Metal Casting
From Artisan's Asylum
| Casting | |
| Investment Casting | |
 Instructor Karen Burke pouring metal | |
| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Shop Colors |  |
| Shop Rules | *
|
| Managed By | Jess Scott, Karen Burke, Mark Brownawell, Ben Macalister |
| Hours | Same as membership hours |
| Operational Status of Tools | Summary for all Metal Casting tools |
| Tool Maintenence Tickets | All open tickets for Metal Casting tools |
Welcome to the page of the metal casting shop!
We have a vacuum casting setup with a kiln, vent hood for investment mixing, and an oxy-propane torch and Electro-melt for metal melting. To use any of these tools, you must be signed off by the shop lead or a tool tester!
Contents |
Shop Rules
- NO CASTING ALONE! You must have a buddy for casting, and that buddy must be signed off for flask handling.
- You may not use any shop tools if you have not been tested on them.
- Always wear appropriate protective gear- dust masks for investment, safety glasses (tinted if working with torch), aprons, closed-toe shoes. Run vent hoods.
- Only approved materials in flasks; wax and PLA are approved- absolutely no ABS or other toxic substances. If you aren't sure, ask the shop lead!
- Only approved metals for melt/cast: aluminum, brass, bronze, silver, gold are all fine. Ask shop lead about anything else.
- Sign in when you use the shop, and use the online scheduler for the kiln.
- Clean up after yourself and shut down the torch properly- leave the shop nicer than you found it!
Tool Testing
Currently, we are asking new users to take a class to learn proper operation of the tools. The class teaches safe operation of shop tools, but does NOT certify you to use the shop independently.
- To get signed off on investing, you will need to complete one investment cycle safely with shop lead/tool tester present.
- To get signed off on torch casting or Electromelt casting, you will need to cast three times safely with the shop lead or a tool tester, without needing any feedback from the tester at least one of those times.
You can email the shop lead directly cutefuzzyevil@gmail.com to arrange tool testing during regular Friday office hours.
As of March 2019, we're requiring re-certification on the tools due to there being no previous list of signed-off individuals. If and only if you have previously taken a casting class at the Asylum, this will take the form of doing one cycle of investing + casting with the shop lead present to ensure proper safety procedures and tool usage. Email Jess cutefuzzyevil@gmail.com to set up a time (usually during office hours) to get signed off.
Kiln Reservations
You can sign up for using the kiln here: Online Scheduling Service
Instructions for the reservation system: Reservations Wiki
Mailing List Info
If you're going to be using the shop, please ensure that you are signed up for the mailing list: Casting Mailing List
This is also the right place to report if something in the shop is broken/malfunctioning, or to report any shop accidents.
Office Hours
The shop lead holds office hours every other Friday from 4-6 PM. Please join the casting mailing list to get updates on any changes to those times!
