So my wife has a thing for garage sales while I'm not getting my duff outta bed at 6am to creep through other peoples CRAP! She brought home a little silicone mold of 4 little airplanes. One day I made the mistake of pouring wax into them and she caught me popping them out of the molds. YUP, you guessed it. "How cute! I want 16 of them in bronze!" I may be a pilot, but unlike most pilots, I have next to nothing around that would give that fact away. I've always been fascinated by aviation, but not obsessive about it. Keep hobbies as hobbies and don't make it your J O B or say goodbye to your hobby. See the logic? Flying is my job, not my hobby. Anyways, she decided this year it would be nice to have a squadron of little bronze airplanes to give out to folks we know this Christmas. So it too begins. No cheap mold is EVER CHEAP! Meet Winston Burr eater. I knew a used car car guy in florida and his wife made up this weird creature. The story is, Winston drags his fluffy tail in the sand and collects sand spurs. He then eats them and lets out a burp. His body is rough because of the sand spurs. He is the hero of the beach! He's been in our family since 1987. They are 2inches across. I hope they cast! I don't want to do this one again.
I have a cousin that's the same. He was a pilot (now retired) for over 40 years, first in the military then commercial, and there's not one bit of aviation related paraphernalia in his house. As for the mold, if the castings are for Christmas gifts, forget bronze, cast them in chocolate.
Shell Number 4. Note the list. 7 layers and then 2 more on just the cups. These will be boiled out and I'm hoping 2 more layers on the cup will prevent cracking. I had good luck on the porch light with this technique. I am concerned I'm not going to get all the wax out by boiling, so I'm expecting a smoky burnout. I didn't want to add a ton of plumbing to the little airplanes.
They are starting to thicken up. Do you do A Sand for the first 3 and B the last 4? Did you weigh a single plane in wax? It would be interesting to see how heavy they will be when they come out. Maybe we could do some math and get a ruff estimate, I hope your wife doesn't think they will be tree ornaments?
I am thinking you’re going to have some small air vent problems. I am hoping I’m wrong.... But this is just my thoughts. I think I would’ve sent them all flying down the sprew. With an entrance at the tail and exit at the nose.
You might be right Matt, but you do know that ceramic shell is gas permeable right? It usually requires very little sprues to get the job done when running shell. Note I also have the red wax running technically the wrong direction too! lol... I do this because I need the wax to float UP during boil out as the cup will be at the top. I'm going to be left with a tiny bit of wax in the tail section that's for sure. As long as most is out, the rest will just turn to smoke in the kiln and won't blow out the shell. With the help of that chick from the university, I'm turning 2000 years of bronze work literally on it's head. Such a rebel I know.
I run 2 layers of A and then 5 layers of B. On the porch light I did 3 layers of A and 4 layers of B. I haven't noticed and difference to be honest with you. Funny, I forget to weigh my stuff every time! I can figure it out with a little bit of work. By the time I pour, I'll get us an answer. Now if I can just remember to weigh before I boil out the wax, we will be in good shape. lol Remember, bronze is 9 times the weight of wax.
I know your way in too deep for turning back. I am now anxious to see your final results. Good or bad.
Me too buddy. Failure sucks and costs money. No way am I tig welding a bunch of tail sections back onto half filled little airplanes.
There is a bronze pourer in my neck of the woods that only dips two or three times (sometimes just plaster of Paris) , then sets the mould backed by a silica sand loosely packed in a drum. Then he just covers the sprew with a fibre blanket.
Get a video, I'd like to see it. No reason that wouldn't work well as the sand supports the shell from blowing out. The million dollar question is how does he DEWAX without the wax expanding and breaking the shell. THAT is the reason for the many many layers. Before this stuff is fired, it has very little green strength. Even at 7-8 layers, I've cracked shells. Wanna see a grown man cry, watch the fox dewax. I split that sucker almost in half. Stainless steel wire wrapped around might have helped. I wonder if your buddy is doing that?
I like those pieces. I would like to do a batch of something like that, but in the steam engine line. .
Time to find a new hobby... This one is boring me. Ceramic shell always works! It's no fun if ya cant have a massive failure every now and then. You were saying Matt?????? Ceramic shell is gas permeable.
Small world,I believe that's Dale Dunning. I just saw a reference to his studio here: http://railwaybobrestorations.blogspot.com/2014/04/what-to-do-when-canadian-tire-no-longer.html?m=1 He maybe doing a plaster dip for some pieces, if so I'd like know how. The first video looks like ceramic shell.