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Thread: Silver casting in the UK

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Townsend View Post
    Hi Jill,
    Thanks for your reply.

    What happens regarding Hallmarks, is that left for you to do once you get the casting back ?
    And which company do you use for your casting ?

    Thanks Paul
    I think your query re. hallmarking has already been answered Paul,....I get mine done once finished/cleaned up, the casters send work back to you unhallmarked.

    I use Nexgen in Birmingham....very helpful, (ask to speak to Phil).

    Best wishes,
    Jill

  2. #22
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    Have you ever had your castings finished by Nexgen Jill? I'm just wondering how good the finish is?

  3. #23
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    I have sent an Email to Nexgen, Niagara Falls & Wardle.

    Only one has replied so far, and they have stated "our pricing structure is based on size of item/difficulty to wax/space taken up on a tree etc". So from what I can understand they just guess a price and say this is what it will be - not very scientific !

    I will let you know if I hear back from the other two - (which was my experience before) e.g. no one wanted to talk to me

    The other option is, I set up my own casting operation, at least that way I have everything under my own control, and may then even offer my services to others as another revenue stream.

    Does anyone else here do their own casting ?

    Thanks PT

  4. #24
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    Only Delft clay but I keep thinking I should set up a proper system too.
    There is a course on it at In The Studio if you needed advice.

  5. #25
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    These guys have a list of prices and were also helpful on the phone but I haven't used them yet:
    http://www.jewellerycastingscotland.com/pricing/

  6. #26
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    Paul,

    If you send a few photos of the item(s) you want cast so they can see complexity and let them know the weight (assuming it's a silver prototype if you want it cast in silver, or weight of wax so they can work out weight of metal needed for each one) they should be able to tell you prices at different quantities. At least give you a ballpark figure.

    With Wardle they were extremely good when I had a form that was very tricky to mould and inject, they sent it off to a specialist and came up with the goods (at an added cost, but not much), very good customer service. NexGen are also very good, quick and professional.

    Cheers,
    Carin
    Carin Lindberg

    Camali Design
    www.camalidesign.com

  7. #27
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    Jul 2012
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    Sarah - I posted this a while ago about Jewellery Casting Scotland. (Just in case you missed it

    My regular caster (Just castings) went on holiday for the whole of August. They are usually really good and I have no issues with them.
    Unfortunately, before they went, I sent a batch of beads to to be cast. The machine failed & all my waxes were lost (as well as the waxes belonging to everybody else).

    This has never happened before.

    Frighteningly, after speaking to all of other casters mentioned here, the general consensus seems to be that this is not actually uncommon
    Some casters such as Niagara Falls, actually state on their website that they "strongly recommend that a silicone rubber mould is made of the wax before casting".

    I have a customer waiting for this order and I have a 6 week turn around, so I made up a whole batch of waxes in a bit of a panic and sent them off as follows:
    (all casters had received my waxes by 1pm on Tuesday).

    Merrels: I sent 4 waxes.
    Received a phone call on Wednesday to say that one wax had been destroyed whilst casting.
    3 beads arrived back with me on Friday.
    2 had cracks over an unrepairable / detailed section. One bead out of the 4 sent was perfect.

    Weston Beamor: 1 wax sent for a cold silicone mould to be made & then cast.
    The bead arrived back to me on Saturday. There was no visible shrinkage and no loss of detail - no difference at all from beads
    that have been cast directly.

    This was a huge relief and takes a lot of the stress out of the process, but at £18.40 + vat for the mould to be made, it probably wouldn't be viable for most silver orders.

    Jewellery Casting Scotland: I sent 4 waxes.
    All 4 beads arrived back with me on Saturday in perfect condition

    Sprue's from all casters were nice & neat and they were all really friendly and patient.
    Weston Beamor are the only company that will not "finish", but the cast was good & it wouldn't have been necessary anyway.
    I have also used West One (will not finish at all - not even sprue removal), Wardles and Bodenham & Shorthouse (think this guy might have now retired).

  8. #28
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    Thanks Carin,

    They had access to my website www.beaujangles.etsy.com, to see my designs, and I explained I would normally have around 500 grams cast in one go and that could be 3-5 times a month.

    I think the problem is I am being spoilt with the guy I work with at the moment, as I just have a fixed rate of 50pence per gram casting charge (the cost of silver is added on top). So it is very easy for me to work out the unit cost for each item.

    I think I may be looking at doing to myself.

    Thanks PT

  9. #29
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    Aug 2012
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    Oxon
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    Hi Paul - a bit off topic but I'm interested as I thought of making similar things.
    I had a look at your etsy shop.
    With the stuff like levi and pacman do you have to pay a licencing or royalty type fee or are they not bothered.
    This concern has always put me off doing what I imagine would be a steady earner.
    If you do would you mind saying how much it is ballpark.
    Cheers
    Martyn
    (3 kids at college and desperately looking at way to get more dosh)

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by caroleallen View Post
    Have you ever had your castings finished by Nexgen Jill? I'm just wondering how good the finish is?
    No I haven't, I have always done my own, that said, some of the numbers involved I am thinking of it,....I've discussed the set-up with Phil and it is very comprehensive....maybe ask if they could do you a test piece or two??.....I'd be interested to hear how you find them!!

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