Easy lost PLA metal casting │ How to turn a 3d print into metal │ ASMR

[@robinson-foundry]

If you're interested in any of the tools or equipment I use and you want to help support the channel then don't forget to check out some of the affiliate links in the video description. Thank you for the support!

[@wtxrcdog]

I used to do some lost foam castings. I would use joint compound thinned with water to about like milk. and spray on several coats letting them dry between coats. Then I would pour a base layer of sand into my bucket place my part in and pour plat sand around the part. After that I would tap the bucket with a mallet to pack the sand once it was packed down pour my metal. Worked great. I made tons of parts and no water glass.

[@wantafastz28]

I really appreciate you showing and telling what materials you use for people like me unwilling to bite the bullet on suspend a slurry... thank u, and awesome content

[@Beerbatter1962]

Absolutely amazing how much detail you captured. Even the 3D printed layer lines and the filament Wiggly's on the overhang under the chin. Excellent work. Thanks for sharing.

[@danal3386]

Unreal... I've been looking into methods for doing this and this is by far the most effective I've seen yet! Hope it works for jewelry casting

[@pbDEMON]

From what I've seen on other youtube videos, most jewelry casters use resin 3d printers and plaster molds for high quality pieces.

[@lancekindle3100]

joint compound to act at the fine-detail-saver is such an excellent trick

[@The_Mimewar]

I never would have thought of it on my own.

[@nczioox1116]

Is there a spray on version?

[@theofficialvalvychannel5689]

Idk but what is joint compound exactly?😅

[@josedavid6400]

@@theofficialvalvychannel5689 I also like to know.

[@jacktheaviator4938]

I have tried a couple different types, but the powder that you mix with water that contains plaster of Paris is the best. A lot of the pre mixed varieties have polymers in the mix (usually some sort of vinyl) and they don't work as well. I'm not sure if it's the vinyl, or some other ingredient, but the pre mixed stuff had tiny pits and dimples in the surface finish.

[@regularSenseAppeal]

I was into painting Warhammer miniatures around 30 years ago. Watching this gave me an overwhelming urge to paint it. Nice

[@HVXmania]

Lools amazing. I can't believe the detail. Love to see the method with other metals and alloys like bronze, brass and iron

[@donwright3427]

Nice to see you have all the correct safety gear and proper tools to safely handle molten metal.

[@trollman-lv3be]

Congrats this project is much easier than previus projects

[@mattlogue1300]

3d print needed support under chin or massive cooling. That cast is awesome.

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks, yes it is. Something a little different also.

[@ColdFuse96]

A few years ago, Grant Thompson from TKOR made a video where he did this, but with styrofoam models. I've always juggled around the idea of doing that, but with 3D prints, and it looks like your did it first and perfected the idea with the layer of plaster to get all the intricate details. Excellent work! It looks great!!!!

[@berksonfab]

Wow, the detail on the bottom of the chin is very impressive. Very cool!!!

[@coulterjb22]

Nicely done. I'm impressed. I think this was the simplest approach I've seen....since 3DTopo showed his lost PLA process eight years ago.

[@gokhanceterez1043]

this is the most effective lost wax casting video I have ever seen.

[@TheCliverguy]

The best & easiest way to make 3d metal products 👏🏼👍🏼

[@joselinares4899]

At lasttttt a video without burn out oven great job

[@ElusiveParticle]

These have such a "How it's Made" vibe to them, it's great. My guess is you were a fan of that show growing up (as I was) and you took some mental notes and made use of them for your videos. Great videos. : )

[@matthewludivico1714]

excellent to see ancient "lost wax" method brought to the 3D printer era

[@JohnSmith-tj5se]

this shares nothing with lost wax casting, it's not even close to correct

[@almorassi]

4:31 The difference between cans and wheels is that wheeled aluminum has a higher silicon content, which lowers the melting point of the alloy and improves the fluidity of the molten metal.

[@robinson-foundry]

That’s right. Big difference between the two. I love “Wheelium”.

[@SethKotta]

@@robinson-foundry Oh, wheely?

[@nitcat1]

Is there some method to determine if a wheel is aluminum, magnesium or some kind of alloy?

[@vaclavmusil6994]

@@nitcat1 Wheels are usually casted.

[@operator8014]

@@robinson-foundry Wheeluminum?

[@soundmindtv2911]

Hands down this is authoritatively the best tutorial I’ve been able to find on this

[@the_wretched]

I can't believe it even retained the overhang stringy thingies, hahaha Excellent video

[@stgo.s.4067]

You rlly make an before an after in the 3D metal casting method with this. You're my heroe

[@makingcookingfixing]

Thanks for the tip on the concrete sealer and joint compound!!

[@maxk4324]

Dry wall sealer I believe. Concrete sealer is an entirely different product, an epoxy or some other 2 part resin I believe, which if used here will produce very bad results and also probably some fumes you don't want to be breathing.

[@ColinWatters]

Great to know it works without needing a lengthy burn out to remove the PLA.

[@paulmanhart4481]

Excellent job. Who would have thought that you don’t need to melt out the PLA first.

[@jefflyon100]

Very impressive. Another version of this is being used with powdered steels. The print gets placed in a steel tube (cannister). The outside gets filled with 1085 and the inside with 15n20 or 1085 with 5% nickel. Its heated to forging temperature and compressed in a hydraulic press. The pla is organic and burns off as carbon. Some very detailed mosaic patterns for knife blades etc are being created. Its very new and likely the next big thing in mosaic pattern welded steel (damascus). Thought it might interest you.

[@juanwick8195]

Definitely given me H.R. Giger vibes👌🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥 sick job, love it!!

[@jacobcultivates]

As if I didn't already have enough of an addiction printing in PLA... :P This was super awesome man, thanks for sharing!!!

[@robinson-foundry]

You’re welcome, it’s a fun hobby! Thanks!

[@HarrisonDavies]

The best method I've seen.

[@lukerichard1709]

Best casting video to date!

[@jackturner3803]

A fine addition to your collection

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks!

[@elfpimp1]

Nice. And using Vase mode in the slicer, good idea!!

[@SethKotta]

"Hey, Seth. You know what happened to my car rims?" "... No?"

[@abc1099]

Wheels*

[@WojciechP915]

In the foundry I worked at, we used pour basins over top of the sprue so that a constant flow of metal goes into the mold without any air. It also reduces spillage.

[@FKreider]

Thanks for sharing, I literally just bought the materials to try this!

[@robinson-foundry]

That’s awesome! I hope it works out for you.

[@The1Loser1Type]

You should post a video of your first go at it!

[@riccardo7352]

did it work?

[@PedroPerenne]

@@robinson-foundry it is "normal" sand? not special for casting? the sand in the home improvement stores?

[@EricksonEtc]

@@PedroPerenne The sand is regular sand. It's the sodium silicate that makes the sand harden up, with exposure to CO2. Google 'sodium silicate casting'. It's amazing stuff. SV Seeker has some cool videos using SS. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4HRhJVprt-sqqc

[@paulmeistrell1726]

You do some impressive work and your techniques are great. Just one thing your wearing lace up shoes without shields surprises me with all the safety you practice. Keep up the good work and making your videos.

[@whoguy4231]

Thought the PLA would blow up .... but didn't .... Awesome!!! Thank You

[@robinson-foundry]

As long as it’s vented sufficiently it works!

[@DarthG33k]

5:40 You lost a lot of metal off the side of the bucket, there. A small funnel of sand around the entry point would help direct the metal back into the mold.

[@hasanelahituhin1150]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXTRen2ra56UjJI

[@VLXVNDR]

Pretty sweet looking bong 👌🏼

[@mensb1936]

wow incredible detail in the result. excellent work

[@LtJerryRigg]

Great work! I like this molding method, I will have to try it. One note: don't load your crucible cold like that. The aluminum expands as it heats and it's a great way to crack your crucible. Throw a little in the bottom and let the rest preheat on the furnace vent, add once you get a molten heel on the bottom.

[@grandkaiser1]

Absolutely stunning....that was glorious

[@dtrotteryt]

Using the angle iron to protect from vent splatter is genius. I have done something similar, but I'll be damned, the angle iron is easy and does a GREAT job. Thanks a bunch!

[@kmech3rd]

I'm impressed that burning out the PLA core before pouring wasn't required. Do you think that any other "support" filaments like the water soluble PVA would burn out even cleaner? Or was PLA just perfectly suited to the application?

[@Serbianguy432]

A great informative tutorial. Well done - as usual.

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you very much!

[@davidforrest937]

8:18 I like houw the process captures the detail of the drooping filament in the overhanging chin.

[@3DPrintingIndustryNews]

Good to see that pie case replaced with something a little more sturdy!

[@solarheat9016]

Good job. The finished piece has lots of detail. I would like one in cast iron plated with nickel.

[@298CRE8]

Mechanical engineer from forge foundry background yes you can reuse most metal sand etc in the industry we reuse it after filtering and grinding again to ensure no big parts and magnets to remove from ferrous metals etc good luck if it feels and looks good enough to use it probably is not hard 🤞✌️

[@ygalion]

you asked to tell what we thinking... freaking amazing, good job

[@raziel3726]

Amazing Craftsmanship 👍🏻👍👍🏽

[@renees766]

That looks awesome!

[@charitybrown4274]

Great Work!!! 👍😁

[@robinson-foundry]

Thank you!

[@kiruthikak3175]

thats amazing, is it possible to cast a metal on existing metal ?

[@timandrew4515]

Nicely done!

[@adingilman-cohen1500]

This seems so much easier than other lost PLA methods with molds that need to be set in a kiln. What are the drawbacks? Why doesn't everyone use this all the time?

[@dogdrone5186]

Excellent, thank you for sharing. time for me to buy a foundry and make some cool stuff.

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks! You definitely should. It’s lots of fun.

[@rednaldron2617]

found out about your channel today and i cant stop watching! amazing work

[@SunilSundar]

Do you think the sodium silicate is required or would it work just as well with dry sand?

[@damiferar1544]

MUY BUENO E INSTRUCTIVO SALUDOS DESDE ARGENTINA.

[@massmanute]

Another question. When you pour the molten metal into the mold, is the mold hot (near the melting point of the metal) or cold (near room temperature).

[@piesdescalzos27]

Robinson baby... do some greek scuptures alright. All the best

[@vladbaban7744]

great video by the way. I have 2 questions 1: what happens to the used sand ? Can u reuse it ? 2: can you use PetR filament? or do you use a special type of PLA?

[@roland2864]

Really digging the mayan/Aztec prints

[@crubbythebeagle57]

stunning man stunning Author Venkat 😎

[@SoullessScythe]

im going to try a clay dip method using some home-refined red clay. im not sure how it is going to go. especially since i dont have a forge built right this moment. but ive got a method i think will work.

[@xDevoneyx]

Great demonstration. You have any ideas on how to maintain the details on the head of the statue? Because of the vent these got lost, right?

[@PixelShaded]

Very nice technique, thanks for sharing

[@ku8721]

Awesome!!! But may I make a suggestion, turn supports on but click touching build plate only. It'll help with the lower messy overhangs like under the chin at 8:18. And that will allow you to get a smoother finish of joint compound which should in theory help with those little blobs Edit: on 2nd viewing I see you did that, try reducing the distance between the support material and the overhang. Or try rubbing it with soft wax that should fill in those gaps but still melt out easy

[@robinson-foundry]

Thanks for the tip. I had the z distance set to .2mm. The print is so fragile that I didn’t want there to be any problems removing the supports.

[@The_Phantom_Writer]

Wow... Mind blown. I definitely need to try this method. Keep up the awesome videos, incredibly helpful!!! :)

[@joneastman5627]

That came out grate nice piece man

[@TheEngineeringDutchman]

Whatan extreme intresting way to cast. I have to give this a try myself

[@designersmind3140]

Super cool! I'd love to see you do this with a resin printer which would get you even better detail. There are a lot of resins out there specifically for doing lost wax style casting

[@elrojogrande744]

theres also wax filament for fdm 3d printers. never used it myself because i heard its a PITA to work with though.

[@SirKevinthefirst]

Should take that to the antique road show. Maybe get half a million bucks

[@Chamakito123]

Hello, sorry if my English is bad, I have a question because I did not understand the video, I did not see that you heated the mold and the pla melted and came out, you just poured aluminum into it... can someone explain to me what happened there?

[@beefan1596]

The PLA burned away when he poured the metal inside. This method is more like "lost foam casting" than "lost wax casting." Other "lost PLA casting" videos use a method similar to lost wax casting, which is probably what you're thinking of (melting the PLA out of a mold). I believe this is because he didn't use any infill, so the amount of PLA that had to be burned was extremely low.

[@Chamakito123]

@@beefan1596 thankyou

[@AstroInfinitum]

Beautiful!!

[@Mossy179]

I was preparing to get a Resin 3-D printer today for jewelry casting, until I learned from various YT videos that Resin printing is EXTREMELY toxic for your health.. That scared the heck out of me. I don't necessarily need to do lost wax casting - but figure I'll be sticking with clay or sand casting. I'd be using Sterling silver and gold. If I go this route, would PLA filament be a great alternative? Is it very environmentally friendly for one's space? Any advice would be super appreciated.

[@robinson-foundry]

I just don’t think it’s that toxic. Here’s a video by a chemist which clears up a lot of misinformation. PLA is still burning plastic so it’s not very healthy either. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqWXpZV5nqurm68si=egh8rU2juOCxRPJd

[@manuelstritt5300]

very nice job

[@slakjawnotsayin5451]

Are you able to reuse the sand and sealer mixture over and over, or is it a 1 time use type thing once it's been heated that way?

[@haydenc2742]

Very cool! Can you thin or do multiple coats of the joint compound to thicken the shell? Maybe joint compound, sprinkle with sand, dry, repeat 2-3x times and build up a really thick shell?

[@Anontesla]

You can print most things with a couple extra walls and no infill don’t know how it would do with the metal but you said the least amt of infill so just trying to help or expand the ideas in your arsenal :) great video though gonna have to try it !!

[@texasRoofDoctor]

Great process

[@jameswiz]

For anyone who cares. "MOST" Cast aluminum is a high silicon based aluminum alloy, which lower the melting point and helps make it flow much easier. This is what makes it ideal for casting. You can buy silicon from eBay, crush it, and add to your molten aluminum to make your own allow that flows easy

[@Sludgepump]

silica, not silicon. You put silicon in your molten aluminum, it ain't gonna be pretty. Keep it for the window seals. ;)

[@jameswiz]

@@Sludgepump No. SILICON, like I said... NOT SILICONE which is CAULK!!! Learn to spell! My windows seals are fine, because of the SILICONE I've used on them. ;} SILICON is the element Si with the atomic number of 14....

[@benz7679]

Amazing job!!

[@WDM1966]

Very nice !

[@edwardhernandez9156]

Some say screwdriver others say chisel, to each their own. Great work!

[@MichaeltheCrank]

Some of us use a flat bladed screwdriver filed down to a chisel edge. Like a teeny tiny cold chisel.

[@CCoburn3]

Do you think having two (or more) coats of the sheetrock compound would help?

[@dragonzaid945]

More.... More.... More... Make MORE videos like these please !

[@kaganoksuz]

Wonderful video! Thanks for sharing. May I ask what is the material you use to "glue" PLA parts? Is it silicone or something else?

[@Spectt84]

A scary "grey alien" head would be awesome! The color would be about right, and the blank spot on the top where the air vent is needed could be easily blended into the model I would think. Does the air vent need to be so big?

[@puits-de-science]

Very nice. Thank you for this interesting video. There is something wrong with the sodium silicate sand because it should have been much harder to break than that

[@rachelg552353]

Interesting method. The result is great!

[@joshuadelisle]

Fantastic results well done. Must try this myself. Cheers J

[@garyford5536]

Used to apply dry wall tape joint and fill the join in the plasterboard

[@caiopanco6872]

That’s an awesome technique, great job 👏🏼

[@mattyal9347]

Quite educational!

[@agguilarmetalwork4494]

Thanks FDV, one question can the sand be reuse ?

[@Iamnotgod]

👍🏻 awesome 🤩

[@bartscave]

So the PLA just vaporized similar to lost foam casting?

[@elfpimp1]

Yup!

[@elfpimp1]

Jewelers use a similar process using sla results printers. Check it out. Just search on yt.

[@Quahogstacker]

U made that look easy nice 👍 👍👍