Lost Resin Casting Guide - Investment casting - 3D Print to solid metal by VOGMAN

I get more requests for a Resin to metal Casting guide than anything else, even though I thought I'd covered it. So here it is, from 3D resin printer, castable resin and all the other equipment I personally use.
Check out my equipment list here vegoilguy.co.uk/equipment.php
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💚 V O G M A N S P I C K S 💚
Best Castable Resins ▶ tinyurl.com/2vp5kcvz
Best Budget printer ▶ tinyurl.com/52ku5vdb
Best DLP printer ▶ tinyurl.com/43zp5648
Best Standard printers ▶ tinyurl.com/mr37js37
Best Midrange printers ▶ tinyurl.com/3wwkemnk
Best Large printers ▶ tinyurl.com/2p8epxc8
══════════════════════════════════════════
0:00 - Introduction
0:35 - 3D printers
A playlist of some of the printers I've reviewed • 3D Resin Printer revie...
0:53 - Castable Resin
A playlist of some of the castable resins I've reviewed • Castable Resins & Meta...
1:27 - Flasks
Solid flask improvement - straw technique - • Improving Solid Flask ...
1:58 - Investment powder
2:15 - Weighing & Mixing
2:28 - Wax sprues
3:15 - Vacuum Chamber / Pump / Vac systems
Easy build vacuum chamber tutorial - • home made SIMPLE BUILD...
Easy build PVC pump tutorial - • EASY PUMP - air & liqu...
Easy build vacuum system tutorial - • EASY build Vacuum Cast...
Arbe Kaya Cast vacuum system review - • Kaya Cast Vacuum Casti...
3:58 - Burnout Oven
My electric furnace build tutorial - • How to make an ELECTRI...
5:01 - Small furnace
Budget electric furnace review - • Budget electric furnac...
Devil Forge gas furnace review - • Devil-Forge foundry pu...
7:14 - Quenching
7:30 - Saws, Files & Multitools
Foredom review - • REVIEW Foredom K2230 +...
Arbe Pro-Flex review - • Military VALOUR badge ...
8:07 - Polishing
Polishing guide - • Polishing Metal Castin...
Easy build vibration tumbler - • SIMPLE vibration tumbl...
8:52 - Safety equipment
** OTHER EQUIPMENT & PRODUCTS USED **
There's a lot of equipment mentioned in this video, so to make life easier I’ve made a list with links on my website here vegoilguy.co.uk/equipment.php
** DISCLAIMER **
Some of the equipment shown was given to me, free of charge and without obligation. No money has changed hands and the only agreement made was that I video an INDEPENDENT review, expressing my own personal and above all honest thoughts on the product.
This video is for and educational and entertainment purposes. Do not try and replicate what you see here without proper equipment, safety gear and a thorough understanding of the processes involved. It is a VERY dangerous.
** PLEASE SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL **
The price of a cup of coffee can really help me grow my channel. If, and only IF, you can spare a little, please consider becoming one of my Patrons. You can read more about this here: / vegoilguy - Or if you prefer to make a PayPal donation, you can do that here - www.vegoilguy.co.uk/donations
** LINKS **
www.vegoilguy.co.uk
vegoilguy
groups/vegoilguy
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/VegOilGuy
www.patreon.com/vegoilguy
#metalcasting
#vegoilguy
#vog

[@Jeyricho]

Holy shit, this is the most well-spoken and well-organized guide I've seen in a while. Thank you so much for producing this

[@michaelz6870]

I landed here to see what a vacuum casting machine was about and was pleased to learn of that and so much more! Little gems like this are what make KZbin so valuable. For giving of your time to educate (those cutaway diagrams did the trick!), I say thank you good sir! 🙏

[@kuznetsovby]

Thank you for your work, it has been a great inspiration for me over the last few months. In my humble opinion, you are one of the best creators here on KZbin, and believe me, I follow all the buggers. Soooo, I decided to lose my Patreon virginity with you and I am now officially your supporter number 59. Every little helps, or so I hope.

[@vogman]

Thanks Alexander, I truly appreciate that. Your kind support really will help. I don't get the big views of other KZbinrs, so I basically run my channel at-cost. Well, maybe a bit less than that really 😁

[@AlexPTwigg-ql3ci]

I think I have watched all your individual how-to videos, but this one stop video with all your more budget discoveries of the last year is really useful!

[@vogman]

Thanks Alex. I appreciate that 😁

[@stevesloan6775]

This video reminds me of when I first started 3d animation... it felt like I could never get close to the people I admired the most. But here I am 20+ years later. Please keep up the awesome uploads. Super appreciative for your efforts. 🙏🏻🤓🤓🤓🍀🍀🍀🤜🏼🤛🏼🎅🏻😎

[@christianblack2916]

An outstanding, no-nonsense summary of the lost-wax process. I bought one of the melting furnaces VOG recommends, and took advantage of the VOG discount from the eBay seller. It's working like a charm. Many thanks, Geoff!

[@vogman]

Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback Christian 😁

[@rayvenstudios7967]

Where is the discount code?

[@monjier]

Bro, everything I've bought has been a VOG recommendation. I'm loyal to VOG 😂 if he says buy Devil Forge, I say take my money 😂

[@markmorgan8378]

That is awesome. Thank you for this. My son really wants to make his own rings and this gives me and him the info we need in one place.

[@vogman]

I know of several people who have turned this fairly simple hobby into a profitable business (I'm not one of them - shame). But yes, it's possible and I love to encourage young talent to do its thing 😁

[@admiralbees1690]

Hi Mark, there are companies out there that will cast your stuff for you. Might need to check castable resin suitability with the company you choose. Just something to consider before you invest a ton of money in kit.

[@nunyabusiness9043NunyaBiz]

As usual, fantastic, accessible, concise and interesting content densely populated with useful information.

[@vogman]

That's very kind. Thanks 😁

[@HunterValleyDan]

Great video Geoff!! A straightforward and succinct explanation of the lost wax/resin casting process. Well done again mate!

[@vogman]

Great to hear from you Dan. Take care mate 😁

[@Ismimical]

Wow this video is sooo appreciated, that list with all the equipment needed is heaven sent specially for newbies like myself, THANK YOU!

[@vogman]

Glad to help 😁

[@vizionthing]

Nicely presented, no questions you covered it all.

[@vogman]

Many thanks 😁

[@johngrant5749]

Many thanks for the thoroughly informative recap. Greatly appreciated.

[@vogman]

Thanks John 😁

[@spykerbotdotcom]

Nailed it again, enjoyed this vid thanks

[@ianroberts8158]

Thanks for a wonderful review Geoff here's wishing you all the very best mate

[@vogman]

Thanks very much Ian. All the best to you and yours 😁

[@smbdythatyouused2knw579]

Informative and detailed as usual

[@vogman]

Glad you liked it 😁

[@cnsmooth]

We love you VOG Guy!

[@vogman]

Thanks Joe 😁😁😁

[@charitybrown4274]

Great Video as always!! Thanks for the information!!👍😁

[@vogman]

No problem 👍

[@KarlGBergman]

Brilliant! Thank you! Sharing this with my classmates. 😎

[@vogman]

Please do! Shares really help 😁😁😁

[@guidestips1828]

Great video mate 👍

[@stevesloan6775]

I love how you talk about your previous budget law... that’s when you had me hooked. I still haven’t got to the stage of casting, but I just finished a custom set of badges for a 69 Firebird, that we built a stroker 454... so 505ci badges for the bonnet plus 505 Pontiac badge inserts for the rocker covers. I used Phrozen TR250 high temp resin on my sonic mine 4k. First ever resin printer. I’m using a special chrome paint system by ALSA called Easy Chrome. Stupid expensive but mind blowing at the same time. $200au for 50mls.

[@ToAutoOfficial]

Good job, and so awesome lost Resin process video

[@vogman]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@TheRoadtoGonzo]

We asked for it and you brought it, ty.

[@vogman]

My pleasure 😁

[@TheRoadtoGonzo]

@@vogman i've got to say I've tried zbrush again and found myself pulling my hair out again. Blender just seems to make sense by comparison.

[@vogman]

I hear you. My first outing with ZB went badly. It's VERY confusing to start with. For that reason I turned to Blender and got on okay, but never well. Then I was lucky enough to be given free access to the ZBJW tutorials and that changed my world. I now find ZB much easier to use. I might only know maybe 10% of what it can do, but I feel in control. I guess it doesn't matter which program you use as long as you enjoy it 😁

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

A wide brush introduction. Well done! 👍

[@vogman]

Many thanks!

[@roseannamonster5168]

Thank you for your usefull information. At the moment i´am learning Rhino 6.0 for designing. Looking forward for the casting process working every day to use this purpose. Rose-Anne

[@12345lans]

Amazing vid! Thanks for sharing :)

[@vogman]

Thanks for watching!

[@edd707]

thank you for teaching us.

[@vogman]

My pleasure 😁

[@TKs3DPrints]

another great video matey. sadly i don't think i will ever get around to setting anything up mostly due to space and setting up etc. but i still enjoy watching your videos matey.

[@vogman]

I understand buddy. Space is essential when you're swinging a red hot crucible 😁

[@matthewbulmer443]

This has gone straight to my watch later list so i can find it easy

[@vogman]

😁

[@jothain]

Thank you for this brief introduction. I'd really like to test casting. I guess I should try to contact nearby artesans here in Finland to get best idea where to get some of the supplies.

[@vogman]

It's an amazing hobby 😁

[@freedom2663]

Never getting into metal casting but this is pretty dang cool.

[@vogman]

It's not for everyone, but thanks 😁

[@vinnycordeiro]

Great video (as always), and great introductory tutorial! Curiously enough, the most difficult thing of all listed to acquire in my part of the world is the proper investment plaster. I already saw some other videos suggesting to mix sand on plaster of Paris to try and make it more suitable for casting, but even so the results are not optimal.

[@vogman]

Sorry to hear that, Vinicius. You could try approaching jewellers that make there own jewellery and asking them if they use investment powder. If so, maybe they'd sell you a bag 😁

[@dickmorris6310]

Geoff - good summary. A small ceramic kiln with a programable controller can used for a burn out oven. Sometimes they can be found on the used market, with or without the controller. Mine was made for glass beading and reaches a lower temperature than a regular ceramic kiln but is adequate for burning out. I have never had problems with heat damaging the vacuum pump. The quantity of air flow normally is pretty low. On mine, the first six inches is metal and then the rest to the pump is plastic. Excessive heat doesn't normally reach the hose. I have destroyed a pump when I had a crack in the investment and the molten metal was able to get to the pump. I have since added a filter and a small can in line to intercept future spills.

[@vogman]

Thanks for the input Dick. Always good to hear the experiences of others 😁

[@ZOIMIBiIE]

Your videos have been a tremendous help in moving into metal casting. I’ve been doing other types of molding and casting for years, and making knives. But not much lost investment metal casting. I had a kiln lined up for burnout, but in typical internet-listing fashion, dude sold it out from under me. I know In a couple of the videos you’ve stated that a home oven can’t do an adequate burn out. For whatever it’s worth, I’ve had some success using the self-cleaning function. It gets close to 1000°F (980F/526.6C) and usually runs a few hours. Once it’s cooled, I’ll slowly heat it a while again in my furnace to ensure any residue has burned out. I know it’s not ideal and can stink to high heaven, it’s better than nothing

[@vogman]

Thanks for the share 😁

[@ZOIMIBiIE]

@@vogman i know it’s anecdotal and far less than ideal at best. Appreciate all the info you share, and know you’re far more experienced than me. Didn’t want me previous comment to come off like a typical internet know it all 😅

[@billbarrett582]

I have quite a few smaller flasks I use and a whole assortment of rubber sprue bases. A really cheap hack if you need a bigger flask is steel bean cans with both ends cut out. They only work for one or two castings, but they're basically free. 😉

[@vogman]

Thanks Bill 😁

[@goldenbey913]

Wonderful! You put this together beautifully my friend. I want to start making all our own jewelry at home for my family & friends 😊 I want to make my fiancée and I our wedding rings ❤️❤️

[@KrakenCasting]

That was kind of a fun montage, seeing a bunch of old projects. Nicely done as always! How's Rezin? I bet he's huge by now.

[@darren990]

very nice

[@vogman]

Thanks Darren.

[@thinge27]

Fantastic video....again.......I am still in the proces to change from sandcasting to vacuum casting......but the burnout cycle is the thing that stops me......it is not an easy job to do in my room at home. Thanks anyway for this informative video......i will help lots of people....

[@vogman]

Burnout takes a while... I usually run overnight. By the time I've had breakfast, it's normally ready for me to get started 😁

[@nordicgold]

Thank you!

[@vogman]

You're welcome!

[@nunyabusiness9043NunyaBiz]

One alternative to a ceramic kiln is to modify an old oven, lining the inside with refractory cement, removing the original heating element, and adding the components of a burnout kiln; the benefit is that you can use the bun warming drawer to house a pan partly filled with water to catch the initial outflow of melted wax so that it can be reused. Then you flip the mold and vaporized the remaining wax. The kiln we used at a bronze foundry was huge but operated much the same way, saving a ton of money.

[@vogman]

Great tip!

[@TheEdguitars]

Hi, great video. Question: Do you ever tried sand and plaster moulds? mixed together in a 50/50 ratio? Just saw a video and seems to give good results

[@c1rcu1tburn3r]

Can you suggest any commercial burnout ovens? Something affordable that could do the job. What are the specs? Thanks!

[@PBRJOHN684]

You should become a teacher at the Made-in-Wales school I'm thinking of opening at some point! damn Pandemic!) That was a great tutorial mate 👍👍👏 But one thing I find is the electric Furnaces are expensive to run if you are just doing as a hobby. Keep up the good work and I will see your hands in the next episode of VOG 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@vogman]

Electricity can be expensive, but it's fantastically controllable, so for an amateur like me it's great 😁

[@cheruscanstrong7520]

Do you ever have trouble with airbubble making pock marks on your castings ? I use a Rio grande table vacuum on my investment before letting it sit to dry though I tend to get little imperfections on most of my pours. Any suggestions? Thank you for your time and all the videos you make.

[@TomaszStachewicz]

i'm a subscriber for a long time and still have one question: where does the melted out material (from the model and wax sprue) end up? at the bottom of furnace? somewhere else?

[@fennarios]

In my country casting resin is impossible, is there a way to remove it from the equation like print in normal resin then a silicon mold then wax? Would be AWESOME if you try this...thanks for all your work, you're making this art affordable for lots of us around the world with all the "alternative" tools!

[@YarHarFD]

That's totally possible. Pretty sure hes done this as well, using a giant syringe as a wax injector and boiling water to melt it all.

[@UNVIRUSLETALE]

It's indeed possible and makes a lot of sense for non one offs, it depends on the geometry of the part tho, some parts with a hollow inside (like voronoi geometries) will not work that way, for solid parts it's fine

[@ClearMindJewellery]

You can print your mold in resin and inject wax into it or you can print your model take a vulcanized mold and then go through the wax injection process. which ever suites your 3d modeling and equipment.

[@maudale]

Thank you for sharing! I was walking by a catier shop yesterday and saw a £350,000 panther necklace and thought, with 3d resin printers and jewelry making knowledge, pavé setting etc, you could recreate that for close to nothing!

[@kunalpatel2479]

Could you use a 1500 F steak oven instead of a purpose built burnout oven? Amazon sells ones that should be able to hold the plaster for ~$200-300

[@manuverma93]

Hi, thanks for guidance. I got a ques, How much electricity does furnace comsume lets say per 10 hr burn cycle ?

[@TheOriginalWilson]

Hi Vog How long can I keep a flask for after being burned out?

[@panmastergod]

Very informative video ! Question, could an old pottery kiln be converted to use as a burnout oven with only 120v 20a circuit as a power source ?

[@andy-in-indy]

We used an old pottery kiln with no modifications for burn out, but you do need to monitor the temperature so that it stays in the right range long enough to completely remove the original with out residue.

[@vogman]

Yes, absolutely as long as the programmer is up to the task.

[@nicosdemetriou2585]

How many hours you leaving in the burner oven?

[@kaichichow1049]

You make everything look so easy 😭 Do you need any specific set of skills to get good results like this? Or with the proper tools and machines, its pretty simple to just follow the exact instructions and come out with a good piece?

[@vogman]

I've no formal training. I am no expert. I'm just an amateur that's having a go. So yes, as long as you have the right equipment and follow the procedures correctly, you should achieve reasonable results. This video may help too kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHbWe5-jjpZ7a6s

[@agartajewelry705]

Can i get customized support from you about get good results with resin casting ? Let me know. Thanks

[@robertmcbride6648]

Can you reuse the wax that is melted out of the investment ? Also if you can what’s the best way to do this. I enjoy watching your videos and thanks for all the help. Rob

[@vogman]

I've heard people do, but you have to empty it from the flask during the initial burnout stage, filter it, then let it cool.

[@EdwardDowner]

What are your thoughts on centrifugal casting for home setups? That's what I'm used to from university. At the least I imagine it's a greater space investment, and may not save much as you still need a vacuum for degassing.

[@vogman]

Centrifugal casting is fairly old school these days. There's nothing wrong with it, but personally I think it's been surpassed by vacuum systems. Centrifuges tend to be large machines, needing plenty of space, and spinning molten metal at high speeds is a scary idea. The vacuum system is more compact, better contained and perhaps easier to use. BUT this is just a preference. I will not criticise anyone for using the tools they prefer, especially if it gets them results 😁

[@thinge27]

Hi, can you please tell me if there is an shop in the Uk where you can buy the ancient bronze casting grains,......i will order for 148 us dollar by RioGrande, but the total price incl shipping , vat etc...will be 348 dollar....i think maybe it's cheaper even after the Brexit in the UK, but i can't find the bronze casting grain.....Thanks for your help.

[@Theziad]

Thank you for sharing this I have been struggling to find a worker or shop doing this to start my small business in my country, however, I just decide to save up and start doing them by myself. Could you recommend to me a book for starting proficiently doing this so I be fully understanding what I am buying and doing. Thank you again.

[@vogman]

I'm sorry no. I don't have a book to recommend. I picked it up as I went along and did my best to share my findings on my Channel here 😁

[@Theziad]

VOG But how did you learn all that have you been to school or been work in a shop before?

[@burnologist229]

Can you do a vid on petrobond cast quality vs plaster?

[@vogman]

I walked away from sand casting a while ago. It's a real skill. Most folks can pull off a simple casting, but "detailed" work is something only the pros can manage. But investment casting is pretty easy in comparison. No need for years of experience 😁

[@julianschiederer4314]

Great Video! Why isn't it possible to use a filament 3d printer instead of resin?

[@vogman]

You certainly can use an FDM. You can buy special filaments or try ordinary PLA. Have a look here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6nNZpiLoKZ5i6s - I have loads of videos on Lost PLA casting 😁

[@jonathanr7754]

After you've completed the burnout, how soon do you pour the metal in? I.e. can/should it be left to cool down, or does it need to be done right away? Thanks for the videos!

[@andy-in-indy]

Pouring the hot metal into a cold mold will cause the mold to crack. You should have your mold preheated, and the temperature range that is OK will usually depend on the metal you are pouring into the mold.

[@vogman]

Part of the program should be a cool down phase, bringing the flask tp a temperature suitable to pour. This varies depending on metal, size of the castings, sheer luck and lots of experience, but it should remain at this temperature for AT LEAST one hour before pouring.

[@missemoji822]

You should do cast iron 😀

[@vogman]

That's a little too hot for me 😁

[@missemoji822]

@@vogman could you do a video explaining why cast iron is not an option 😀

[@DamienGribbon]

I think I saw in one of your videos that during burnout you had to turn the cast around because wax needed to pour out, but the resin needed to escape as gas. Can you provide a link as to how you did this. Cheers.

[@vogman]

There's no like but here's the info... start with the button down so the wax drips out of the bottom. Let the burnout cycle go past it's hottest point, then as it's reaching the lower temperatures, flip it 180 degrees to de-gas. Works like a charm.

[@DamienGribbon]

@@vogman Top loading... is it hard to flip? a wee vid would be great.

[@DaniloPappalardo-wf2xl]

I don't understand how the vacuum works if there are no channels in the plaster mold

[@vogman]

The plaster is porous

[@nathanlindstrom4393]

Have you ever experimented with spin casting?

[@vogman]

It's quite limited... there's a finite amount of metal you can apply to achieve crucible. Vacuum is far more flexible and has the advantage of not flinging molten metal at high speeds. So no, I haven't 😁

[@AT-gu8by]

Hello Mr VOG is their a water washable casting resin on the market? …I don’t like the idea of using alcohol. Please let me know.

[@vogman]

I haven't come across one, but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist 😁

[@UNVIRUSLETALE]

I really need some extra space to do all of this

[@vogman]

Space is important 😁

[@BEdmonson85]

Hey, I got a notification this time! gg youtube. :)

[@vogman]

Hooray! Nice one 😁

[@stevesloan6775]

It’s a real shame I live in South Australia where we have the most expensive electricity on earth. Ironically we have the most Sun on Earth, plus we have the largest battery on Earth... Thanks to Elon and Tesla batteries. Elon said to our state government, if I can build it in 100 days it will be free. I love the gall of people like Musk, that follow through with their impossible propositions. 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🤓🤓🤓🤜🏼🤛🏼😎🍀🇦🇺😉😂

[@pascalennis9123]

Lost resin? Casting guide

[@yashasvihanda6516]

Sorta ya

[@burnologist229]

First comment

[@vogman]

Sorry buddy, a few others slipped in first. But your comment is still appreciated 😁

[@cnsmooth]

First

[@vogman]

Sorry Joe, a few others slipped in first. But your comment is still appreciated 😁