< KILN & CASTING INDEX
KILN & CASTING INTRODUCTION
Once an investment mould has been completed, the founder has to remove the mould’s wax contents by FIRING the mould in a KILN. The founder then replaces the evacuated wax with a molten metal CHARGE which creates a positive image metal cast of the artist’s sculpture.
This part of the founding process can be remarkably short in duration. Using modern founding systems, a small scale investment mould can be de-waxed, fired and poured within the hour. By the same token, a great deal can go wrong during this short period of time, potentially rendering all the founder’s earlier preparations useless.
The first two steps – wax removal and mould firing, are usually (though not always), carried out in a single operation using a gas or electrically fired kiln. After firing, the mould is removed from the kiln and a molten metal charge is taken from the furnace and poured in.
Most of the method descriptions below can be applied to a variety of investment casting systems, any important exceptions or variations in process are noted where appropriate.
WAX REMOVAL & MOULD FIRING >
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