Larry's Ring

Apr 20, 2014
11 Photos

Share Album

GKirchberger's Gallery
Larry's Ring
Larry's Ring composite image

No comments yet.

All fields are required.

Write a comment...

Comment

Comment successfully added. Add one more?

Description:
Tags:
Item information:

Larry's Ring composite image (The finished ring!)

Black Opal (This is the 1.5 carat, free-form Australian black opal I cut that will become the center stone in Larry's ring. It has a very bright, multicolor pinfire pattern and a medium high dome. It's 11.1 x 7.2 x 3.2 mm. The white spot is a reflection from a lamp. The ring will also have some small diamonds flush-set on either side of the opal.)

Wax Ring - view 1 (The wax model is almost finished. It's still a little rough so I have some smoothing and a few areas to fill in. The opal will be bezel-set on the flat center area. On either side, the design extends higher than the height of the opal. That will serve to protect the opal from impacts and scratches.)

Wax Ring - view 2 (Another view from the other side of the rough wax model.)

Wax Ring - sprued for silicone mold (Recently I've begun making a silicone mold of of waxes that I've put a good amount of time into. That way I can make a second (or additional) model(s) using a wax injector - in this case it's my insurance policy if the metal casting has issues. The ring is attached to a wax sprue that is attached to the mold frame. Normally, the frame is sealed off with two glass or acrylic side plates clamped to the frame. Then silicone mold compound is slowly poured into the frame to surround the wax model. This ring has severe undercuts from removing excess wax to thin the underside of the top of the ring. Pouring silicone into this mold would leave a big air bubble under the ring. So, what to do???)

Wax Ring - frame on plexiglas with dam in place (To solve the air bubble problem when pouring silicone, I will have to leave one side of the frame open and pour from the side. That may still leave a bubble given the size of the ring undercuts, so I will tilt the frame and fill inside the ring before setting it down and completing the pour. I've positioned the mold frame and an acrylic dam on a sheet of acrylic. Now I need to seal the frame.)

Wax Ring - frame is sealed with bath caulk (The mold frame has been sealed with bath caulk to prevent the silicone mold compound from leaking during the pour. Any gap, no matter how small, will cause a leak so the entire perimeter of the frame has to sealed. Caulking is necessary only for a horizontal pour like this where one side of the frame is open.)

Wax Ring - mold curred and removed from frame (After separating the mold from from the acrylic sheet, the cured mold is easily removed from the frame. You can see the red wax sprue where the cone of the mold frame created a "funnel". When injecting hot wax, the mold is pressed against the injector's nozzle and the wax flows into the mold. The solid block of silicone is ready to be cut open after some additional cure time.)

Wax Ring - mold halves separated (Normally I cut open a silicone mold after 24 hours, but I decided to wait about 36 hours for this one. (The silicone actually cures to maximum strength after several days.) I separate silicone and rubber molds using a #12 scalpel blade held in a pin vise. (Got bandages?) I also use an old can opener held in a vise so its point can be a "third hand" to pull the halves apart as I cut. The first cut is a continuous 1/4" all around the sides of the mold. I then cut rectangular registration "plugs" at the four corners that will keep the two halves aligned when in use. Finally it's just a process of gradually and carefully cutting closer to the model until the halves separate. In the middle of the ring I cut the silicone in two so that one half belongs to each half of the mold. That makes removing an injected wax copy much easier with less risk of distortion or breakage. Now, as for the next step of casting in metal...)

Wax Ring - model attached to flask base with sprues (I've attached the wax ring to the flask base with four wax sprues. This horizontal orientation is again necessary to avoid air bubbles in the undercuts. I will also have to tilt the flask as I pour investment plaster to ensure that it covers the inside of the top of the ring. And then, when placing the flask in the vacuum chamber, I will again need to tilt the flask slightly - but not enough to cause it to tip over! Any bubbles on the underside of the ring would be cast as extra metal. That's well worth avoiding because extra metal from the ring's underside would be difficult and time consuming to remove.)

Wax Ring - rough casting (Casting completed, the ring has been cut off of the sprues and is ready for clean-up. There are a few rough spots on the underside (not visible in this view) and on the right side that will require some filing and sanding. After the metal is finished to a polish, a bezel will be soldered onto the top for the opal. The last steps are stone setting, clean-up, and final polishing.)

Audio Mute

Play

Shuffle

Include

Privacy and cookie policy

This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized content, and analyze traffic. By continuing to use this site you agree to use of cookies and stewardship of your data.

Larry's Ring

Photo Details

Comments