DIY Vacuum Casting Set up / Build.

[@lefalinjection3493]

“When you don’t have the right tools, it takes lots of tools.” That is so relatable dude

[@trevjs]

That was the moment that got to me as well.

[@erikanderson2236]

I like that you show your mistakes and how you fixed them. Very cool.

[@howardbartlett3419]

For the air temp on the vacuum pump, you could always bend some copper tube into a coil and stick it into a bucket of water to act as a heat exchanger to cool the air before it goes through the pump.

[@kayakMike1000]

You should probably draw him a picture. He doesn't seem to bright.

[@oldkingcrow777]

​@@kayakMike1000what? 😂 The dim calling others "not bright" never gets old

[@brennanlarnder7692]

I had that same exact idea!

[@mill-techmanufacturing681]

I know this is a video from 2 years ago, (just found this channel, love your gold prospecting channel). But I wanted to tell you for FUTURE use when working with Aluminum in the garage use WD-40 as a "cutting/sanding/grinding/drilling/milling" fluid. It works great at NOT loading up your abrasives or cutting tools. Mineral spirits also works well. Being a machinist for almost 40 years this little trick has come in pretty handy. It will make a white smoke, and a bit of odor but that's about it. I have never had a problem with flammability so you should be ok. Good luck and keep cranking out the video's for us. They are very entertaining!!!

[@InitiallyJB]

Bro I’m personally proud of your trial and error. That face of failure is so soothing Bcus it’s not always success the first time. I actually operate in success the first try and fail after initial attempt. Weird I know

[@ziggerzag101]

Thanks for showing your journey, warts and all, where you discover that things don't necessarily work as you might expect them. But you persevere and get there in the end, which is encouraging to us other mere mortals.

[@TheForerunner117]

This was just the information my brain needed. Trying to decide if i want to make my gf's engagement ring by hand or use my 3d printer to print with the polymaker investment wax and this just solved the issue for me, being worried that the gold wouldnt go down appropriately into the investment casting.

[@jedrzejwysocki5584]

I love how you commit so much care and effort to your builds. Keep up the good work - baked with love and care, perfect stuff!

[@alfredmolison7134]

Instead of taping entire container I've seen other people wrap the perforated container in heavy paper. The paper looked like a very thin flexible cardboard. The other vloger taped the paper wrap together, using a whole lot less tape and easier to remove.

[@tracybowling1156]

I always learn something when I watch your videos!

[@chimpooey9083]

Nice work. Thank you for sharing your gasket hack.

[@ssh4963]

superb video.... really You have saved my 3.5 lakhs rupees

[@James-W6WOF]

Nice idea my friend. The commercial vacuums are highway robbery for what they are! I'm going to build one out of .125 plate. Perhaps I'll do a video on it?? Anyhow, thanks for the inspiration! 👍👊

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Yes do a video. It’s good to have different minds showing how they do things.

[@eduardorocha9819]

The most authentic video...* dream experience *

[@adamjovicic9006]

What you can to make to silicone rubber gasket last longer spread high temperature grease on it 😉 when I saw what you did just putting the flask on dry it made me 🥲

[@jamescball55]

I also made a homemade vacuum chamber. I cannot Weld metal like you do so I used a vacuum chamber with it's thick plastic lid and vacuum pump that I bought from Vivohome on Amazon. I will put info for these items below. I used Dremel drill bit and a Dremel router to cut into the plastic to make a hole for a three inch diameter perforated casting flask. It is about 7 inches tall. I use a silicone rubber pad to act like a gasket forming a vacuum seal. I also used vacuum grease which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. Many times, I had a difficult time getting a vacuum but if I pressed on the flask hard enough I would get a vacuum. I'm going to try your gasket sealer tomorrow and see how that does for vacuum sealing. I've been casting aluminum bronze and a silver colored metal for chess pieces. I have done about 50 chess pieces so far and I use R&R ultravest investment for casting material. I have not had any failures so far. Your video gave me the idea of using a gasket sealer I bought some from Ace and we'll see how that works tomorrow. I love your videos and I've learned a lot from them. Heat Resistant Silicone Rubber Sheet Red Heat Resistant Silicone Rubber Sheet,12 x 12 Inch,Smooth Finish,High Temp Silicone Sheet for DIY Gaskets,Seals, Washers,Electric Insulation,Sound Reduction,Leveling Objects VIVOHOME 3 Gallon Vacuum Degassing Chamber with Acrylic Lid and vacuum pump Permatex Optimum Type-1 High Temperature Gasket Maker 3.35 oz 1 pk

[@jamescball55]

The gasket maker did not make a difference. I had to press down to make a seal but it was worth a try.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I use 100% silicone now. I leave it wet.

[@kytauk1]

I haven't done any casting yet, just built 2 flasks last night for sand casting, and sieved the sand, and I thought I was messy, but you def take the biscuit on that, but I do like your vids, and models, keep it up your definitely not one of the boring guys on y tube makes for interesting watching funny as :)

[@mevk1]

Drill Press Pro Tip: Most drill presses have bases that also allows work to be clamped to it - just swing away the regular work table. Of course, floor models give a much larger range. Also, set of cheap hole saws works well for drilling larger holes. Not sure on welding aluminum, but have seen videos that really sand/clean the aluminum first because the surface oxidizes almost instantly then forms a welding barrier, then they use maybe a zinc alloy welding media. Like most everything, piece of cake once you learn the secrets.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

🤦🏻‍♂️ I didn’t even think about swinging the drill press table out of the way! Good to know!

[@aminbagherloo1444]

​@@lundgrenbronzestudios 😂

[@robinson-foundry]

Awesome! This is something I've been planning on making. Using wet silicone is an interesting solution! Nice job as always!

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I’ve tried carbon sheets to make a gasket but I couldn’t get it to seal. I’ve tried ceramic but I couldn’t get that to seal. I know there must be a way but I didn’t have luck with it. And the rubber sheets always burned up. the wet silicone seems to be working well so far though.

[@noviceartisan]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios the silicone sheet its resting on has to be a perfectly flat surface. I guess if you just put wet high temp silicone down, and squished the graphite ring in place on top of that, and let it cure before trying, it'd be easier?

[@robinson-foundry]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Hey use whatever works!

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

FYI update. The design works very well but do not use aluminum like I did. Use steel pipe! I just had a blowout in my flask and the molten bronze melted right though the aluminum. You can see what happened here: kzbin.infobgMf2Uo2CUU?feature=share

[@PNWPrototyping]

Should pin this comment to the top so it doesn't get lost.

[@slay3r1452]

Great info here. I've always wanted to do similar stuff but didn't know where to start.

[@josephb3147]

How about avoiding the heat on the gasket altogether... What if you used a much larger pipe so that the flask sits inside the pipe?... Then put a softer gasket on the rim and set something flat on it to make the seal... build it so the flask doesn't touch the bottom and sits on rods or bolts. Don't make it too deep so it's easy to pour into it... Now the seal won't wear, you won't have a mess, and it will always seal... For some people a very large pressure cooker could be used for both the investment and the casting. I have built a vacuum chamber using a pressure cooker for when I use silicone and now that I see your setup and the issues I think I will make what I just suggested. Another thought... The temp going to the vac could be cooled. Use all metal coil and ice like a Wort Chiller for brewing beer.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

There are always a lot of ways to improve things.

[@prahs1983]

Hi. Thank you for your informative shares. I am also about to establish a foundry. I bought a vacuum pump. It says 3x10(-1)=0.3 Pa. Is the power of this pump sufficient?

[@skyehog]

Interesting video. I have a similar home built vac casting tank myself though in steel with a plate on top. I have also found that the pre made silicone gaskets melt at flask temperatures of around 600C when casting silver. Graphite gaskets on top of the silicone one help to protect it. I found the graphite can delaminate though the whole 'sandwich' still seals under vacuum with a push down. Interested to see if you come up with a way to stop your tongs trapping between the flask & vac tank - I have the same issue. Thanks for taking the time to make these videos, keep me coming - I am now on a similar journey with bronze so they are super helpful!

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

My tong are actually strong enough and the right size to pick up the flask above the flange so once I started doing that the tongs didn’t get stuck anymore. I’ve tried a graphite sheet. It was like cardboard almost. I made a vacuum table but I had trouble getting a seal with that as well.

[@gothikaboy]

Thanks for sharing!

[@edleg388]

Amazing work man. Loved the video and your chanel in general

[@vicyhago]

Thank you, I've been looking for a tutorial like this for a long time, but maybe you need a vacuum lung between the crucible and the pump to avoid temperature problems, right?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I built a second one and modified some things. But so far the temperature hasn’t been an issue.

[@yakfish36]

Great job mate im definitely making my own vac chamber now, thanks so much

[@stringerb8618]

Hello Sir I have been learning from you and your skills thanks for the work you do for us. I was wondering if it would be possible to make a pressure chamber attachment that can push molten further into the small crevasses of a mould to achieve better quality result ?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

In theory yes but in reality no. Once you pour the metal solidifies so fast you just wouldn’t have time. But another method people use is centrifugal casting. They have a machine that flings the flask in a circle and that forces the metal into the spaces.

[@bizarro20daves]

great stuff, exactly the kind of info i am looking for right now

[@chutzpah3921]

Great video and thank you for sharing this! Helps for others trying to do the same.

[@stromnessboy5171]

Great video! Thanks for sharing your work.

[@Laotzsa]

Awesome man, a few hundred for a diy build is way nicer than $700 for a brand new machine

[@jlssculpturedesign8140]

Make sure surface of the plate and pipe are clean, use a flapper disc on a grinder . Will weld alot easier on all types of metal .

[@davidkeenan5989]

Great work. Did/Do you need a cover for the vacuum gauge, just in case of a splash?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

No. If I splash that much and ruin the gage I’ll just buy a new one but I would probably melt the vacuum tube too if I splashed that much.

[@OlaKarlsson-01]

That was great, thanks for sharing! Been considering something similar so it was very helpful to see what worked and what didn't 😀👍

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

It works well. The things I would add. Don’t use aluminum. I had a blow out and the bronze melted the aluminum. Use steel. And don’t have the hose go directly to the vacuum pump. Have a place for metal to drop into just in case the pump sucks some metal up from a blow out.

[@0Logan05]

This now actual projects go…😉….Rad🤙🏻

[@jimny4k]

Your momma didn't raise a quitter....or you're just not a quitter.....either way props for gettin it done.

[@paulmanhart4481]

I like your steps to success. I want to build one of these too but I don’t know where to get the cylinder with holes on the side. Can you point me in the right direction? Also, since you pour into an open hole, you must be drawing air through it. Ever think of putting a thin disk of aluminum to cover and seal the hole? The molten metal should melt the aluminum disk so it pours directly into a vacuum. Thanks, Paul

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I got mine from Rio Grande jewelry supply.

[@jackwilliamson1929]

Could just use a longer vacuum hose and submerge some it in a bucket of ice water to keep the air temp down and hopefully keep any metal out of the pump incase of a blowout

[@NochSoEinKaddiFan]

Pardon the stupid question, but what exactly does the vacuum do for you? All the sprues and the pouring spout are on the top, completely open. And I can't quite imagine that the investment is permeable enough to pull a vacuum through it fast enough while the metal cools. I would have expected, that the top of the mold has to be entirely surrounded by the vacuum...

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

But it is permeable enough. It’s amazing how well it works.

[@r.sadeghpour]

Thanks for this good video, if I have a constant mold(instead of a plaster mold), can I do this method? Is the pressure difference between the 2 parts the main reason for this high accuracy?

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

The vacuum is meant to take advantage of the plaster's porosity. If you want to use a peemanent mold you'll need a way to vent the air out, and the added accuracy will be from the prevention of trapped air.

[@jeremypreston5009]

Hey FYI. I found out just now why those pumps have the warning about upper temperature limit. I was even using my vacuum chamber as an intermediary where the gasses could cool before getting to the pump...... Well as I'm pouring my brass there's a really loud pop plunk and thud as the cap from the oil reservoir blew off and bounced hard off the ceiling. I turned off the pump but the thing I was using to apply vacuum to the flask during casting was in flames and I decided to fire extinguisher it just to be sure. In the future i think I'll add ice (or maybe dry ice) to the vacuum chamber to help cool the gasses

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

Ice seems radical, large temperature differences are probably no bueno. I'd think maybe partially filling that chamber with water and covering hoses with wet towels would increase thermal mass and prevent temperature run off. EDIT: apologies, I was thinking of a video where the uploader had an intermediary flask to act as a trap and I understood that as the "vacuum chamber". Obviously no water should go where the mold is.

[@noviceartisan]

Hahaha I love you've made the exact same mistakes I did with the first uses of this concept haha xD From wrecking the tape, to leaving chunks under the lip and forgetting to make sure the vacuum is as high as it'll go before pouring :) You don't have to use the fancy silicone, you can use any old cheap nasty silicon caulking for £1 to do it. You may need to experiement with how long you let it set before you put the flask down on it though (use for holeless flasks on top). For the proper flasks, that nice pretty gasket that you stuck on with the glue and kinda got fucked on the first shot, that was mostly cos of the plaster gettign stuck ono it and making the seal bad. Normally, you only get so many uses before the heat kills it (they are consumables). However, if you buy a sheet of graphite that's big enough (and 2-3mm), you can cut a ring the same size, and put that on top of the silicone bit so it rests between the ring of the flask and the silicone, and you'll get a hell of a lot more uses, and not need to reapply silicone all the time :) Hope these tips help a bit too! As always, thanks for sharing dude, it was ace xD

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I had a graphite sheet that I tried to use on a vacuum table I made but I had a hard time getting that to seal too. It was almost like a graphite cardboard and I’m not sure if that was the right stuff. But so far the wet silicone has been my best bet. But I’m really liking using it so far.

[@noviceartisan]

wet Silicone is a good way to go haha My first iteration of a mini casting table used it on the edges to quite a good effect. Used that for a good while before making the bigger baby for proper flasks. I only bothered using the cheapest silicone caulk for that way though, as it worked fine with it, and cleaning it up everytime wasn't too bad. I find a wire wheeled brush on your drill will strip the dried remnants off in no time :D

[@noviceartisan]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios If you're having good success with the wet method, and finding it easier/cheaper than other ways, don't fret about things like the graphite seal, it's not important. I've moved onto using throwaway premade 4" o-rings that I get for about £2 a shot, so I'm not fussed that I only get a handful of uses each time. It costs me more for a silicone sheet that I can only get 1 or 2 seals from if I cut my own.

[@jamesdeclan7538]

"when you don't have the right tools you use lots of tools" - new bumper sticker

[@jeremypreston5009]

Hey I got the same company's pump. I got the smaller 3cfm model (with that same shitty engrish manual) but I only need it to vacuum a chamber the size of a large Tupperware

[@RezaJr-o1s]

Hello mister i’m from Indonesian Why is it that when I pour metal ,the metal just rises to the top? Like boiling water

[@AndyRRR0791]

What't the vacuum supposed to be doing here when casting?

[@CinthiaGarrido]

Instead of aluminum, can the tube and floor be made of iron?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Yes. That would actually be much better. I just had access to aluminum but steel would be much better because if your mold breaks and you have a spill of molten bronze it will melt through the aluminum. That actually ended up happening to this one and I had to replace it with steel.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Yes. That would actually be much better. I just had access to aluminum but steel would be much better because if your mold breaks and you have a spill of molten bronze it will melt through the aluminum. That actually ended up happening to this one and I had to replace it with steel.

[@jonasneumann5915]

Do you know by any chance how wide the flask including the flange is? I want to build a vacuum chamber where the flask fits inside for getting the bubbles out of the investment while pouring.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The OD including the flange is 7 1/4”.

[@jonasneumann5915]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Thank You :)

[@sonicfx747]

what size crucible did you use to pour metal

[@thakur.arman77]

thankyou so much man

[@LuisGT2k]

I have a question, does the plaster have to have a hole where the metal enters and another hole below so that it sucks?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

No. It not actually plaster. It’s like plaster but it’s called investment. It very pours so air flows through it. But still holds the metal. If there was a hole on both side all the metal would just run out.

[@tristansherratt9354]

Hey dude, I what’s your burnout schedule on such a large flask? Really struggling with cracking on mine. Currently using investment powered manufactures recommended cycle and I do have a proper programmable kiln to do it in so poor/ rough tools are not my issue in this scenario 💁🏻‍♂️

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I don’t follow an exact burn out schedule. But I try to follow the schedule for ultra vest. I don’t have an automatic kiln and my kiln has two coils. So I run it on low low. Wait a few hours. Then low med, wait several hours until I remember it again and then Med Med. and hold there for 4-5 hours. I think slow heating is important for not cracking it. Because when I crank it up faster than I should I seen to get more cracking.

[@tristansherratt9354]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios Thanks Man 👍🏻 I’ll try holding longer at the lower temperatures. Appreciate your videos as this is quite a niche. Some of the stuff you have made is great! Appreciate you taking the time to reply to my message. Will let you know how I get on! I’m making more functional parts than decorative but only just venturing into casting so it’s all new… if I can get mine looking anything like as good as yours then I’ll be over the moon! ☺️

[@dantheman2597]

How thick is your pipe and plate ?

[@rinh9429]

@lundgrenbronzestudios Aluminum is silly. Get a ball on your tungsten, clean the everloving heck out of the area you're welding, and use alternating current. Once you do that, you'll have some of the nicest beads you've ever made!

[@76654nfjfj]

Awesome video! I’m tempted to try this myself. What thickness was the metal you used?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Well the aluminum pipe I got was about 1/4 inch but the thickness of the pipe doesn’t need to be nearly that thick. Any pipe that you find as long as it doesn’t viable flex in your hand is going to be strong enough to hold the vacuum and the the flask.

[@Devi1D0g04]

How is the vacuum holding up against the high temp. that's my biggest concern

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The vacuum has been holding up fine. But I had a blow out on one of my flasks. The molten bronze melted through the aluminum so if you build one be sure to use steel pipe. Not aluminum.

[@reinislusis3569]

Wait! How does vacuum affect anything in this process if it is not reaching molten metal?

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

The investment is porous so it draws air through the mold. The vacuum is literally sucking the metal into it the tiny places.

[@reinislusis3569]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios So .. silicone mold is pourous? Is this really the case?!

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

@@reinislusis3569 No. investment is porous. I didn’t say silicone, I said investment. This set up is for bronze casting.

[@reinislusis3569]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios But there is silicone shell between vacuum and investment and investment is at all times at atmospheric pressure. I don't understand this process.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

@@reinislusis3569 the silicone is a seal to prevent air from going around the flask. This insures the air goes through the investment and not around it.

[@Thewulf56]

Nice Work, Wish I had a local source to get investment powder, maybe then I would get into a bit of this, but at $150 a bag shipped, just a bit outta budget.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Yeah. Shipping is expensive and getting worse.

[@noviceartisan]

I know a few casters who drive once every now and then to their nearest stockist, maybe a state away at worst, and they pick up 10+ sacks at a time to last them a good while. $150 a bag shipped is crazy, which state you in dude, i'll see if I can spot you one that's near/cheaper.

[@Thewulf56]

@@noviceartisan I'm in Texas, It's $140 from PMC, but that's not still good lol.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Rio Grande jewelry supply is in New Mexico.

[@noviceartisan]

@@Thewulf56 Rio Grande is nearish for collecting, but pepetools does it fairly cheap shipped too

[@racheldeatherage1512]

Awesome!

[@ieatlegos]

Do you describe your investment material in another video or have a recipe? I want to do a pourable investment but don't have a burnout kiln for the regular plaster recipe.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

I don’t have a recipe. I buy it from Ransom and Randolph. It’s not cheap but it is a great product. A burn out kiln is a must, for this kind of casting. Unfortunately it takes some capital to tool up for this craft. But it’s worth it if it’s something you really want to do.

[@ieatlegos]

@@lundgrenbronzestudios I am using Mold Mix 6, which works pretty well but can't do complicated shapes and the detail you are getting from the vacuum setup is really impressive. I might try it out if I get the kiln situation figured out. Thanks for the videos!

[@riesche82]

👍

[@petersilva4242]

The reason the silicone sheet doesn't work is the the top of the pipe and the plate aren't flat,if you machined them itd work

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Now I just use a little silicone calk each time. Works really well.

[@ابوسعيد-د3و]

❤

[@ardi585]

Your are good...

[@squeezyDUB]

That unfolding blade is terryfing. A good case for always wearing SAFETY GLASSES !

[@ankitadeshara8679]

Ready made vaccum casting machine available in india, with automatic oprated.

[@Mistertbones]

This should definitely improve your casting results.

[@bearup1612]

Should have removed the oxide coating higher amp setting used pulse not continues

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

Shouldn’t have used aluminum to begin with. I had to re do it in steel because it melted after a flask broke.

[@user-ds1yj1ve7h]

Castaldo super high strength поможет тебе в качестве герметичной прокладки, и с горячей опокой она тоже дружит. В отличии от твоего силикона, только одна грязь и пользы ноль 👎🏼

[@kayakMike1000]

Pretty janky dude. Kinda surprised you didnt burn your foot off.

[@lundgrenbronzestudios]

You’re janky.

[@Carlo.]

Hai speso 30$ solo per la colla... 🤦

[@TheWhitde]

lol... you just couldn't take a trick.

[@kozko-xe1xl]