Tools, Glorious Tools! #11 - The Vacuum Casting Machine

G’day folks,
A new TGT for you on the vacuum casting machine I use for lost resin casting, do please enjoy!
Cheers,
Chris.
A very special thank you to Patrons:
Sinking Valley Woodworks (www.sinkingvall...)
Glenn Trewitt
Mike Manfrin
Christopher Warnock
Guy Loughridge
Charles Frodsham & Co.
Peter John Richardson
Adam Slagle
Tim Bray
Dan Keen
Samuel Irons
Sean Kuyper
Matteo Neville
Daniel Cohen
Larry Pardi
Olof Haggren
Stassinopoulos Thomas
Florian Ragwitz
Andrew Smith
Bernd Fischer
Sam Towne
Jack Cause
Jeremiah G. Mort
Andre van Soest
Matthew Middleton
Thomas Veilleux
Dave Seff
Robin Haerens
L'Enfant Watch Company
C. A. Patrick Voigt
Mark Coburn
Bogdan Dan
Steven R. Crider
Gary Levario
Pete Askew
Jeff Armstrong
Rudolph Bescherer Jr
Robert Petz
Ralph McCoy
Jim Popwell
Kaedenn
Bradley Pirtle
Alan Carey
PaxAndromeda
John A McCormick
Thomas Eriksen
Michael Hardel
Tim Ball
Dominik Rogala
Xanadu-King
Eric Witte
Peter
Grant Michener
Jonathan Teegarden
Steve Hossner
RuKiddin06
RobinP556
Lea Bruder
Armagus
------------- Video Notes: --------------
Small to medium studio & home shop vacuum casting machines for comparison:
www.riogrande....
www.riogrande....
www.riogrande....
www.riogrande....
Reference/Source Information for the design:
• EASY build Vacuum Cast...
• Kaya Cast Vacuum Casti...
• Building my first vacu...
• DIY | Casting Vacuum C...
• Vacuum chamber
• DIY lost wax vacuum ca...
• Jewelry Investing Usin...
Component links:
Vacuum Chamber: www.amazon.com...
Vacuum Pump: www.jbind.com/p...
Neutec Flanged Flasks: www.riogrande....
Gaskets: www.riogrande....
contenti.com/s...
Sprue Bases: www.riogrande....
Certus Optima Investment: www.certus-int...
Model Links
Leon: cults3d.com/en...
Oil Lamp Base & Body .stl files: www.patreon.co...
(Amazon Affiliate links to items used in this video)
Cameras:
Panasonic GH5 - amzn.to/2rEzhh2
Panasonic X920 - amzn.to/2wzxxdT
Tools & Shop Products:
Optivisor Headband Magnifier: amzn.to/2HFg1FU
Norton 1-by-2-by-8-Inch Fine/Coarse India Combination Oilstone, Red: amzn.to/2tTEPb0
Digital Caliper 6 inch/150 mm Electronic Vernier Calipers: amzn.to/2EArNRU
Generic Dial Indicator 0.001": amzn.to/2FOFTyF
Interapid Dial Test Indicator: amzn.to/2FPInwH
Saint Gobain (Norton) - 4 Arkansas Stones + case: amzn.to/2HCOAMX
Blazer GB2001 Self-Igniting Butane Micro-Torch: amzn.to/3f5Gzlh
Consumables:
Tix Solder: amzn.to/2G4lUiE
Tix Flux 1/2oz: amzn.to/2G85OEZ
Blue Matador Abrasive Paper: amzn.to/2IAFiBT

[@kondybas]

Don't rub this lamp too hard...

[@Cheddar555]

Why? Will AvE appear?

[@MightyGenie]

Ahem

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

Maybe he especially created this lamp to call the ghost of the creator of the antykithera mechanism to ask some questions!? 😁 ;-) Best regards, luck and health in particular.

[@iangraham6730]

Thats what 'she' said 😬

[@aerogfs]

@@Cheddar555He only appears when you put your d*** in a vise

[@ThisOldTony]

amazing as always. excellent work!

[@Clickspring]

Thank you mate!

[@justinmaynard890]

Tot. Quit watching yt and upload another video. Thank you …you comedic genius

[@AdamAugustPhoto]

@thisoldtony CNC MIG to 3d print one?

[@jackkuehneman9300]

Makes my brain tickle good when my favorite KZbinrs comment on each other's videos

[@CorbinMusso88]

Tony, I only have a small lathe time machine so I can’t go too far forward, but I just want to say…man your next video is fire.

[@bradfowler6464]

@Clickspring I repair, and customize brass musical instruments. I only use silver bearing solder, and I use a 50/50 mix of muriatic acid and glycerin as flux. It's a more aggressive, but much more effective flux overall than the zinc chloride stuff. My solders need to look good, and be air right, part of why I stay away from lead based solder (that grey oxidization looks really bad against silver plated horns), and the silver bearing stuff is measurably stronger. It takes a couple hundred more degrees (fahrenheit) to melt, but it's manageable. I also use that same model Blazer for about 75-85% of my work, so it will do just fine. Anyway, I love your work and your channel, and just thought I'd share a bit. Thanks much!

[@SeanBZA]

Will add that changing the vacuum pump oil is also very important to getting long pump life. If the oil gets the slightest bit cloudy or murky change it out. No need to go for expensive vacuum pump oil here, ordinary automotive oil works well as well, normally a straight SAE30 oil is the original, but you can use almost anything from a 5W15 to a 20W50 oil in it, and it will do the job. Also a good idea is to also include in the vacuum line a filter, simplest is to get a automotive fuel filter, and place in line with the hose, which keeps a lot of fine particulates out of the pump itself, and the filters are very cheap to buy and replace.

[@erikisberg3886]

The automotive filter is a great idea! Thanks. Use a straight oil, modern EP additives eat bronze and white metals as in bearings etc... Also important for vintage machines and vehicles. For real high vacuum I believe You need the special oils, but that is of no consequence for applikations like this.

[@opendstudio7141]

More impressive is that craftsmen of Greece and Italy mass produced these items for retail.

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

Imagine getting so good at casting that you could do casting trees of these in a single pour. Then you have cleanup by files and stones, which is labor intensive, but labor was cheap then. Still amazing casting skill to make them at scale like that.

[@SnakebitSTI]

I did some searching online, and while everything I found was about bronze statues rather than lamps, the Greeks did use indirect lost wax casting to make bronze statues. Lost wax casting itself seems to be a prehistoric invention, which I was surprised to learn.

[@secondarycontainment4727]

Oh, these lamps had wicks? I always wondered how they would work open like that - just burning oil. They are never shown with a wick... or, at least - I've never seen a picture of one. Now it all makes perfect sense to me. THANK YOU!

[@richb419]

Hi. one of the things that you may be interested in is, where I used to work the shop used a small tank to store the vacuum from the pump with a couple isolation valves that way the negative pressure could be quickly added and relieved and protected the pump from unwanted contamination. I thought the design was ingenious. Rich

[@garyseaman6105]

Lovely end result. Looks great. Thank you for the continued videos. I do really enjoy your channel. Thank you.

[@stevenhanaway920]

I think its really cool that the legendary Charles Frodsham & Company are one of your special Patrons, perhaps you could make a double anchor escapement, as I'm sure many viewers like myself would love to see that, or perhaps your own implementation of it. Love your work as always!

[@Craftlngo]

very impressive work Chris! The design of the gate system is an artform of itself!

[@justtim9767]

Beautiful work.

[@624Dudley]

So very impressive. 👍

[@calebdeming5515]

You have the best KZbin channel. ❤

[@jdmjesus6103]

Amazing work. Somehow you make it look like you've done every job a thousand times before. That solder flow was perfect. You're a true artist.

[@Tasarran]

What really amazes me is that these casting processes are STILL the way casting is done. Sand casting is the most common, but I've heard of this type of process being used in major manufacturing currently... The 'amazing' part to me is all that work, into a one-use mold... :D

[@peterheinzo515]

VERY cool. imagine the craftsmen building these 2000 years ago! still as impressive today

[@peter.stimpel]

I wouldn't be patient enough, so respect to you for all the effort you put into these projects

[@madeofstone7619]

I watch your channel as a source of inspiration. whenever I think that I have already done my job well enough, I watch your video and understand that I am still far from ideal. Thank you

[@JustinDrentlaw]

Great project!

[@Philtoid]

Stunning

[@carlthor91]

As always, Chris, you never fail to educate us.

[@Tasarran]

10:45 That was truly beautiful to watch that solder appear

[@DoNotPushHere]

Extra virgin olive oil cold pressed (should be a redundancy) shows a leven of commitment and quality hard to match. Literally it is a top culinary product what you are using for burning. Well, it matches the quality of that lamp :)

[@design8studio]

Awesome work! Great video!

[@kylebrown2903]

Right when I was saying to myself "this would be a good job for a sandblaster. He should make a video on making one for himself" he whips out the sandblaster

[@Patroand]

Merci beaucoup, il y longtemps que j'essaie de comprendre le fonctionnement de la coulée à vide. Je suivrai les prochains épisodes avec attention. Merci

[@SimonPEdwards63]

Excellent.

[@andrewnicon]

Its crazy that guys were making this so far before powertools and powered heat. They must have been truly incredible craftsmen with a lot of patience and intelligence.

[@TheSoapyJew]

Episode using terms that I'm so unfamiliar with it had me turning my head like a confused dog the whole time.

[@scottyelder8351]

My favourite YT Mechanical Engineering channel by far the best I've ever seen !

[@sidneyriggs9764]

That is really fricken cool.

[@armarmo964]

Great work, you make it look easy

[@hassenfepher]

Dang bro. That wisk at 6:25 has had a hard life😂

[@daffyf6829]

I look forward to the videos that goes into more details of the process. This is the first I've heard of vacuum casting.

[@earlscaanlon4353]

WOW! He's good yall.

[@brianhanson9367]

Wonderful

[@robstirling3173]

Brilliant!

[@Halinspark]

When I was taught lost wax in school, we had a spring powered centrifuge in the floor that we used to push the metal into the mold. I always forget most people don't.

[@albertopolofernandez3472]

Skills, knowledge and huge intention to reach perfection... trully awesome. Ive never holded a file but really love this content.

[@giantpunda2911]

You could say that I'm invested in this casting video.

[@TheDistur]

Fancy lamp!

[@ArchEdge]

Great Video Chris - Got a little lost in the process there between the vacuum chamber and you pouring in the Brass - but worked it out in the end. Might have needed something to show the 3D Model being put in the resin...

[@tzampini]

Agree. I got totally lost. I watched the video 5 times and still have no idea what’s going on. For example, where’s the pattern?? The end result seemed to come out of nowhere. I’m a longtime subscriber Chris, and your videos are usually masterpieces. But this one, I don’t know.

[@MudSharkDanceLesson]

@@tzampini you can see it starting at 1:30 both in Blender and being printed in the machine

[@JRichard1973]

Very NICE 👍

[@artkaufman595]

Great video, thanks! I use a vacuum pump and chamber to de-gas silicone rubber and urethane resin. I'm happy with mine from BACOENG, although I wish that the pump was slightly more powerful.

[@jakevalent6180]

that was sick

[@MASI_forging]

Such a beautiful pice of art 😀😀

[@RichardGoth]

Brilliant video.... its been years since I delved into casting and its great to see the changes technology has made. As a former archaeology student the results please me greatly as well :-)

[@berrieds]

Always so grateful that you share your knowledge, talent, and skill with us 😊

[@BobbyDukeArts]

Beautiful

[@Clickspring]

Thanks Bobby

[@zendodeb]

I hope you come back to this series soon

[@verdantpulse5185]

Looks like the weight of the base makes the point right behind the lion head a fine point to hang the lamp. It should keep the lamp near level and the heat plume off the wick is well away from the hang point.

[@Chriss120]

you are a true master of many arts. looking forward to more of your magical projects.

[@philipsheie702]

Chris, you are a blessing.

[@Yagba09]

Oh I love it. What beautiful craftmanship.😊

[@talyrath]

Watching you fettle and polish the piece, my brain supplied exactly what it smelled like. 😂

[@Greger88]

Gorgeous piece. I've wanted to do metal casting for years, but the landlord (and the law for that matter) seems to frown on having a metal foundry in a residential apartment for some reason. 😂

[@SmokingMan26]

Very cool learning more about vacuum casting, but also wonderful work on the oil burner. It looks simply fantastic!

[@Oldtanktapper]

Lovely results, and a bloody good job of getting it well sprued up for good metal flow!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Remarkable.

[@miserirken]

Man as much as i love the final product, it's the whole process of making it the thing i love the most. It's the journey, not the destination, i guess.

[@andrewbialon4150]

your incredible dedication to considered craft is always so inspiring to watch :)

[@johan.svensson]

Incedible. ❤

[@Preso58]

That's a beautiful piece Chris. Investment casting is something I've been wanting to try for a while but it's quite equipment heavy. I did try centrifugal casting at college though. It's super scary!

[@johnsherborne3245]

I too have a thing about investment casting, I had seen a very good TV program about the Bennin bronzes, I then got a question about investment casting in my metallurgy finals. Bingo, a question I could answer easily! I passed.

[@frfrpr]

Classy end result. This is going to be a nice series!

[@clydebalcom3679]

Very nice. Looks good, and it works nicely.

[@blindsniper35]

If you're going to make multiple of the same part or really can't have any cracking. Making a negative mold that you can pour casting wax into from the model works pretty well. You could also print out a negative mold if you so desired as well. It is extra steps and work, so whether that's worth it is kind of up to you.

[@pickerjim9246]

Excellent content

[@JoggingWithForks]

That is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing.

[@Bob_Jones_]

very cool process, you can really appreciate the initial surface finish when compared to the rough finish of traditional sand casting.

[@techrev9999]

Waw. All teh internets are belong to you. I've watched so many videos on failed castings - for the reasons you described - seeing it actually working is an amazing thing. Very cool. I watch BigStackD, who is in Australia, a lot - and he's going through this right now.

[@torstenssongustav]

Tack!

[@Clickspring]

Cheers!

[@ManSkirtBrew]

6:20 just reminded me to refresh my sourdough starter.

[@methlonstorm2027]

always great to see your work thanks for sharing

[@paoloantolini6890]

Assolutamente straordinario

[@jonbravo6262]

Incredible project Chris! Luv to catch up one day - Jon-CNS

[@nachtdiertje1972]

Nice one Chris, looks great

[@JTLowry]

I don't need one, but I want one.

[@DavidGuyton]

fascinating as always!

[@mohammedegyptian2527]

bravo

[@seanmorrissey9326]

I made one of those investment vacuum chambers out of a paint can with concrete

[@M33f3r]

Came here for the magic vacuum casting machine to use in my next dungeons and dragons game.

[@IanMott]

wow!!!! DUDE!

[@josedias4664]

Ficou ótimo, mais um trabalho de mestre do metal e da paciência, parabéns.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Superb work resulting in an amazing piece! Well done! While you were scrubbing and rubbing the lamp, I was expecting to see a genie come out of it at any moment :-)

[@pauladventure]

You sir are just on another level 🤩

[@paulmace7910]

I’ve not heard of the resin expanding and cracking the investment. A good tidbit to know. Thanks.

[@ethanspaziani1070]

I haven't even watched this video yet and I know that I'm going to enjoy it

[@derekrussell9925]

Amen!

[@canadajim]

Truly great work and excellent video.

[@mikethezipper]

How did the Romans mass produce the wax casting? also how did they cast something with such thin walls without a vacuum source? Impressive they did so much

[@gosonegr]

Maybe they made an original and then a mold of it, used to fill it with wax each time. Take account of how cheap was manual labor back then, specially during some timeframes of the whole Roman history

[@verdantpulse5185]

They did a lot of wax slush molded in gelatine molds. Gelatine molds (think ballistic gelatine, not jello) were stored in springhouses between uses to keep them away from temperature extremes.

[@IVAN_ENT]

Have been wanting to get I to this and this vaccum design is so simple ,I have a resin printer but I need to build an electric kiln to burn the resin from the investment before I buy all this

[@ChristopherHallett]

Astonishingly beautiful! I often feel that if I were ever to be a woman, I would want to be Princess Charlotte of Monaco first, or Mrs Clickspring second. Charlotte because of the money, power, and fame that I would have had to do literally zero to accumulate, or Mrs Clickspring for all the incredible artistry I would receive as gifts.

[@ethanspaziani1070]

🎉 an amazing video as always one day I hope that I will have the space and time to be able to learn how to do the things that you do and be able to make my own stuff and gadgets

[@douglasharley2440]

have you seen clickspring's shop tour videos?...lol, his shop is literally a closet, so space cannot be your excuse! ;)

[@ethanspaziani1070]

@@douglasharley2440 I kind of live in a camping RV xD it kind of is manly budget and space XD

[@douglasharley2440]

@@ethanspaziani1070 you could get a utility trailer, and bolt it down securely...that's what i thought about doing (i live in a tiny house, but decided to take classes at community college instead).

[@sblack48]

Sorta sad that you can’t keep the nice brown patina that it comes out of the mold with. That’s really beautiful

[@m3sca1]

awesome, always wondered how these worked... i have a dental casting machine the holds the entire flask, furnace, and crucible in a vacuum bottle that can be inverted, it vacs then pushes pressure, from a small pressure vessel that fills from the outlet of the vac pump. it had me thinking your machine style was more complicated but now i see it just pulls vac thru the investment porosity. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

I wonder if this oil lamp was especially created to call the ghost of the creator of the ancient antykithera mechanism for asking him some questions about the build!? 😁 ;-)

[@malbirrell]

Wow

[@littlehills739]

use a magnet to test your brass brush 1st some a coated steel

[@sergejswischow1132]

Video super☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

[@strescicca]

this needs to go to antiques roadshow to see what they think. dont tell them what it is or who made it to see how they react.

[@MrROBERTJA]

The Genie made the lamp