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Thread: Water Casting technique

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Water Casting technique

    Hi everyone.
    Im experimenting with water casting sterling silver. Im trying to get the bell shape but 20 - 30 pours have resulted in only one like this and I cant seem to replicate it.
    Questions I have are

    1.How to you know when the silver is at the correct temperature to pour?

    2.Is it better to have more than you need in the crucible in the knowledge that a lot of the results will be unusable?

    3.Pour into hot water or cold?

    4.How deep shoudl the water be?

    5.What difference does varying the hight above the water make?

    6. I have a few pieces that I think were melted over and over again, and have a dark finish a bit like they have been oxidised. Pickle doesnt remove it. Im tumbling it now to see if that will bring the silver back to life. Any thoughts on what is happening?

    Thank you
    Sofaboy

  2. #2
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    Hi everyone.
    Im experimenting with water casting sterling silver. Im trying to get the bell shape but 20 - 30 pours have resulted in only one like this and I cant seem to replicate it.
    Questions I have are

    1.How to you know when the silver is at the correct temperature to pour?
    You can get induction melting pots which have a temperature gauge. Otherwise its experience, how the metal moves in the crucible, Colour of the metal.

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    2.Is it better to have more than you need in the crucible in the knowledge that a lot of the results will be unusable?
    A little bit more is better than not having enough ;-) I think you mean enough for more than one pour, maybe, but then you would have to guess how much to pour each time.

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    3.Pour into hot water or cold?
    70C according to Ford Hallam - link to video links at bottom of post.

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    4.How deep shoudl the water be?
    right to the bottom of the pan ;-) Take a look at the video links at the bottom of the post

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    5.What difference does varying the hight above the water make?
    Too high and you may get splashing- health and safety. Take a look at the video link at the bottom of the post.

    Quote Originally Posted by sofaboy View Post
    6. I have a few pieces that I think were melted over and over again, and have a dark finish a bit like they have been oxidised. Pickle doesnt remove it. Im tumbling it now to see if that will bring the silver back to life. Any thoughts on what is happening?
    Are you putting any flux(Borax) in to the crucible. This should stop some of the oxidisation.

    The first video shows the water casting at around 4 mins
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOVOJDDShwU
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sJl3PFsmZk

  3. #3
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    Default

    High pours are ideal for granulated shot though.

  4. #4
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    Apr 2020
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    Thanks Alan and Peter
    That all makes sense.
    I had tried very hot water and very cold but nothing in between. Will try 70c
    I did put borax in some of them but thinking about it now, maybe not all
    Is there a certain trick to getting the bell shape (sorry if thats in the video which Im about to watch)

  5. #5
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    Not sure what you mean by the bell shape - with yuwake, you're generally aiming for a billet (sort of a flattened pebble in shape).

  6. #6
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    Peter
    Here is the one (bell) that I got and was really happy with but I cant remember my pouring technique for it
    Click image for larger version. 

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    The others are very exciting too. This was the result of an hour or so with multiple rejections and re melts
    Im really inspired


    Sorry about the photography

  7. #7
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    I cant seem to load the next photo of my latest haul

  8. #8
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    seems the photos was too large. The4 bits tops left are my first go at Shibuichi. Nice colour

  9. #9
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    More a game of chance than a technique. However Amanda Scheutzow uses it for her organic looking pieces, but you will notice that she blackens them, to overcome the discolouration you complain of:
    https://www.google.com/search?q=Aman...GKfRDJ6ITGNbM:

    Her video is quite explicit and you might want to watch that too:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2yTSCfTlKw Dennis.

  10. #10
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