Casting SolusCast

[Archerm]

Marc are they using plasticast? Almost all the casting houses I have talked with all use Dental investments for resin casting.

[rkundla]

My first attempts at casting Soluscast were a complete failure but the latest result was very good. The tree in the attachment is sterlium as cast. The Halo ring model was soluscast, the other two were Emerald. The only flaws in the soluscast ring were a couple of extremely tiny pits on the sides of the halo. These will be easily repaired with my welder. I can say that the pits were caused by ash. There was no sign of investment breakdown. You can see in the side view of the Halo ring that the claws all came out fine. I exposed the models to 20 watt ultra violet lamp for twelve hours and a nail curer for around the same time and cooked the models in a counter top oven at 150 F for four hours after the ultra violet. My burn out....

-two hours in toaster oven at 275 F to eliminate wax.
-1 hour 350F
-1 hour 700F
-1 hour 1200F
-3 hours 1375 F
- ramp down to casting temp.
ramps are 1000 degrees per hour.

You didn't experience any cracking of the resin after 24 hours exposure of UV and 4 hours in an oven?

[rkundla]

I tried another casting this weekend of my earrings and an engraved signet ring that looked great when printed.

The changes to my previous casting parameters was I cured for the full 6 hours in the paint can and I used my shop vacuum to try to suck out any loose debris.

The signet ring had some fine cracking on the face after the cure, but nothing that couldn't be sanded out after casting.

Casting results were slightly better than before for the earrings. There were less voids in the casting, but the area around the small prongs in the petals was again filled with extra metal.

The signet ring was in pretty sorry shape. The engraving on the shoulders for the most part were okay, but one of the numbers in the 2018 were filled in. The gothic 'S' on the flat of the ring was 80% filled with some areas that managed to stay intact. No voids that I could see in the signet, but the surface finish wasn't as smooth as the earrings.

I hate to go to 36:100 because I am concerned the Plasticast will not be able to hold engraving detail if it is too thick. I will try the heat though (4 hrs at 150°F) and see if that helps.

[M-Williams]

Marc are they using plasticast? Almost all the casting houses I have talked with all use Dental investments for resin casting.

Yes plasticast. With the Phosphate bonded investment we do not even cure our resin when casting platinum.

One more time. Im sure that LED curing makes a hell of difference. for the lack of LED cure, a sunny day will take care of it.

[mongerdesigns]

The UV blocker that was used in SolusCast is a very powerful one that allows for a greater level of details and sharpness. That affects the post curing for obvious reasons and makes proper post curing even more important.

Weak UV lights don't have enough power to penetrate deep enough into the model. Stronger, more concentrated lights will do much better.

Anything from 385nm - 405nm. Curing for an extended period of time will help cure the models better. We recommend at least 2-3 hours for thin rings, and up to 4-5 hours for thick rings.

It's important to cure all sides of the model, because poorly cured areas can impact the rest of the castings.

[wawatobi]

Reply to Rkundla.... I didn't get any cracking. I'm going to try 175 in the toaster oven. That's way below boiling point so shouldn't be a problem.

Cheers!

[wawatobi]

This is why I am reluctant to use boric acid. My last cast had .7 percent boric acid added to the water of the investment. This cast was with 1 percent and I get a crack. Anybody else have this problem? Some roughness on the other ring but probably salvageable.

[M-Williams]

we noticed that 36 water to investment ratio gives you that extra strength without any compromise though. No need really for Boric acid . Marc

[Jewelermdt]

That is a long spru. How close to the edge or top of flask was the ring?

[wawatobi]

The ring with the flashing was one half inch from investment top. I think I will try the 36 to 100 mix. I've always used 38. Hope it will still pour easily.