Metal Casting at home with the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K by VOGMAN

I'm extremely impressed with the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K and just had to have a go at printing a ring with EasyCast 200 castable resin and investment casting this. Can all that wonderful print detail be transferred to the metal?
10% OFF MINI 8K OR 8KS - OFFICIAL STORE ONLY
▶ tinyurl.com/54... Use discount code VOG10
NOTE : This is a tracked link... a small window will pop up. This is how Phrozen track their links and codes. It's nothing sinister 😁
🔹 PHROZEN MINI 8K 🔹
Official Store ▶ tinyurl.com/5j... (affiliate link) Use discount code VOG10 at the official store to get 10% off
Amazon UK ▶ amzn.to/41lDDsU
Amazon US ▶ amzn.to/3dr0tux
Amazon DE ▶ amzn.to/41o9pWe
Amazon FR ▶ amzn.to/3Ij8jSK
Amazon IT ▶ amzn.to/3YUs0r8
Amazon ES ▶ amzn.to/3kpGHn1
══════════════════════════════════════════
💚 V O G M A N S P I C K S 💚
Best Castable Resins ▶ tinyurl.com/2v...
Best Budget printer ▶ tinyurl.com/52...
Best DLP printer ▶ tinyurl.com/43...
Best Standard printers ▶ tinyurl.com/mr...
Best Midrange printers ▶ tinyurl.com/3w...
Best Large printers ▶ tinyurl.com/2p...
══════════════════════════════════════════
🔹 CHECK OUT JUAN'S STUFF 🔹
My thanks again to Juan for sharing this amazing ring design with me. It was a pleasure to print and cast. You can find Juan here:
/ flashme_photo
/ gerrymamey
He's certainly a better photographer than I'll ever be 😁😁😁
0:00 - Introduction
0:30 - The print
1:14 - Sprues
1:31 - ResinWorks3D EasyCast 200
1:41 - Sticking issues
2:27 - Flex plate
3:20 - Print results
3:30 - Printer settings
4:07 - Casting process
6:04 - Casting results
🔹 EQUIPMENT & PRODUCTS USED 🔹
I often get asked where I buy my investment powder, what type of oven do I use, etc, so to make life easy I’ve made a list with links on my website here vegoilguy.co.uk...
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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.... 😁
🔹 ETSY STORE 🔹
I sell a few castings and 3D designs on Etsy. Proceeds help me maintain my channel.
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🔹 MY LINKS 🔹
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🔹 DISCLAIMER 🔹
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.
#3dprinting
#lostresin
#metalcasting
#vegoilguy
#vog

[@MaheerKibria]

I find that if the resin doesn’t want to release sometimes tossing the build plate into the freezer causes the print to release due to a different contraction rates of the metal and resin print. Flex plates are generally my preference but when there isn’t a flex plate I find it works fairly well

[@vogman]

Nice share. Thanks 😁

[@blaze556922]

great idea

[@mattbivi]

Hey mate, we’ve got the 4K and had a similar issue. We fixed it by bonding a 1mm thick stainless sheet to the base with 2 part epoxy. It’s much smoother, impossible to gouge and works with every resin we’ve tried (so far). We do a lot of flat prints and even 60x60x2mm prints come off without a hitch. Hopefully this’ll help someone checking out your great vids mate.

[@vogman]

That's a great tip, thanks for sharing 😁

[@Konradius001]

My first upgrade, before even the first print, was a wambam flexible build plate. Love it! Never *any* problems getting my prints of the base.

[@HunterValleyDan]

Very nice print and cast Geoff. I can't believe how companies like Phrozen et al, keep improving the quality of the printers at hobbyist level pricing! This used to be the domain of professional jewelers, dentists and engineering boffins making prototypes. Incredible really... Good honest review again mate.

[@vogman]

Totally agree Dan. The quality of home printing and now casting has really leapt forward in the past couple of years 😁😁😁

[@zumuvtuber]

Stunning details and great casting! I can't wait to see what the future of SLA brings to the table.

[@vogman]

Me too 😁

[@juanofthekind]

Thanks a lot for the love, I really appreciate it VOG

[@vogman]

Thanks for the incredible share my friend 😁😁😁

[@PBRJOHN684]

That is some great detail from Juan. and a great casting from you.👍

[@vogman]

Thanks John 👍

[@Vesm369]

Thank you for sharing very interesting 😍

[@vogman]

My pleasure 😊

[@paulrossell4884]

That was a massive casting ring for a ring. Good job though buddy.

[@DjPelland]

Would love to see a mini 4k vs mini 8k comparison. Trying to decide if its worth the splurge for hobby jewelery casting.

[@nikogoersd6009]

Did you come to a solution?

[@IVIRnathanreilly]

​@@nikogoersd6009yes, you definitely should. 4k is 8k isn't always noticeable but you'll definitely benefit from the 8k for jewellery. People were going for the much worse 8k printers 2 years ago for the pixel density but now they're bigger and cheaper.

[@dickmorris6310]

My understanding is that the bottom layers have longer exposure times to improve adhesion to the build plate. I see that yours are fairly short compared to what we have used in the past, but would decreasing them further help?

[@vogman]

Trust me Dick, that's what I've been doing. I don't want failures, obviously, but I'm already at approx 30% of the original settings. 😁

[@AlexJaneway]

I had that level of stick with my Epax E10 as well. Also ended up with a Wham-bam

[@vogman]

They do make life easier 😁

[@Metalstacker]

Awesome cast and great video as usual ✌🏻✌🏻🔥🔥🔥

[@vogman]

Glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@coulterjb22]

Nice detail! If/when they make a bigger build plate (Smaller than the Mega) with the resolution of the current 8K I'll be waiting in line. And all because of you VOG!

[@vogman]

Phrozen don't stand still, so I'm sure it won't be long. Take care buddy 😁😁😁

[@petermcmillan1773]

Your equipment and setup is excellent. Great Video!

[@vogman]

Thanks Peter 😁

[@shura8817]

Thanks so much!

[@vogman]

No worries! 😁😁😁

[@koolmoedee10000]

Hope you had a great holiday season VOG!

[@vogman]

I did thanks buddy. All the best to you and yours 😁

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@vogman]

Thanks for watching 😁😁😁

[@ianroberts8158]

Best wishes for the new year to you and your family Geoff

[@vogman]

Thanks Ian. Best wishes to you and yours my friend 😁

[@svaarcaldersson6628]

very nice ring I like the design. I really wish that youtube could show all the detail, its seems to always "lose" something when it goes from video to youtube. Still waiting for your Ultra vs Mini 8k video!

[@vogman]

Yes, some detail is lost in processing, but I hope my close-ups help a little. And Ultra vs Mini 8K, that video will be here very soon 😁

[@DragonAtelier]

Your casts still amaze me. I had some provate issues but I am back in bussiness. Still need to carch up with all the incredible videos tou have made 😉

[@vogman]

Welcome back! Hope all is well with you 😁😁😁

[@soacker25]

Amazing!

[@vogman]

Thanks! 😁

[@ShapingSilver]

Amazing details you achieved. Nice one buddy! 👍

[@vogman]

Thanks buddy 😁

[@yaRincewind]

Wow. Very impressive video :) Keep it up VOG

[@vogman]

Many thanks 😁

[@ajlbeer]

Nicely done! That is pretty incredible.

[@vogman]

Thank you very much!

[@antoniomromo]

Another amazing video. Love this even if I will never cast anything (My disability makes it so I can't be trusted around molten substances) haha. Thank you for yet again using your time and skills to help the community of people who enjoy this stuff. We appreciate you even if we don't always say it.

[@vogman]

Thanks Tony. I appreciate that 😁😁😁

[@andreasoberhofer7415]

Hi, ich wundere mich manchmal das beim gießen das Metall im video nicht alles ganz flüssig erscheint. War das nur in dem einen take so oder ist das nicht notwendig? Bin einfach neugierig. Great channel by the way, awsom work.

[@parker1ray]

PTFE and a flex plate should be the standard!

[@50design82]

This machine is legendary. can you make more casting videos about it? I'm really curious about the jewelry business with this machine🔥🔥🔥

[@vogman]

Absolutely! Different castable resins, but the same printer... coming soon 😁😁😁

[@ale6242]

Wow! great stuff!

[@vogman]

Thanks!

[@user-gk2cg2th9h]

Vog you gotta lower your base layer exposure time! Try 3 to 4x your regular layer exposure which should be somewhere between 2-4 seconds on the new mono screens. I would definitely look into the suggested exposure times for the new machine!

[@vogman]

Trust me buddy, I have. I'm already well under the figures advised by Phrozen 😁

[@ChannelHTS]

so cool

[@thefunkyhippy7778]

@vog definitely makes it look easy he is amazing. All your videos have been my teacher since my day one. Got my mini 8k but finding the correct exposure for my power resin Dark has been a hazel, partially good prints but no perfect prints. Im not that great at 3D printing tho.

[@vogman]

Power Resins are NOT helpful with their resin settings. I've mentioned this in two reviews now. I've written to them specifically on this subject but they've ignored me. Until they change their attitude, I wouldn't recommend anyone buy their products. In the meantime you're stuck with an expensive product, so have a bash at exposure tests kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIDNc2Z8p5JjpNE If you get the chance, give Siraya Tech Cast a try. It's cheap and very effective amzn.to/33O7622

[@oxyum]

@VOG Try freezing buildplate for an hour. And drop it in hot water after that to remove bottom layers (don't drop models in hot water).

[@vogman]

Excellent suggestions Ivan 😁

[@markhickson9087]

So do you think we have reached the limit of detail that is needed? It seems that the casting can't quite reproduce all the detail in the 8K print. I'm not saying it is your fault by the way 🙂. For me the 8K print seems like I don't need any more detail for models etc; however, we are bound to carry on getting higher and higher spec'd machines and people looking through microscopes to see the improvement. From a casting point of view I can't imagine higher detail level will come out in the cast item.

[@vogman]

It's getting harder and harder to see differences with the naked eye, but there's still a little wiggle room left. I think we'll see a few more improvements in the near future 😁

[@GeekDetour]

Hi Geoff - nice video! OMG what did you do to your build plate! Well, scratching them is inevitable (like, after a year 😆) It seems to me we are approaching the limits of what the Casting Resins are capable of reproducing. During Phrozen 8k's promotional campaign, it was clear from their own photos that even their own casting resin gets a bit less detail than normal resin. Have a wonderful 2022! 🎊🎉

[@vogman]

Spot on. Castable resins normally don't give you the same level of detail. But nonetheless, this is pretty impressive 😁 All the best to you and yours 😁😁😁

[@dwinegardner8251]

I'd love to see a comparison between the Mini 8k and the Photon Mono Ultra. Wonderful videos, keep up the great work.

[@vogman]

Ultra vs Mini 8K, that video will be here very soon 😁

[@Cless_Aurion]

Hey man, awesome video like always! I have a question though, why would you disable antialiasing when printing the ring? (Also, since I'm already bothering you... would you say the ring you printed on the Photon Ultra was better? :P)

[@vogman]

Antialiasing basically blurs the layer lines to create a smoother finish, in theory. The problem is this reduces overall detail. Here I'm showing the results without antialiasing so folks can decide if layer lines are an issue and decide if antialiasing is worthwhile. As for Ultra vs Mini 8K, that video will be here very soon 😁

[@gothikaboy]

Try using acetone for the build plate next time.

[@admiralbees1690]

Great video as always, and lovely ring. Not got around to testing my Mini 8k yet after all the whining about getting it! I'll be sure to watch out for the buildplate issue, although to be honest I've got something similar happening on the Mars 3. Can be a right bugger to pop off the prints.

[@vogman]

I cannot fault the printer. It's excellent. The plates a pain though 😁

[@Smidgon]

i got the sonic mighty 4k and it had the same issues with resins fusing to the build plate i had to get a flex plate for it

[@jorgeayos6147]

Excuse me, what type of resin did you finally use to make the ring apart from the flex plate???

[@michaelanon2791]

Adjust z axis offset by 1 and that will go away (the issue with the prints sticking too much)

[@tjitskevanherwaarden5005]

What i am wondering after all those printers you are testing and using, what is your "go to" printer? I have a small printfarm with 10 anycubics photon mono x printers and printing 24/7 but not getting my printers printing reliable and consistently. What would you recommend to buy for someone how is looking for a resin printer that is sturdy, consistant, reliable with good quality with the same or bigger print volume? No budget.

[@FireballPSNMods]

Would you ever take on a project like casting a 3D printed transmission and getting it to work?

[@Coins1969]

Is there a flex plate for the sonic mini 8k?

[@AkilJacob]

Can this be done with gold and silver to make jewelry?

[@johngrant5749]

WOW.

[@vogman]

Thanks John 😁

[@glitchinthematrix9306]

So this is your nr1 printer for resin casting metals ?

[@zaprodk]

Water lavel :D

[@juzensari2589]

yesss

[@vogman]

😁😁😁

[@catnamestaken]

Cool

[@vogman]

😁😁😁

[@choknuti]

This wont work for the wax resin but for normal prints switching to water washable resin has solved all my plate sticking problems. Once the print is finished just rinse the plate in a container with warm water (I use an empty paint container with water around 40c) for a couple of minutes, and it comes off with no hassle whatsoever.

[@vogman]

Thanks for the share 😁

[@fredrick_leicht]

wham bam works great on larger printers but the smaller ones the magnets are not strong enough to hold the metal plate still and you end up with fading in your prints. When I reached out the wham bam to discuss the issue I got a slap to the face.

[@bap20]

You've covered an affordable vacuum chamber (going to build one ASAP) but your home-built kiln is still highly complex. Is it possible to burn out the resin using a propane torch, and some heat bricks to build a "kiln"?

[@vogman]

The burnout oven is the most important stage really. It's not something that can be hacked in any way. All those long hours at high heat burn away waxes and resins to nothing and make the plaster porous. I keep hounding companies for a cheaper alternative.

[@changesnothing8789]

im so getting one... still would like an ultra though but have not heard anything on availability

[@vogman]

My hopes for printing lie with DLP because the Ultra impressed me so much. But the Mini 8K is already next level printing 😁

[@mrpawno4955]

Ring looks really good! When does the comparison to the ultra come?

[@vogman]

Ultra vs Mini 8K, that video will be here very soon 😁

[@ads3q]

Hello, is it possible If I can try and purchase your services.

[@MakeABoom]

I've noticed your build plate doesn't have that frosted pattern on it - did you receive a different type of plate or sand it back?

[@vogman]

It DID have the laser etched surface (check the original review) but I've since sanded most of this away to try and help the sticking issue 😁

[@matthewasgari194]

Thanks for this. I have an original Anycubic Photon and I’m ready to upgrade… would you recommend the Sonic Mini 8K or the Anycubic Photon Ultra? I really don’t know which one to get.

[@vogman]

I'm working on a comparison video Matt that should hopefully be out next week. With luck this will give you plenty of info and food for though to aid your decision 😁

[@fourfingerfriend818]

The casting looks great. Is this been your best cast from a resin 3d printer?

[@vogman]

It's the best level of detail I've seen in a casting and that's because of the printer 😁

[@andreasoberhofer7415]

Hi, I sometimes wonder that when casting the metal in the video it doesn't all seem quite liquid. Was that just in the one take or is that not necessary? Am just curious.

[@vogman]

The temperature needs to be just right, hot enough to flow but not too hot as it will spoil the casting 😁

[@jamesm3268]

Just polish the build plate with wet and dry sand paper to a higher grit and you will be fine.

[@vogman]

I've already done that James... more than once 😁

[@blaze556922]

why are you using metal on the build plate to begin with?

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

“Bottom layer times halved” from what? Halve it again. And again. At some point the resin won’t stick. Win win.

[@vogman]

Trust me, that's what I've been doing.

[@LordAtrix]

seeing as you have not long published this video the link for the PHROZEN MINI 8K SPECIAL OFFER is not currently working (unless its all used up)

[@vogman]

It looks like the special offer is over.

[@roddy7256]

What about a flex plate for mega 8k?

[@vogman]

I'm not sure a flex plate could work on something that large, given the suction forces involved. 😁

[@roddy7256]

@@vogman the pre would need holes as well your right might be too crazy I just don’t wanna scratch up mine lol

[@zachofalltrades6116]

vog where can i get this file for the ring?

[@vogman]

I'm sorry to say I can't give away or share what isn't mine. You can try having a word with Juan (his details are in the description) though I'd guess he's looking to manufacture and sell his work. Talented guy I'm sure you'll agree.

[@rixter69]

how many time you need for print one ring?

[@vogman]

To cast a ring? One print for one ring if you're using castable resin. 😁

[@rixter69]

@@vogman I mean time. 15 min, 30, 1 hour 7 hours? Everyone says a different time. (Thanks for your reply)

[@AT-gu8by]

Ooh that hurts!

[@vogman]

It did 😁😁😁

[@secondarycontainment4727]

That vampire looks a heck of a lot like Gavin Newsome (govorner of California)...

[@jesselewis7641]

link not working *** PHROZEN MINI 8K SPECIAL OFFER ***

[@vogman]

I think the offer has expired now 🙁

[@---rq2dr]

link to the printer doesn't work

[@vogman]

Possibly the deals finished 😁

[@whatthefunction9140]

I need a resin printer 🖨 😫

[@vogman]

Prices are coming down and even the lowest price resin printers can produce some amazing results. I've even seen them appearing on eBay second hand. So keep the faith. You'll get there 😁

[@noviceartisan]

I think you've over-over-overexposing the bottom layers by like 10 seconds with that stuff on the 8k 🤣🤣 You need far less exposure to solidly adhere it to the base print than you think.

[@vogman]

Trust me David, on any other printer my bottom layer settings would be under-exposed... 😁

[@TonyFalcon76]

wtf is this sorcery