Easy, Reusable and LOW TEMP Metal Casting from 3D Printed Parts!

[@erlinghagendesign]

Hi Chris, so good to see that you are using the direct casting in silicone. I used that technique 30 years ago in my Berlin studio, but for much larger sculpture castings. The silicone could stand 500 C = 932 F. I made my own tin bronze, casting temperature about 400-440 C. The problems that you had with the ' dry ' look of your casting: the metal temperature too low and the inner surface of the silicone not adequate. You can entirely skip the vaccum when u do the following: use graphite powder and brush it on the inner side of the silicone. Better is to cut open the silicone and prepare / have an outer plaster shell to hold it later firmly together. The graphite lets the metal flow perfectly smooth and the outer plaster keeps the silicone hot so that the metal cools evenly and creates a dense structure. For the first layer on your part: this is of course a delicate procedure and is essential to have a very good surface. To avoid a parting line on the metal when you have several cut silicone: use cyanoacrylate and glue the silicone parts step by step together. For larger parts also staple carefully across the cutting lines. Then put it all in your plaster mold. For larger castings it is best to prepare a sand box to place the plaster mold in, that is a mandatory protection feature and also extends the cooling process which is essential for a good cast. looking forward for your next experiments :-). Like 104 Herri

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Good stuff, thanks!

[@ChadKirk]

You’re a good guy. Take care !

[@simonzinnhobler2042]

i would be thrilled to see you explaining this in a video❤

[@dylanevans5644]

I don't own a pressure vessel, but I do own some gloves...

[@ericblush]

seriously

[@Nagrazel]

@Alin Ardelean and you put a mold on the cast model in them?

[@OlivierCR]

Hack a pressure cooker

[@spongebob358]

@@OlivierCR how much is a pressure cooker ?

[@spongebob358]

@@OlivierCR how much is a pressure cooker ?

[@jessejohnson159]

Chris! Your process brought back memories from when I started doing small pewter castings, in Germany, in the early '80's. Stationed there as an Army NCO 3 times total. Lived there twice as a child starting in 1953. I used a German high temp RTV available at German hobby shops at the time. Started by casting spoons and small objects to get the skills needed. The comments by 'erlinghagendesign' below covered other issues I needed to solve at the time. Now I use Smooth-On products for small automotive based items. I do have one desire that an even higher temperature resistant Silicone was available where Brass, aluminum and other nonferrous metals could be cast. I also learned about "Kirksite" from casting and stamping videos on KZbin! That too is a very durable metal with a low melting temperature for stamping sheet metal parts in the automotive industry! Thanks for your post! Jesse

[@originaltrilogy1]

So helpful seeing the failed castings, it gives such a better understanding of why to have a warm mould and why to use a pressure chamber. Best video I've seen in ages, I wish more channels would show the ones that didn't work, it helps understand the process.

[@tbkustomknives8907]

Laser Man hey I have casted many failed attempts and man I’m terrible but my castings are getting better. You can see on my channel👍

[@DKTAz00]

Man, lifting that molten metal, was on the edge of my seat :D

[@jarvinjuan3384]

agree with this, super gringey

[@johnfurr8779]

I was rooting for the molten metal, so the world could have a high quality darwin award video

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

Yeah and he has a 3d printer where he could make a pair of plastic tongs to lift it. Duh!!

[@sburgos9621]

Back in the 80's they used to sell these molding sets to children. I was messing with molten metal before my teenage years. How times have changed. Bubble boys everywhere.

[@blubb7711]

@@sburgos9621 Soy boys everwhere, a bowl of hot oil is more dangerous than this "molten metal" at 138ºC

[@sierraecho884]

THE best videos in terms of "Lets find out how to cheaply make a metal casted replica" ever. I am still grateful for this video. It shows that I don´t need a vacuum chamber as well but just a pressure pod.

[@edcofu]

The first casting failed because the silicon was still wet (with oils and catalyst), pre-heating in a oven (15 minutes @ 200~250ºC)would solve this. There is a iron oxide infused silicon that works better (less thermal expasion mainly, wich uncovers the silicon bubbles) but it is brittle and may not work well with very irregular pieces using single part moulds. Coating the inside of the mould with baby powder or graphite powder (graphite is best in my experience) before casting increase the flow of the molten metal and reduce it's surface tension allowing better details without the need of casting under pressure.

[@TechCarnivore1]

6:50 holy fuck, going to give me a heart attack lol

[@spamspasm8183]

Subbed. I really like that you showed and documented the mistakes you made. People often underestimate how much others can learn from these mistakes. Loving your content so far.

[@agentred8732]

Alex Saltarin Agreed!!

[@rmatveev]

8:20 - Instead of extra pressure you'd better go with a vacuum - it will not shrink the bubles in a smaller size, but let *all* the air from the metal which is much better!

[@IntasarnW]

Shocked by quality of the print then I saw the milling spindle. Out of the question! Strongest 3d printer. Ever!

[@DavidClunie]

From my previous casting of lead figures you could forgo the pressure pot for the casting of the metal. Mainly all you need to do create the mold as you did, then when casting it heat up the mold either by placing it in a toaster oven, or do what you did and just do multiple castings in a row which will keep the mold warm, also use a cone as the riser or half sphere thats larger than the object that way you have a resivoor of molten metal so when the metal shrinks a bit you'll have enough to keep it filled, also easier to handle and you don't have to fill it up 100%. The big thing is you could make a slight zig zag cuts on one side (back perhaps) to make the master and castings easier to remove you can use clamps and two pieces of acrylic or hard board to secure them so the clamps don't squish the mold, and then use use of talc (or baby powder) to liberally coat the inside of the mold which allows for air to escape out the edges and give you a clean cast, thus eliminating the need for the pressure pot for casting.

[@ryanbarker5217]

the metal in the 'cone,' as you put it, also adds weight to help force more metal to the sides. i would imagine that you'd get better results with a runner or two, also.

[@ryanbarker5217]

never heard that as a trick before.

[@ryanbarker5217]

interesting and good to know, thanks.

[@HandsonCNC]

Interesting approach on the mold using pressure.. The traditional approach to making sure your silicon is bubble free is vacuum.. But I guess really tiny bubbles are just as good as no bubbles at all.. Thanks for sharing.

[@Unnamed3618]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD use a clamp or some grabbing tool, my fingers were burning just watching you move that mold into the chamber. Even KZbin's recent product suggestion addition below this video are suggesting gloves and a set of tongs

[@moffatjason]

"Aw yeah didnt burn m'self!"

[@TheGodsrighthandman]

It's a soft, pliable, silicon mould. Squeezing it with a pair of tongs will send the molten metal shooting out of the riser like toothpaste from a tube and could possibly damage the mould in the process. Gloves suitable for casting metal would have been too bulky to be of any use at that scale. He did fine as it is, leave him be.

[@SchemingGoldberg]

@@TheGodsrighthandman It's a low temperature metal, he doesn't need heavy duty metal casting gloves. Oven mitts would work. Even nitrile gloves would be better than nothing, because he can rip off the gloves to avoid burning his skin.

[@Themadfranklin]

I was sanding off the layer lines at great distress. I never thought of using paint until your video. Thanks man!

[@Issac_G]

high build primer works great

[@possummanrld]

Pretty cool! A great example of the old adage, "If you at first don't succeed, try, try again"!

[@jaguarking11]

Now glue the falcon to the hood of your car!

[@SwankeyMonkey]

Was thinking the SAME thing.

[@magiclarry7688]

I admire your persistence.

[@i.b.deplorable]

Great video, CDP; thanks for sharing. When I saw your excellent pressure chamber, I thought that you were going to pull a vacuum on the liquid silicone to draw all of the bubbles to the surface. I guess pressure works as well as vacuum. Using pressure during the cooling of the molten metal is a great idea. Good job. thanks

[@rogercrier]

Trade names for that metal alloy are Cerrabend and Woods metal. They were used to fill copper pipes prior to bending, then heated to get it out. Now resins are used instead as the metal is very expensive now.

[@WHJeffB]

Woods metal has a lower melting temp (you can melt it in boiling water)...

[@MaxSMoke777]

Deposition 3D prints (PLA/ABS) have TONS of air in them, and will bubble if not sealed. An easy way to seal is with primer and paint. Resin 3D prints are solid by nature so they make for best molding. When pouring metal into a cold mold, dust with baby powder. You'll get a reliable pour the first time.

[@NotFound-sb5es]

As opposed to just crushing the air bubbles you could actually get ride of them. Flip that pressure vessel to a vacuum chamber! Poof bubbles removed from both silicone and metal

[@briansgalaxynote2]

Bryan Golden, thinking the same thing here...

[@JBFromOZ]

I've always used a vacuum to remove air bubbles from silicon prior to pouring, this would no doubt have issues when using hollow printed parts, very cool to see your alternative method here with pressure. Also I like the electric furnace as a base for your heating the metal! Will keep that in mind for when I finally get mine finished too heh. Thanks for sharing!

[@scottschinsky2095]

Make sure you pressurize your silicone mold under the same pressure as the pressure you intend to use during your final mold casting pour. This will remove the micro-bubbles from your mold that will otherwise explode while under pressure if you did not cast the negative mold at the same pressure, thus destroying your mold and the casting. Pressure is weird!

[@ksb2112]

Everybody else has made appropriate comments, but let me say very well done video! Thank you.

[@Andresbutdigital]

Dude I though I was very ballsy around molten metal till I saw you lift that mold full of molten metal.

[@CNCCARVINGWORLD]

wow dude, you're not giving up also giving up your research free on youtube. thanks bro

[@jaspermachines9350]

1. 3d print the mold case 2. calculate the required silicon volume in the design software (Rhinoceros my case) 3. use plastic 10ml & 50ml syiringes to measure the given mold component volumes. 4. thanks, good video.

[@jaspermachines9350]

5.use gloves!!

[@Anjfyi]

Wow, that's great! The music was perfect and I watched the entire thing. Please make more of these 3D Printed casts, it's great! Subbed for more.

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Glad you liked it! :)

[@equiles]

what other kinds of metals could you pour into this kind of silicone mold?

[@evanz9608]

If someone wanted to cast metals with higher melting points, you could then pour hot wax into the silicone mold, then plaster it, melt out the wax, and fill THAT with metals. More ideal for bronze or aluminum and others.

[@tracybrislin]

Great Video thanks for showing solutions for bubbles in casting! Problems are more interesting than immediate success!

[@ericmcdowell5762]

I'd like to cast in bronze, a Roman wall mounted torchiere, with an ancient bowl on top, that would be used to put out a decent bowl of fire, ... via propane or natural gas. It would be a good foot-and-a-half high (or more), and the bowl at the top would be about a foot in diameter (maybe a tad smaller).

[@slep5039]

I would've thought that the way to remove bubbles would be with a vacuum, not the opposite way around. Did you use high pressure because you don't have a vacuum pump or is there any other reason?

[@ChrisDePrisco]

I've not done a TON with vacuum because I don't have a pump anymore. I first learned about using pressure when learning how to cast resin and keep the bubbles out and it worked perfectly so I've started to apply it in other areas. I don't know exactly why it works but hey, who am I to argue with results!

[@slep5039]

True, the results were pretty great. I guess I've seen one too many "____ in a vacuum chamber" videos and that was what first came to mind. Using pressure seems less messy because stuff doesn't expand all over the place, but I wonder if increasing pressure causes some air (really small bubbles) to diffuse into the cast, especially with silicone.

[@AlyssaNguyen]

Well, to be fair, using pressure doesn't remove the bubbles at all. It just makes them too small to matter. ;)

[@slep5039]

Hmm, good point

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Yikes... I think I'll stick with the compressor. :P

[@meky0]

your printer has almost no z banding its great

[@Stephen1455]

Brilliant! You have wide range of projects and great music, that is a extra plus plus!!!

[@ChrisDePrisco]

+Stephen Hodge Glad to gear you line the videos! The music actually takes a lot of effort so in glad to gear people enjoy it. :)

[@annieperdue6140]

I appreciate videos like this where there is experimentation and learning from mistakes. Very helpful! Thanks!

[@ShadowBurn680]

Why not make a zigzag cut in the silicone mold to make it easier to remove?

[@ChrisDePrisco]

I saw that in the Tested video and thought it was super ingenious but I thought I'd try it as-is first. It was really not difficult to remove and took maybe 10 seconds at most once I figured out how to push it out the bottom. Definitely a good trick to know though.

[@lazyfrog4163]

Came for the casting, subbed for the soundtrack

[@mylesgagne836]

Ladies and gentlmen, when dealing with molten metal, please wear safety gloves. And treat your mold with kindness

[@3dw3dw]

I would use vacuum first for bubble to get the air evacuated. Then pressure to crush what miniscule amount would cling to nucleosites.

[@pauligrossinoz]

Fantastic! (I hope you don't mind that I laughed when you showed that you hadn't mixed enough silicone the first time.) That was very honest of you! 😆👍

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

Very cool indeed, thanks for sharng. Which model of vacuum chamber is that ?

[@orlandovelastegui1391]

I will be purchasing a pressurized unit for my modes in the future.

[@reluttr2]

How structurally sound is this bismuth metal? Could it be used to cast 3d printer parts? 🤔

[@ChrisDePrisco]

+Darkmastergrey I would say probably; if they aren't too thin or under high stress. It's very hard but also brittle.

[@noway8233]

My ex wife has a lot of silicone lm gone try this

[@herseem]

So you can make repeated copies of her tits?

[@Automarketsen]

Plaster also works fine. and no pressue is needed.

[@kubaxd25]

I think you should not use pressure but vacumm. You can easly make vacumm pump out of old fridge compressor.

[@175griffin]

kubaxd26 because bigger bubbles are better than no bubbles? I don't see your logic

[@kubaxd25]

vacumm will suck air out of mold

[@ChrisDePrisco]

I've used both and they seem to work equally well. I don't have a vacuum pump anymore so I didn't use one - but I like that idea of making my own!

[@paulmcnulty4309]

@@ChrisDePrisco I was wondering about that, the pressure chamber vs. the vacuum chamber. I don't have a pressure chamber but I do have a vacuum chamber for degassing. Good to know that they both work. Thanx for the video and links to the metal and silicone. I'm gonna give this a try.

[@xerenityapexlegends3940]

Is it a health hazard to slice and sand the metal product without water or other things to trap the metal particles flying around? Wish to understand, thanks

[@LarxLPs]

Awesome video with great editing and music!

[@avibank]

This is a good candidate for making name plates

[@prototype7970]

Its nice to see the steps you take.

[@techmorning]

Now that's extreme casting.

[@DailyDrives]

Did you use mold release on the part before pouring the silicone? It could be your first few metal parts don't look as good just from the residue from the mold release left over.

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Nope, no mold release needed. :)

[@Granite]

Nice. Would like to see more videos like this.

[@ChrisDePrisco]

+Granite I'm always looking to make videos people like! What specifically did you like about it?

[@Granite]

Chris DePrisco I enjoyed the process, the trouble shooting, and the eventual success. A lot of inspiration for projects of my own.

[@alexhaws2377]

seconded

[@AlumiTube]

Yes super video, i do alot of casting me self, on my channel so nice to se other castings.... :)

[@Tignoso79]

That’s awesome!!! One of the best video I saw in last few years 😉 I especially appreciated the trial&error method you used to show us the improvements...very impressive and well explained 👍👍👍

[@sburgos9621]

I saw another method whereby a person holds a sander against a block of wood that has the mold on top, in order to get the bubbles out. Thought it was a great little hack.

[@TheSateef]

could you makes gears for a robotic art thing like this? would dimensional stability be OK? also is there a more bronze looking metal i could use at low temperature? thanks

[@pnvgordinho]

If I heard correctly , the temperature of the molten metal is 281 F = 138 Celsius. Doesn't that temperature ruins the mold after some usage?. Doesn't the mold gets white and looses elasticity ?. Thanks.

[@axelleonardodonanrodriguez8262]

This is some kind of Shell Mold Casting process isn't it? I mean, it seems like the same principle. Great video! thank you for sharing the whole process.

[@johnmalcolm9980]

Have the box on a vibrating platform while pouring

[@MrManerd]

Is bizmuth tin 281 safe to use as ice cube trays? And will it leach into ice made using a bizmuth tin ice cube tray?

[@PWilson-bp5jh]

That looks like the start of an awesome chess set. Those would be great rooks. The kings could probably be that little Aztec-like statue from "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

[@baraBober]

Those are some amazing quality prints!

[@galacticcustoms3919]

And what device did you use to apply pressure in the video, it looked similar to a Insta pot but I would like to know where to get one.

[@alexandereckhardt7153]

Grant Thompson uses a vacuum chamber to suck out all the air bubbles before poring the silicone.

[@ricardomourita1823]

The soundtrack is just awesome!

[@golden-dragon1442]

awesome video! it was fun to watch and i like how honest you were! :) make more!

[@pattycakes1146]

I would like to get into making custom charms and pendants for things like bracelets and earrings that are made by my custom sizes. I don’t have any molds of them yet because I don’t know how to have them made. Would a 3-D printer be able to make me molds that have raised and recessed areas so I can paint in with colored enamel? Some I want to make out of acrylic, resin, and maybe some clay polymer, but I wanna make my bracelet charms out of alloy. Any information you could spare me like “what I would have to do to have a custom print made of my charms so I could mold them” would be extremely appreciated.

[@MrQuickEdits]

What kind of 3D printer is that? The print came out amazing.

[@littlenyancat5754]

He modified his mill for 3D printing duty. As you can see the result is nothing short of amazing.

[@galacticcustoms3919]

Where can you buy the materials used to make the mold?

[@paparoysworkshop]

Instead of pressure, would vacuum not be better to remove the bubbles?

[@CD-pi8xq]

Sorry but couldn't catch from where did you get the bismuth. Can you help?

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Rotometals.com

[@CD-pi8xq]

Chris DePrisco Thanks

[@adripoisonhard4457]

what silicone works to steel? that material have higher casting temperature🤔

[@saxofonistacr]

silicone molds are only good for pewter

[@Jiggywatt]

is there any way to use a similar technique for glass materials? I really want to make custom glass molds for things like cups.

[@ZaGaZigZag]

Have this video playing in the background, and this music is excellent!

[@newretrorockets]

Alumilite instructions say de-mold in 12-18 hrs and fully cured in 7 days. How long did you let the silicone sit before removing the 3D printed part and pouring metal? thanks for the video! waiting on my silicone to set up right now!

[@SwankeyMonkey]

Try, try, and try again. Until you get it right, or satisfactory, or moderately acceptable. Love this channel!

[@shaniceshipp8677]

How many times can I use the silicone mold for metal casting

[@fardyar]

Hello, please teach me what is your spray maker .also teach exactly what kind of silicon you use.Best regards

[@redoneoneone]

That eagle was removed from the pink stuff very romantic. The sound is included 😁

[@jerrywoods2524]

Awesome!!! If I understand what you did. You used pressure to remove the bubbles? Does this work better than degassing by using a vacuum?

[@JTMC93]

What pressure vessel is that? Also vacuum the silicon then poor and have it cure in a pressure vessel to remove bubbles. That is basic casting 101. Also look into centrifugal casting with a that type of mold.

[@MisterDivineAdVenture]

Sherlock would be proud.

[@matgggg55]

Wait are you using a cnc vatical milling machine as a 3D printer ?!?? That’s awesome !! Subscribing now

[@YCM30cnc]

Maltese Falcon is one of favorite Radio Mystery Theater shows 😂😂👍👍..... nice content on your channel

[@macswanton9622]

Mercury Theatre

[@sikumania100]

Hi what do you use as mold, because it went to fast to hear what you use. 😀

[@coilkillah5192]

awesome video man! super informative.

[@fraggler12]

Just a clueless guess on my part here, but I would think the main reason the first one came out bad was that you didn't leave the mold alone and kept "squeezing" it while the metal was starting to harden/crystalize? Nice video, I enjoyed it :)

[@ChrisDePrisco]

Thanks! That's an interesting idea, I'll have to give it another shot and not play with it so much.

[@nowayjerk8064]

yea quit playing with it

[@lukebrient9302]

what is the pressure vessel you are using called? tryna find it online to do somthing like this myself!

[@johnwarwick8636]

great video .was wondering if you could load the printer with to save making the first model.

[@Jp-ue8xz]

I thought you'd use a vacuum chamber instead of pressurizing the cast, in order to make air bubbles bigger so that they float out of the metal, instead of compressing them and causing strain after

[@paulie-g]

.. or, you know, add a few sprues. The pressure vessel is a good idea though - creating a good vacuum and holding it can get expensive, but plenty of people have access to air.

[@Oberonjames]

Hey, can you use just any pressure chamber for this, or is there something specific I need to look for?

[@phorgive]

Dumb question but could this be done with hotter metals like copper?

[@ScottWaring]

Would gently hitting the table with your fist make the air bubbles leave...it works with paster molds with I do it...got be be gentle with this hot stuff though.

[@atomwerk]

Great video! I think that vibration could also work for removing the bubbles.

[@pktesla]

i believe you have to use 2 halves to make more complex moulds

[@CountZero20XX]

Thanks for such an informative video. Seeing you pick up the mold bare handed had my heart racing. Wouldn't a safer way to handle everything be to put the mold into the pressure pot, and then pour the liquid metal into the mold so you don't have to move it?

[@jamesbarratt593]

What if you poured in molten steel?

[@moradooo1988]

Duuuude! do you even safety?!? How do you still have all of your fingers?!?

[@MrJackfriday]

Ugh so much fun safety dans around here..