ArtMetal

Hi B.J. and thanks for replying,

Since I am completely unfamiliar with this process and the properties of ceramic, I wasn't aware that chipping out the casting would be necessary. My primary goal is to attempt to create a mold with the metal filled crucibe attached to the bottom, once heated to casting temperature, I would like to turn the whole unit right-side-up to facilitate the cast. This is an ancient method of bronze casting and I wanted to give it a try with modern mold making materials. From the scant information I was able to gather from a book, the method is faster than investment casting, but unfortunately calls for the use of cow or horse dung LOL...

The ingrediants include a mixture of crushed charcoal powder and potter's clay moistened with water as the first coating that goes over the wax. After that is dry, a mixture of 40% charcoal powder, 25% manure, 25% potter's clay and 10% refractory clay is built up over the piece to form the outer portion of the mold. Unfortunately the source I gathered this from says nothing about "how" the mold is removed once the casting is done, but my primary interest is in finding a modern material that can take the place of manure in this process. Any suggestions?