've been playing around with it for a couple of months. It would be better to find a casting company that can cast parts for you. There are a few steps to having a custom nib that will work. First the casting company will not make a core for the nib, you have to. The core is the empty space in the nib. My first one was not quite right so I will fix it. That was the first mold that cost $25. The second mold the core should be right, they will make some wax patterns that I will dip in wax to make it a little thicker and have a designs and patterns in them. I'll take the best ones and have master molds made from them that I will have cast when I need them. Cost for the silver and to have them cast it will be about the same price as the PMC Silver Clay. A little over a dollar a gram. There will be a little time involved cleaning and polishing but the cost should be around $10 to $12 for the nib. I'm not sure if any of this make scenes to you but if your really interested in having your own silver parts made, you can contact me. There may be a chance I will sell sterling parts next summer. Just the nibs and center bands. These will be for cross type desk pens.

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Melanie,I do silver and gold casting, You can get a starting set up for Vacuum casting for about 1200.00 from Rio Grande Albuquerque, They are one of the largest Jewelry suppliers around, Nice to deal with and have an excellent staff, That's not counting a torch or electro melt, I just use a large Oxyacetylene torch, but I usually cast around 20 ounces per flask. Centrifugal casting is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, it is inherently dangerous, Vacuum is much safer and if done correctly it's better than Centrifugal, You can find Rio Grande on the web, they will send you a catalogue.
as far as molds go, they take more money unless you use RTV Silicone compounds, which don't last as long as vulcanized Rubber or Silicone. a man named Murray Bovin has what is probably the best book for beginners It got me started about 35 years ago and is still around, I believe it's called Practical casting for Schools and Craftsmen just do a Google for Murray Bovin,
Good Luck
Ken Ferrell
 
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